On 29 Jun 2003, at 12:16, shadybunch wrote:

> This computer had two hard drives in it and we've taken out the slave
> hdd. Then we reformatted the other hard drive but now when we turn the
> computer on it says: " Primary Slave HDD Error".  We replaced the master
> hard drive with another one and the same message came up. Does this mean
> there needs to be a switch changed on the motherboard? It's An Intell
> Exp8551 VIR 1.4 motherboard.
>
> I tried looking for previous postings to find answers but can't seem to
> get into the archives part, sorry. Any suggestions as in how to retrieve
> previous archives on this site, becuase klicking on the archives links
> gives me nothing.
>
> Thanks in advance
> Martha Shade

  If you go to the CMOS setup on the machine, I believe you'll find that it
shows capacoty/etc information for both drives.  If you change the
information for the slave to "none" (or "auto"), that will porbably make the
error message go away.

  It's possible that you may need to change a jumper on the remaining
*drive* (not on the motherboard!).  Some models use a different jumper
configuration for "master with slave" from "drive on a channel by itself".
(Most manufacturers have learned to print these settings on the drive
casing, so if you have the drive, the information is right there.)

David Gillett

        The NOSPIN Group provides a monthly newsletter with great
       tips, information and ideas: NOSPIN-L, The NOSPIN Magazine
           Visit our web site to signup: http://freepctech.com