alistair

I was trying to install a 3rd IDE drive on my old PC to use as a server, but XP just hangs every time I try to start it up.

I connected the 3rd drive instead of a CD/DVD drive - should that work or is 2 the limit ?

GC8

Assuming that the controller is on-board then: 1 controller = 2 channels = 4 devices.

Simon

Scooby Dooby Blue

4 devices per 2-channel mobo

PCI controller cards allow the addition of further devices.


Paul

alistair

Hmmm... wonder what I'm doing wrong then....

lightning101

Have you got the master and slaves in the right order?


Have you set them to Cable select ?

Monkeh

lightning101 is correct, sounds exactly like you have both drives set to master.

try setting the 3rd hd to slave

Big Col

agree with the above. If you have 2 HDD's set to master windows gets confused. The drive you are adding set this to slave and it should work OK.

alistair

Nope - seems weird - I have a master & 2 cable selects - I'm OK with 2 drives, but if introduce a third (either) I cant' boot :-(

Nick

To use as a server? IDE? XP?

You will have 2 IDE cables each with a socket half way along & at the end. The master drive goes at the end, the slave drive in the middle. Make sure that each drive has the correct jumper setting for master or slave. Then check the BIOS & make sure that each drive has been recognised.

alistair

It's my old PC - just putting it in the garage - more as a music server really - so I can use it for MP3's and my Media Adapter drivers without slowing down my desktop machine by having it running in the background......

Anyhow, I finally figured it out - Doh !

I only had one primary disk, but I had the 2 cables the wrong way round so it was the primary drive on the secondary channel.

XP seemed to handle it if there was a DVD drive only on the primary channel, but as soon as I put a disk there too it hung.

Oh well, at least I know now........

Thanks

Al