I have about a dozen IBM Deskstars and now a 30GB Travelstar. I decided to standardize on OEM packaging IBMs about a year ago. It lets me use the same diagnostic and DMA config utilities on all my drives, and I like their warranty and on-line RMA process (run diagnostic, get error code, go to web page, plug in S/N and err code and ...RMA number appears). I recently RMA'd 2 30GB drives* that were reporting non-fatal, but unfixable bad sectors and IBM returned 2 40GB drives (Hmmm. I should have them fail on a regularschedule!)

This is not to say that Maxtor or others don't have warranty/RMA that is as good. I never researched it. I kind of fell into IBMs but liked what I found.

One note: A local computer shop told me that he did have problems with some white box and retail box IBM drives -- warranty terms were not the same -- so he stopped using them. I've gotten bulk/OEM drives, though, and no problems with that so far.

*Yes, two drives that were part of the same mirror with bad sectors at almost the exact same locations. Did Jim perhaps whack the box with his knee during a disk read?? Regardless, they are both replaced. The computer kept running, but the controller reported errors, so I removed them one at a time and sent them in.

Jim