Well, seeing as how you can actually mount and access the data on the HD one would assume (from what I have experienced anyway) that your termination is ok.

Is it just me or is the label on that HD looking like it belongs on a PATA/ATA/IDE drive?

Also, I am completely unwilling to watch the startup video as I am stuck in an area with no faster wired connections than dialup.

Where did the OS in the HD come from? perhaps you should disable and archive the old existing one and install a new OS then test that?