Does IDE cable orientation matter?

adkmom · Joined: Jun 18, 2003 Posts: 469

What I have is an older, tiny Dell who's secondary controller is kaput.

The hard drive is front mounted, a mile from the CD-ROM (which doesn't work since it's on the 2nd controller). There's no way to mount them near enough to one another to place them both on IDE 1.

So, what I need to do is to use a round IDE cable I have to reach both drives. The only way to do this is if I plug the blue end (which says "system board")- into the hard drive, the middle connector will reach the CD-ROM, then the black other end (which would normally plug to a drive) to the motherboard.

What I'm asking is if it really matters? MUST I plug that blue end to the motherboard? If I do that, then it will not reach both drives...

Hope I'm explaining this well enough?

Tracy

goretsky

Hello,

I have never heard of anyone using an IDE cable "upside-down" so I cannot say for certain whether or not this will work.

You may wish try it first with both devices set to Cable Select. If that does not work, try setting them to use Master and Slave jumpering.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

brat · Joined: Jun 05, 2003 Posts: 2326

I had a friend install rounds cable for me he put them in backwards my Master and Slave would'nt work, i had to change them.

In the Bios it showed the Master not the Slave.

If you have the cables try and see what happens.

alphanumeric · Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 647

You could do that quit easily with the old 40 pin 40 conductor cable. You could even put the connectors on reversed if you did all 3 that way. The cables were wired pin for pin. The 40 pin 80 wire cables are wired different and I would say that trying to use cable select would not work correctly. If you use the master slave jumpers it may work though. Only way to find out is to try it. I can't see it hurting anything, it will either work or it won't. If your hard drive shows up correctly in the BIOS I would take that as a good sign. I would like to know if it works so please let us know if you try it. Smile

adkmom · Joined: Jun 18, 2003 Posts: 469

I'll get back to it tonight & let you all know the outcome.

I just can't figure out why it would matter- as the data moves back & forth through the cable?

On this same vein- any idea what could cause the loss of the 2nd controller? The controller would show regardless of whether anything were attached to it, correct? I tried uninstalling all, in reg. & safe mode- still doesn't show up after reboot.

I've corrected a lot of ailments with a BIOS flash- but hate to push my luck ....ideas?

Tracy

Werebo

alphanumeric · Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 647

adkmom · Joined: Jun 18, 2003 Posts: 469

so you're saying that a bad drive could cause the controller not to show in device manager?

That seems very odd to me?

Tracy

PS- both are enabled in BIOS

alphanumeric · Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 647

nudgewink · Joined: Jul 15, 2004 Posts: 26

Doesn't matter which end of the IDE cable connects to MoBo, which
to drive.

nudge

nudgewink · Joined: Jul 15, 2004 Posts: 26

When there is a pin missing, it's #20, and if you look up the pinout you'll
find that all the even-numbered pins are on that same row and they are
all ground. A number of MoBo's I've worked with have all 40 pins, and
so to use a cable having #20 plugged, it was necessary to carefully
grip pin #20 with needle-nose pliers and wiggle the pin back and forth
til it breaks off. Add it to your gold collection Laughing

nudge

User: inactive Posts:

It's been a long day and I really don't feel like re-reading this entire thread, so let me just say this:

There are two distinct types of IDE cables. One type is staright through and it don't matter which end is hooked up where. Basicly any way that you want to hook it up is just fine. I use these and do this all the time.
Each drive on that cable must be properly jumpered to either master or slave. (one each)

Then there is the keyed cable. Somewhere along the cable, usually between the two drive connectors, is a tiny cut. This makes the cable setup for Cable Select. The drive on the end, set for CS will be the master and the one on the center connector set to CS will be the slave. With this cable this is the only configuration that will work.

I've seen both types of cables on machines from major manufacturers. So you really have to scope out the cable to make sure what you have.

Nuff Said,
Cheers Exclamation

The Shadow Cool

adkmom · Joined: Jun 18, 2003 Posts: 469

Well-

the way this is set- I turned the cable around>which put the hard drive first in the "chain">then the cd...Cd still doesn't work- but the HD drive boots. I didn't disassemble to check the CD jumper- but the HD was CS- so I went under that assumption. So tight in there I'd have to take it apart to see...

Oh, & all parts were keyed w/missing pin, as well.

I'm tearing it open tomorrow & trying a spare CD-ROM. I hated to do it- now have to get a schematic for this tight, puzzle case...ick.

Tracy

falliston

My understanding is that with cable select the connector at the end of the cable is the controll. If true, you want the harddrive at the end of the cable.

This may, however, be an urban legend type thing left over from floppy drives; the A being the end and the B being the middle.

Try it both ways, see what happens. Try the CD only and boot to BIOS Setup, If not detected, it could be the drive is whonked. Try the CD drive in another PC.