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 PCBUILD's List Owner's: Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]> Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>