Computer will not boot

If it is not detecting any thing else then primary master, disconnect everything else from the ide controllers and power and do a trial and error to find out if any of the drives is the culprit

Unplug the printer cable. If the machine boot then, it is probably a bad or pinched cable. Does the printer have a USB interface? I've seen much improvement using that interface for printing.

You may have a problem with the parallel port itself. If there has been no printer until now, the port may have dirt in it or have been bad from the beginning.

If you opened the box for any reason, you may have knocked the cable partially loose from something. Check the connections and see what happens.

Firstly a few questions ...

- system fails to detect IDE on startup or will not auto detect in BIOS setup?
- are the printer port settings in BIOS setup according to the printer manufacturers specifications?
- is it the proper parallel cable for the printer?

Secondly a long distance diag ...
The IDE and parallel port can interfere with each other in DMA features and settings. Of course, knocking some cable loose can have that effect to. !Hot-Plugging-In a bi-directional printer can frymotherboard circuits, (especially if it comes out of the plastic wrap and gets hooked up right away), but since you powered down first, that's not it! Could be the power supply has hit the max and will not put out that few extra watts at boot time ???
Insure that all connectors are tight and as required, (drives jumpered, I/O ribbons oriented properly, power plugs, etc);
Check that there is only one parallel port I/O device installed, (or move one to IRQ7 at 378h and second to IRQ5 at 3BCh);
Look carefully at the BIOS settings, especially DMA and IRQ assignments.

Please post a comment if you need more info or want to provide more for us ...

Good hunting, I hope this helps you get it running again soonest.

1: Make sure that your cable is not a laplink
cable, as wires 2 and 3 aare the wrong way
round.
2:Start removing items on your pc, until it boots.
3Is your parallel port actually activated?
4. It is possible your printer does not actually work (even though it is new).
Hope this gives you a bit of direction.

After five years the CMOS battery could be flat replace the battery and it may find your hardware. hopefully it will be set on AUTO accept the seting it makes.

1st i dont agree with anwer 5 about your battery. go to your bios and (almost all biosed are diffent) change your parallel to ecp if it is on epp. if it is on epp change it to ecp and that should help you out. if that does not work make sure you areusing the right cable then if your computer does not boot take out every thing on your computer then(i mean all extras that are pluged in and plug them in 1 at a time

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