IDE cable types

[tunaep]

The more I read about IDE cables and various hard disk drive jumper configuration the more confused I become.
Can anyone explain simply what the differant IDE cables are ie ATA60/100/133 etc and how to tell them apart in the spares box and why certain hard drives require certain cable types to work properly?
They all look the same to me!

 

[Grenage]

Okay:

ATA60 - The Old Standard IDE Cable - 40 bins and strands on it.
ATA100/133 - The New Standard IDE Cable - this has 80 on it (I recall reading that it does in fact still only use 40 pins, but the other 40 are in there to avoid interference).

 

[tunaep]

Thanks grenage but i am really looking for a more fully detailed answer. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked for a simple explanation.!

How do you tell the various leads apart?
Why do most cables come with a blue socket one end?
can you use a ata 60 on a late 20Gb HDD ?and an ata 133 on an old 2Gig HDD?
Why do some mobo not recognise HDD if wrong cable used
Do certain mobos require ata 133 HDD cables?

If no one on the forum knows perhaps some one can point me to an info source
thanks

 

[lopes1211]

Lead 1 has a red stripe on it.
The blue plug designates the cable as a 100/133 cable and matches the blue socket on the MB.
Most HDD will work on both but some require the mode to be set using a utility from the OEM. It depends on the make and model.
Only MB which support 100/133 where you also have a 100/133 HDD, require the 100/133 cable.

-CL