[QUOTE=qole;575494I dearly hope I'm wrong. I think that a custom kernel and a special cable isn't too ugly a solution... Maybe a special hand-held battery-powered hub that handles the hardware side of things... That would be fine, too...[/QUOTE]

Here's the thing. My HDD is battery powered so does not need power to the USB. In my case I should be able to just use the regular cable. Hopefully.