At wits end

[XB70]

Yes, tried that as per tech support request. Results were inconclusive.

I did an archive and install of Tiger last night but only brought it up to 10.4.7. Backup still failed (blank screen/pinwheel/screaming fan). I think this had something to do with trashing those large files (they were 'working' files - nothing system specific). SD has never liked when I do that. Typically the Smart Update would fail and I'd resort to erasing my external FW and starting from scratch. Problem this time is the backup won't even work when I scrub my FW drive.

I'll try Drive Genius tonight. If that doesn't work I'll just bite the bullet and erase the HD and install Leopard.