From: Leon Zimlich: Subject: [PCBUILD] Another IDE drive Query


> I have my own problems/questions about IDE drives, master/slave
> configurations and the like.
>
> I'm using a Gateway G6-400 running Windows 98, with a Maxtor 10GB drive
> as the master, and an older Western Digital 1.2GB drive recovered from
> an older pc as the slave.  There are a DVD drive and Sony Superstation
> on the secondary IDE channel.
>
> For the first few months after installing the WD drive as the slave all
> was well, then it disappeared from all drive listings.  As I was using
> that drive to archive copies of files stored elsewhere there was no
> great lost, I just assumed that being an older drive it had given up the
> ghost.  But then it reappeared in the drive listings months later, and
> has been appearing/disappearing as it wants to ever since.  It is as
> likley to be seen as it is to be missing whenever I boot the machine.
>
> It occurred to me that the IDE ribbon cable could be defective, so I
> replaced it to no effect.  The two hard drives get power from the same
> cable; I've switched the plugs, but also without any result.  I've also
> upgraded the BIOS to no effect.
>
> That the drive works (if only when it wants to) suggests to me that the
> master/slave jumpers, BIOS settings, and the seating of the power and
> IDE cables are all correct.
>
> So, what is likely to be the problem here? The BIOS recognizes the drive
> sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't.  Is this likely a problem with the
> hard disk controller or, as I first thought, just a flakey drive? When
> controllers go bad do they do so intermittently?  Wouldn't the Maxtor
> drive be affected also if it was problem with the controller? I've
> been wanting to replace the WD drive with one of much larger capacity,
> but am reluctant to spend the money and still have the same underlying
> problem.
>
> If I had a second pc I would test the drive in it.  Unfortunately that's
> not the case.
>
> Any ideas or suggestions?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Leon E. Zimlich

I have always been told not to connect two hard drives from the same power
connector, but if I had to connect two drives, to connect a hard drive with
a cd-rom or floppy drive.  I had a problem with a SCSI drive that would
sometimes be detected and sometimes not be detected.  My problem was that my
power supply was not large enough for all of the internal devices.  I
installed a larger power supply and my problem with the sometime recognized
sometime not hard drive disappeared.

Mary Wolden

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