INCOMPATABLE HARD DRIVES?

[mrmomaz1234]

I'm running WIN XP/Home and am having trouble installing another hard drive. everything is ATA133.

I have the 180gig + 20gig on one ribbon and this cable combination does not change and is not the problem (as far as i know!).

The problem is with this cable:
I have a 120gig + cd burner on the other ribbon and this whole combination of (3)drives and burner works. (120 + burner works)

If I replace the 120 gig with a 40gig everything still works. (40 + burner works)

however:
When i added a 1.1 usb external hard drive, then I get "incompatable" in the BIOS and the cd burner does not show in the device manager. (I know 2.0 is better, but this is what I got) (40 + burner + external = incompatable)

BUT if i swap the 120 with the 40, then this combination works, even with the external! (120 + burner + external works)

The external seems to be the problem, but i don't see it.
what am i missing?

 

[alpinetech]

What are the jumper settings on the 40. Is it the same as the 120. make sure that its using the same master\slave settings. Try setting burner on master, 40 on slave.
Also.. try flashing your bios. There may be some issues on the version you are running.

 

[BadBigBen]

I would clear the CMOS, then do AUTO detect on the drives...

then look for the BOOT order and see if you got BOOT OTHER or similar activated... if it is activated turn it off...



Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[mrmomaz1234]

BadBigBen - i don't understand the logic behind boot order and the drive/CD not working? could you explain plz?

 

[BadBigBen]

Nevermind, I reread your POST and I missed the point where the 120gb drive works and the 40 does not...

I thought that maybe there was an IRQ or similar problem... ie. where the External drive and the 40gig get mapped to the same and thus conflict with each other, where both drives are set to active... it does not seem that the external alone is the problem but the combination of the external and the 40 gig...

lets take a step back and see how you have the Drives jumpered on the Ribbons, ie. set as MASTER and SLAVE or Cable Select... how are they attached, ie. Burner as MASTER and Drive as Slave or vice versa... still could check that BOOT OTHER option the the BIOS, as this can cause problems, when the external is not a boot device but still set as active...



Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[mrmomaz1234]

BigBadBen - I use this as a server, so it's not down much. Will check jumpers first chance I get. And yes it is the combination that is a problem.. each unit works as it should when by itself.

 

[cdogg]

External USB drives should have no bearing on your IDE drive configuration - notice I said should.

Because this is a BIOS error and not a Windows error, you should comb through your BIOS settings. Look for one that is called something like Plug & Play OS. By default, most motherboard manufacturers leave this set to NO, giving the BIOS full control at startup to detect and configure plug & play peripherals. If this is what yours is set at, try changing it to YES (or just try the opposite of what it's already set to).

I'm curious though. If you disconnect the burner but leave the 40GB on the secondary IDE controller, does the external USB drive work at bootup?

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[mrmomaz1234]

Problem still not solved, but I know how to work around it. Since it does not seem to have a simple answer a;nd i have a work around, it is not low priority . I'll see what it does and report back cdogg.

 

[ceh4702]

I would have read up on the motherboard and maybe tried the USB drive in different USB Ports. Did you upgrade the XP Home with the support packs 1 and 2? Also you may need some kind of drivers for that. If it came with drivers, see if there are newer drivers for the newest version of XP.

An external hard drive may not be plug and play. You may have to have it plugged in at boot time. Not everything USB is Plug and Play. If your motherboard is incompatible with USB 1.1 there is not much else you can do short of buying a USB 1.0 PCI Card Adapter or some kind of USB 2.0 hub that is compatible with USB 1.1.

It may be preferable to use a different USB port, but that depends on your motherboard. Possibly there is a different BIOS Version that supports USB 1.1.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[mrmomaz1234]

I welcome all posts. You have good ideas which may work. The simple ones like changing to a dif port did not work but i now know which combinations work and am able to do my buisiness. when things slow down, then i'll get into the deeper/more expensive items listed above. Right now, 'uncle sam' needs my tax time. keep the ideas coming, b/c i will get to them. thanks for all posts.