Thanks, Mac. Really appreciate the info. Quick question: Is there anything out there (hardware or software) that will reliably let me test how much current a USB drive is drawing, instantly and/or over time -- and is there anything out there that will let me test how much current my various USB ports on different computers (and hubs) are supplying? I'd ask the same question with respect to Firewire. I suspect I may be naive about the cost involved (so don't laugh) but I must own at least a couple dozen hard drives (video can fill 'em up, fast) and I'd willingly shell out a hundred bucks or so (maybe a couple hundred) to be able to know what the heck is going on.