I was able to remove the NTFS partition and repartition the HD as a type Linux (83). Next I created the ext3 file system. If I reboot with the USB drive attached, the boot process hangs, however if I turn off the drive, boot and then turn it on, all is fine. # cat /etc/fstab shows the drive, but I am not sure how to use it for a backup nor do I know how to access it. Any help would be appreciated. The drive is /dev/sda1. Todd -- Ariste Software 2200 D Street Ext Petaluma, CA 94952 (707) 773-4523