Hi People!

Until I decided to add a spare HD [2GB] to my backup computer it was
working fine within the limits of its 500 MB HD and 16 MB of RAM.

It was setup, in a new AT case with a 200 watt power supply, as follows:
Houston i430VX motherboard, Award BIOS,  with an Evergreen MXPro  200 MHz CPU.
The 500 MB HD set as Master on the Primary IDE
Two 8 MB 72 pin SIMM modules.
A 32X CD drive on the Secondary IDE [Don't ask why but it was set as Slave
and worked. An apparent unintentional error on my part.]
A 3 1/2 floppy drive on the FDC
Win 95, first edition and software for Internet, fax, correspondence, etc.
to the limit of the HD capacity.

When I upgraded the HD in my main computer I decided to install the old 2
GB HD in the backup machine. Hardware changes are:
Master HD on Primary IDE: 2 GB IBM Deskstar AT HD
Slave HD on Primary IDE: 500 MB Seagate AT HD
The 32X CD drive now set as Master on the Secondary IDE

After installation I set the CMOS to Auto detect for the Primary and
Secondary IDEs  and then FDISKed and Formatted both drives. They were
correctly recognized. The CD was not! I tried, I think, all the detection
options to no avail.

I then started installing the operating system hoping something would
correct the problem. Since DOS 5 was my original full system I started
there and then installed the upgrades - DOS 6, DOS 6.11, Win 3.1 and Win
for Workgroups. I am stalled there because I need a CD drive to install Win 95.

On the hardware side I tried disconnecting the secondary HD and then
setting the CD as Slave  on the Primary IDE. I also tried it in its
original configuration as Slave on the Secondary IDE. In all cases the
activity light indicates that the CD is being accessed during boot up but
when I insert an audio or data CD it will spin up but then stop.

I have also checked and rechecked all my connections and changed the ribbon
cable. I installed the CD drive in my main computer and it is automatically
detected and works properly.

Comment to read if you have nothing better to do: To speak politely, the
Houston board is probably the source of the problem- since I never make
mistakes! It has been crappy from day one. The manual was poor [probably
written for a different board entirely] and I finally had to get a new
board when, despite supposedly supporting SDRAM 168 pin DIMMx2 it would
not. On top of that the lithium battery cell is cleverly soldered in a
black box, not identified on the component location chart and costs about
$40 to replace. I  spent $1.98 on a new battery and did a delicate
soldering job. My normal fix it all tool is a sledge hammer....

Anyway, I'm lost! Can anyone lead me out of the wilderness? How can I get
the CD recognized?

Have a good weekend and thanks in advance.

Peter Darrach

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