Desktop

Ask something
Discussion Locked

IDE devices questions

0 helpful
5 replies

by asleep_at_the_wheel

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have a computer with 1 hard drive and 3 cd rom drives. For some reason Windows 2000 only recognizes 2 of the cd rom drives. When I boot up the computer the black screen also only shows 2 cr rom drives and not the third. Any ideas why this is?

Also before too long I’ll want to install an additional hard drive and a 4th cd rom drive. This will be a total of 6 IDE devices I’ll want installed. My motherboard only has 2 IDE connectors, so I’m now limited to 4 IDE devices. Is there an easy and inexpensive way to have more than 4 IDE devices?

Computer is PIII 667MHz Windows 2000 Abit motherboard

It’s been a long day,
I’m tired,
and I’m...

5 replies

by maxwell edison

The first problem is most likely a jumper setting. You now have the capacity to have a primary master, a primary slave, a secondary master, and a secondary slave. The jumpers on the devices need to set accordingly. The hard drive is probably the primary master. Most CD ROM drives are initially set to be a slave device. Look on the back of the drive for jumpers that will allow you to set one of them as a master.

Make sure you connect each ribbon cable to a master and slave device.

When you add IDE devices (more than 4) you’ll need to add an IDE controller card. Promise Technologies makes a good PCI card – an Ultra 100 or Ultra 133. This card should cost in the $40-$80 range.

by brian p.

Maxwell is right.Look for a sale on drives and get a free controller card. A scsi changer is cheap now at yard sales with the card. one 7 disk changer is plenty, ya think?

This discussion is closed to new replies.