New Build, IDE problem

[Extelleron]

I'm having trouble with my new PC build. All the new hardware (CPU, mobo, HSF) work fine, but I'm having trouble getting the motherboard to recognize both my IDE devices (HDD + optical drive).

It seems I can only get the mobo to recognize one of them at a time; when I have the HDD connected as the "Master" and leave the optical unconnected, the hard drive works fine. When I plug in the optical, then only it works and it registers as the Master. The optical works fine, but the HDD is nowhere to be found. Trying to "detect" the HDD in BIOS doesn't work, it just hangs there forever. When I try connecting the HDD by itself with the slave connector, it does not work either.

My hardware is in my signature. I might just get a new SATA HDD since this one is getting small (only 200GB) but I'd like to get this figured out anyway.

Thanks for any help.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Are the drives sharing a channel? If so, are you correctly jumpering them as master and slave? Have you tried setting them both to cable select?

 

[nebuchanezzar]

Do you have 2 IDE slots to use or just one? If two are you using one device per IDE slot? If not and they are both on one ribbon cable then do you have your jumpers set correctly with the "Master" device on the end?
Sorry to ask such basic questions but those are usually where the problems lie.

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Are the drives sharing a channel? If so, are you correctly jumpering them as master and slave? Have you tried setting them both to cable select?

Yes they are sharing the one IDE that my board has. I haven't done anything but plugged them in.... that's how I've done it with my previous builds and everything has always worked.

What exactly do I need to do? Is this something that applies to Intel boards but not AMD? Because I've never had to do anything but plug in the drivers before.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: Extelleron

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Are the drives sharing a channel? If so, are you correctly jumpering them as master and slave? Have you tried setting them both to cable select?

Yes they are sharing the one IDE that my board has. I haven't done anything but plugged them in.... that's how I've done it with my previous builds and everything has always worked.

What exactly do I need to do? Is this something that applies to Intel boards but not AMD? Because I've never had to do anything but plug in the drivers before.

On the back of each drive, there is a jumper that can be set for MA (master), SL (slave) or, CS (cable select). Either set both to cable select or, set the HDD to master and the optical drive to slave.

The way devices are handled on a IDE channel is dependent on the MB and has nothing to do with being Intel or AMD.

 

[Extelleron]

I've tried playing with the jumpers and the cables, but I am still unable to get both the HDD and the optical drive to work together. I have the hard drive set to Master and I know it is set correctly because I looked in the manual. With the optical drive, I have no manual but its definitely the middle jumper.

I can get the optical drive to work fine as the Slave with either end of the cable, but the hard drive only works with the black end of the IDE cable even though the HDD's jumper is set to master and not cable select. But even when the HDD is connected with the black end and the optical is connected with the gray end, and the jumpers are set properly, only the optical drive works. The HDD does not show up.

Right now I'm just using the HDD by itself with the previous installation of Windows, and I'm going to order a new SATA HDD. I'd still like to know what the problem is here, I don't see what I'm doing wrong.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

In old school cabling, the middle connector on the ribbon cable was the master and the end connector was the slave but, I think there's something else going on. The settings are marked on the case of both drives so no manual needed but, always good to check anyways. I have noticed some MB's prefer to have the HDD on SATA and the Optical on IDE even though they supposedly handle either.

The only other thing I can suggest is to try the MB manufs. forums and check for other folks having the same problem. Possibly relating to the version of BIOS you're running. Not all specifications for IDE controllers are implemented equally which is why I believe the problem is your MB rather than differences between Intel and AMD.