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General discussion

Cable Select verses Master/Slave...

Nov 18, 2003 12:01PM PST

I'm not sure if this is a Win XP problem or a hardware problem. My computer has two harddrives and two optical devices (CD-Rom and DVD.) When I setup the computer, I couldn't get it to recognize the harddrives correctly unless I set them in the Cable Select position. Having solved that problem, I next tried to set my optical devises to Cable Select. I read somewhere that if you use Cable Select on the primary IDE, you should also use it on the secondary IDE. However, I couldn't get the system to see both optical devices unless I reverted to the old Master/Slave position.

So, what's the story on Cable Select and Master/Slave?

Discussion is locked

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Re:Cable Select verses Master/Slave...
Nov 18, 2003 12:13PM PST

AFAIK, that is how you should set up if you opt for Cable Select.

But did you connect the drives jumpers correctly?

In a CD-ROM + DVD-ROM combination you could try attaching the CD-ROM to the end connector and the DVD-ROM to the mid-connector with both set to Cable Select.

See if this works.

Personally I have stuck with the Master/Slave set up all this while and have never changed.

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Re:Cable Select verses Master/Slave...
Nov 18, 2003 8:17PM PST

Let me simplify it:

If you use the new 80 conductor IDE cable, you use Cable Select. The 80 conductor cable does the select.

If you use the old 40 conductor IDE cable, you must use one master and one slave per cable connections. Cable Select might work is that's the only drive on such a cable.

Given the better performance of the 80 conductor cables, I just use the 80 conductor IDE cables, set everything to Cable Select and that's that. But I have to remember the simple Master/Slave when on the old cables.

Bob

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Re:Cable Select verses Master/Slave...
Nov 18, 2003 8:27PM PST

My Presario was set up for cable select when I got it and was running ME. When I upgraded to XP I had to change the jumpers to Master/Slave.

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Seems unusual that the Operating System could affect
Nov 18, 2003 10:30PM PST

the IDE controller that way.

But your experience seems to be proof enough.

I'm using all CS on this machine, both for the IDE ports and the Promise Raid ports [used as ATA/ATAPI] and it works well.

I have seen other posts that say that CS is not reliable.

BTW some of the very newest 40 wire ribbon cables had the CS pin connected/not connected, just as the 80 wire cables. Think that it was pin 24, also a contact at the mobo IDE port. {not all early mobo's IDE controllers supported CS.}

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Gory pictorals. Details only an engineer can love at...
Nov 18, 2003 10:38PM PST
http://www.unixwiz.net/techtips/ide-cable-select.html

Pretty much explains it all.

Let me add that the 80 conductor cable's superior electrical performance is, in my opinion why I rarely see an IDE issue. This type cable is used all over and the 40 conductor cables are given away. (Plenty in the bin.)

Bob