IDE channel problem

Computer Forum Storage Devices
1

Hi!

I have this problem and I’d like to hear your opinions.

First - the PC has a GIGABYTE GA-8I945PV-G motherboard with 3 IDE channels. There is one IDE cable plugged into the IDE_1 and the other two ends should be placed on a HDD and a CD/DVD device. The HDD has three pin settings - Maser (1 drive); Slave; Cable Select - the CD/DVD device has also three settings - Master, Slave, Cable Select. Now I need to make this working. I have one IDE cable. So, the only obvious way is to make both Cable Select, right. Well, not that simple - the PC wouldn’t find anything. If I put either of the devices on Cable Select and leave them alone on the cable, they would get detected. Unfortunately, one can’t define the CD/DVD a Slave and the HDD a Master, since the only pin setting available besides Cable Select is Master (1 drive), which (it’s a Samsung, btw) makes it not suited.

So, taking another IDE cable and putting it into IDE_2 should make it work - every device has its own channel and can be the only master (like a brother and sister need two seperate rooms :D). Well, nah, the PC wouldn’t recognize that there’s anything in the IDE_2 channel. Could be a mobo problem?

So, what do you say?

Update:

The IDE cable I was working with was one of those weirdos without any notches or anything that’d tell you how to plug it in. Anyways, I took a normal IDE cable I had lying around and all of a sudden Cable select works. You see, not that I did’t try ALL possible ways to plug that freak IDE cable onto the mobo… maybe it was that cable? sheesh

2

There should be a red stripe on the IDE cable and that stripe should be positioned beside the power connector. It’s also indicative of Pin 1, which must be lined up on the motherboard.

3

there was no indicative pin and there was a red line along the whole cable - as I said, somewhat of a weirdo cable that one is - but anyways (again, as I said), took another cable and it went smoothly flying :smiley: