Re: Dual DVD/CD RW drives


"remichal" <no@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dJ%bg.187139$z04.119387@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
No doubt this question is old and has been asked too many times.
Since this is something I don't do on a daily basis I need some
help.

I have a Dell Dimension 5150 with a Philips DVD/CD RW drive which has
been a real dog. I just bought a new HP dvd840i and want to install
it as the primary unit but leave the Philips drive in the computer as
a secondary in case I want to copy a CD.

Installing the unit and connecting the cables is a no brainer but the
HP installation instructions are poor at the best when they mention
setting the drive jumper but don't explain what each setting (Cable
select/Slave/Master) is for and which to use under different
circumstances.

Do I set the HP to Master and the Philips to Slave or is that not the
way to go? I do well on software issues but hardware issues like
device controllers, etc. eludes me so if anyone cares to respond I
would ask for simple, plain English, terms and not computer lingo.

Thanks

One drive on an ide cable must be master, and the other drive on the SAME
ide cable must be slave. It usually doesn't matter which drive is which, as
long as one is master and one is slave.

Basically, the master will control the slave, and the master acts as a
go-between to pass information back and forth from the slave to the
mainboard ide controller.

You can't have two masters on the same cable, and you can't have two slaves
on the same cable. Cable select is a left-over setting from older
technology, and isn't used much anymore. -Dave



.

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  • Re: Dual DVD/CD RW drives
    ... I have a Dell Dimension 5150 with a Philips DVD/CD RW drive which has ... Installing the unit and connecting the cables is a no brainer but the ... Do I set the HP to Master and the Philips to Slave or is that not the ... you can set BOTH drives' jumpers to Cable Select ...
    (alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt)