Multi-plugged IDE cables (1 Viewer)

[Dave Poehlman]

I am installing a CD-RW for a friend. Ideally, he would like to keep his existing CD-ROM drive and install the CD-RW in an open bay.

The problem is, there are no open ATAPI plugs on the mother board. My question is this:

I've seen cables with an extra plug clamped midway down the cable. Can I just get one of those and attach both drives to the one plug on the MB?

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Yes- each IDE controller can control 2 devices: a master and a slave.

If you get an IDE cable with 2 connectors- all you have to do is make sure the jumpers on th abck of each drive are set correctly (one should be set for master, one for slave- look on the drive itself to see which jumper position for what configuration).

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Kicka**... now I just need to find a multi-plugged cable.
Thanks.

 

[KyleS]

Any computer store will have the multi-plugs since they are actually the standard... Heck I am surprised that the computer didnt have them.
PS Make sure that the drive he will be using the most is his master and the other is the slave. For performance reasons if he has an ATA 100 or 133 Hard drive try and keep the CD drives on the same IDE channel or it will drop your hard drive performance to ATA 66.
Plus most of the time he will probably be burning material from the HD to a CD and with them on different IDE channels they will not have to share bandwidth.
KyleS

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Kyle for some reason, this PC didn't have one.. but I've found one here at work laying around.

Thanks for the HD/CD IDE tip... I'll be running both CD's off of the same one. Will that cause problems if he wants to copy a CD from the CD-ROM to the CD-RW?

 

[John_Berger]

Actually, before you throw it in, you should check the current cable to see if it's 40-wire or 80-wire. If the system in question utilizes ATA-100 and the current cable is 80-wire, the motherboard will most likely yell at you if the cable from work uses 40-wire instead of 80-wire. The system will still run, of course, but I/O transfer rates will be diminished severely.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Hmmm... looks like it used to have a 40 wire. The one I've found here at work is an 80 wire. Since I am going from 40 to 80 will that still be a problem?