formlessv .... Sorry when I responded to your query, I was typing from memory ( probably not a good idea when you are older ) and I typed hda1 instead of hda. In any case, posmonet expanded on the matter much better. The point is that you must be careful when trying to partition or format USB or Firewire drives. I have never seen any such drive show up as hda, but I have also never seen a pink elephant.....so who am I?