Re: Trouble adding second optical drive


"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Allen Weiner <alweiner7@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Allen Weiner <alweiner7@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Allen Weiner <alweiner7@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm trying to add a second optical drive to a six-year old Dell
Dimension 4100. The PC is running Windows ME. It came with a
Lite-On LTN483S 48x CD-ROM drive, which has been functioning
correctly. The Lite-On is jumpered "cable select" and was
previously the only device on the secondary IDE cable. It used
the connector at the end of the cable.

I'm trying to add a BenQ DW1655 DVD burner. It is jumpered "cable
select". It's using the connector at the end of the secondary IDE
cable. The CD-ROM drive was moved to use the middle connector of
the secondary IDE cable. When I display the BIOS IDE
configuration, both optical drives are displayed correctly. The
DVD burner is reported on secondary IDE Master and the CD-ROM is
reported on secondary IDE Slave.

Neither drive is recognized by Windows ME. Neither shows up on "My
Computer". When I run Device Manager, there is no entry for
CD-ROM. There is a yellow exclamation mark on "Secondary IDE
Controller (Dual FIFO)". When I display "properties" for
"Secondary IDE controller" I get "this device is either not
present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers
installed (code 10). Try upgrading the device drivers for this
device."

I then click on "Update Driver" and select the "Automatic Search"
button. This results in the message "The best driver Windows found
is already installed for this device".

The BIOS boot sequence is configured to check optical drives ahead
of HDD. I've often booted Knoppix from the CD-ROM drive. Now,
Knoppix does not boot from the CD-ROM drive or from the DVD
burner. (With the Knoppix CD in either drive, Windows boots).

Suggestions would be appreciated.

Try with just the DVD plugged in. If that works fine,
likely they dont coexist too well on a single ribbon cable.

I'm the OP and this is a follow-up.

I tried Rod Speed's suggestion to disconnect the CD-ROM drive.
That solved the problem! Thanks very much Rod.

Thanks for the feedback.

I can do everything on my PC that I need to do with just the DVD
drive. But it would be nice to have use of the CD-ROM drive also.
Also, just out of curiosity, I'd be interested in some more
technical details as to why the DVD drive and CD-ROM drive can not
coexist on the secondary IDE cable.

Its just that those two drives dont like to coexist.

You could try jumpering one as master and the other as slave, that
might help.

(I don't have an unoccupied connector on my primary IDE cable.)

You could also try with one hard drive
on each cable with an optical drive too.

I received an email suggestion to configure my optical drives as
master-slave rather than using cable-select. The secondary IDE cable
is the original one that came with the system. It does support cable
select. The (original) primary IDE cable has two HDDs attached, each
jumpered as cable-select. The optical drives, jumpered as
cable-select, were correctly recognized by the BIOS.

Jumpering them as master and slave may see them work tho.
The problem of coexistence may only happen when jumpered cable
select.



I'm the OP and this is a second follow-up.Based on the replies to my
original post (replies to the group or via email), I tried jumpering
the two optical drives as master and slave. The result was the same
as the original problem.

Try with one hard drive and one optical drive on each ribbon cable.


Given the layout of the PC case, I can't see how to do this. The case is a
fairly large tower case. The bays for the optical drives are at the top of
the case. The bays for the HDDs are toward the bottom of the case. I can't
visualize how either of the IDE cables can reach the optical drives and the
HDDs at the same time, unless there is some kind of extension cable that can
be used. (There are a couple of unused internal bays at the top of the case
that could possibly house the HDDs. It wouldn't be an easy move.)


.

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