Message received loud and clear: next time I have a problem, don't post to the message boards; go right from the FAQ to the phone.

I'm sorry for being short with you about it. Obviously, that's not what I meant.

It's just that IDE trouble the most common hardware problem we see in this forum, and in many cases a call to support is the only solution. If you've already checked all the stuff in the FAQ (and you said that you had, which is good), then the only remaining solution is to talk to David. He'll either send you a new cable, or offer to take the player in to solder dry spots on the IDE header.