Jo, you're thinking as I had thought: Release the machine to the agency (so that the originals can be viewed exactly as saved).

EnCase is the next best thing. It would "slave" to the master drive (or the one on the Mac) without altering anything. I will ask the agency (attaining the files) if its people will arrive with the means to do it - and create the hash values (data which should match exactly prior to and following a mirror of the hard drive).

I'm not opposed to releasing the machine - if it will make the transfer go more smoothly. But, since it does have other data, which I'd like to also keep, my pref. is to hold onto it.

Because the machine is obsolete, and isn't as ramped as newer ones; it doesn't have a USB port (or empty slot for adding a port). It has a CD R drive and a floppy drive; and two bays for including what I think would amount to something such as a zip drive or a CD writer. It was the first machine I had for Net access.

If only I had known then what I know now about computers .