🚀 go-pugleaf

"ClueLess" <clueless@wilderness.org.invalid> wrote in message 
news:j0ino5p7hrvcjpd357c0o7338tqtp5ta5n@4ax.com...
> Posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage, 24hoursupport.helpdesk
>
> Hi Friends
>
> Here is a strange problem, when I connect my hard disk using the 80
> wire cable my computer does not recognize it.
>
> It happened this way. I had to check another hard disk and so I
> swapped the disks (IDE0) and found it was not recognized. Then I
> connected the original hard disk and it was also not recognized. I
> tried both the IDE0 and IDE1 channels with the same result. I tried
> also other hard disks as well other 80 wire cables, still no go.
>
> Then I found an old 40 wire cable and when connected with this, bingo,
> all the hard disks are recognized.
>
> No pins broken, no hardware damage. All the cablea are in good
> condition. In fact the machine for years worked with only the 80 wire
> cable.
>
> How does this happen? This is just a banana motherboard and the
> problem is in the bios stage itself. (bios says "Not installed")
>
> If any of you can give me an explanation or a solution please do

The 40 wire cable was used by older IDE drives. The 80 wire cable was 
introduced with the advent of Ultra DMA/66, the extra wires serving to 
reduce noise. Full story at http://everything.explained.at/AT_Attachment/

As I recall, with the 40 wire cable you needed to use the cable select on 
the drive to indicate whether the drive was a slave or master, but with the 
80 wire cable it depended on which of the two connectors on the cable it was 
plugged into.

If the drive isn't recognised with the 80 wire cable then I'd suspect either 
the cable or the IDE logic on the motherboard. So whilst you might think the 
cable is fine I'd still try a different cable.

If you can't find anything wrong with it connected via your old 40 wire 
cable, then stick with that. I know that transfer rates will be slower, but 
probably not so you'd notice.
-- 
Brian Cryer
www.cryer.co.uk/brian