ljhall

FYI, this adaptor off of Ebay was what I used. http://www.ebay.com/itm/FT232BM-BL-Seagate-Barracuda-7200-11-Firmware-Fix-tool-complete-USB-powered-/280748167812?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415de51284 It worked perfectly, no soldering required, only needed a USB cable. It is marketed to work for this specific problem, using the solution provided on these pages, and, it worked for me. Upsides: No soldering required, includes pretty much everything you need...and works. Oh, and at $20 bucks shipped, its reasonable in price. Downside: Ships from Bulgaria, so you'll be waiting a couple of weeks to use it.

1000 Thanks to Gradius2. Your instructions were clear, concise, and just plain worked. Got the serial adaptor off of Ebay (from Bulgaria, of all places). After that, worked like a charm. Let me know how I can send you something in thanks, I really appreciate it.