ok, so error 9 means there's something wrong with the HD itself ? yer explanation says something about size. would that be the size of the HD ? wouldn't make sense to me since the retail hd is only 10gb (i think/heard). any chance it could just be the model of HD i have ? it's a 40gb AT Maxtor D740X-6L. it's also several years old. might that have something to do with it ? basically, can i do anything with this HD or do i need a whole new one ? thanks.