To answer your fist question... you will know you have SCSI if you see a
DOS-like SCSI posting right after the memory check and just before
Windows/other OS loads.

I would guess that 95% or better of all consumer-grade computers are IDE.
Since you have a 486, you have a new problem.  How are you going to get it
to read an IDE larger than 500mb?  Most older 486's had that limitation;
however, if you spend 100 bucks for a SCSI card and 250 for a SCSI drive,
you can buy just about any sized drive you wish and move you can move it
into the next computer you buy.

Don't get a PCI SCSI card since you probably don't have PCI slots in your
486 (very few of the later boards had PCI on 486's).

If you want the cheapest solution, then do this.  Buy a value-priced drive
(8 to 10gb) and load the disk manager software that you can download from
the manufacturer.

--gary r. tennesen
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Reid Gibson
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 4:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PCBUILD] HELP! EIDE or SCSI? What is this?


I need to upgrade my hard drive to a larger hard drive - SOON!  How do I
know which drive to get?  Do I have EIDE or SCSI?  How do I tell?  Is it on
the drive itself?  Is it in my start-up?  Is there some way for me to know
this?

I have an older system (486/50 mid 90's) but do not need anything faster -
only more storage for programs (tax time - they are hogs {the programs - I
mean}.  Can anyone help me?

Thanks!

Bea Gibson

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               articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more
                          http://freepctech.com