On  9 Dec 98 at 10:10, Jeffrey Delzer wrote:

> Dean Riddle wrote:
> >
> > Is the second floppy set by jumper as a secondary floppy? Haven't done this
> > myself, just know from reading that it must be done.
>
> Could someone clarify this, please? This is the first that I've heard
> about floppy drives having jumpers or caring whether they are primary
> (A:) or secondary (B:).

  In the Olde Days, The floppy at the end of the ribbon cable
required insertion of a "terminator" -- usually a SIP resistor pack
-- and whether the drive would respond as "primary" (A:) or
"secondary" (B:) depended on the presence or absence of this
component.

  On modern systems, there is an internal "twist" in the cable
between the primary and secondary connectors.  [Note that there are
often two primary and two secondary, one each of "card edge" type and
"header" type.  Hmmm -- trying to connect both primary connectors to
different drives *might* manifest *some* of the symptoms you
describe.]

> The reason I ask is that I'm trying to install a second 3.5"
> floppy drive in a friend's system, but as soon as I connect the
> power cable it refuses to boot. I've already swapped the drive with
> another new one, and tried it with and without the data cable
> connected, but it won't boot ANYTIME the second floppy's power
> cable is connected. In fact, the system won't boot even if that
> floppy is the ONLY drive connected.]

  PC power supplies are supposed to shut down if there is a high
impedance across the 5v supply.  This could indicate an electrical
fault within this drive.  I can't imagine any other way it could
affect the system without the ribbon cable attached.

David G

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