emusonacid! legacy

I want to get back into sampling and I have an opportunity to get a nice E synth, not an ultra. I had a Emax SE HD kybd and a Emax II rack which served as my main machines for a good 10 years until the hard drive in the Emax cooked and I sold the Emax II. I have always like the E synth and I don't want another rack. I know I would have to max out the memory. What would be the highest usable OS for the E synth? How do I save samples? I assume SCSI and a zip or hard drive? Are there hard drives available? (I still have nightmares about getting a new HD for the Emax II) Is there a better way to do the hard drive now, like a ide or sata drive conversion that works.... Sample editors, use to be RS232 cable to a MAC, now what for graphical editing. Sorry about all the questions but I might as well dive in. thanks!