If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
No partition data when ATA-100 cable used.
"envoy" wrote in message . 178... Here is a strange development. I am building a system from scavanged parts with some new stuff thrown in, but that is not the strange part. I am using a an ASUS A7S-VM mobo with an WD400BB (40 gig) hard drive. I did not have a nice ATA100 IDE cable so I popped in an old ATA33 ribbon cable. The bios not only recognized the HD but also detected the cable correctly and reported that it could not use UDMA mode 3, 4 and 5, so it would used it as a ATA 33 drive. Cool. After getting it partitiond and formatted and the os installed, I bought a ATA-100/133 cable. Okay now here is the strange part. When I replace the old ribbon cable with the ATA-100 cable (blue plug to the mobo, black plug to the hd) it can no longer see the master boot record even though the bios still detects the drive correctly except this time it says the UDMA modes 3-5 are can be used. So with the new cable installed it thinks the HD is a virgin, unpartitioned drive. I tried this with the jumpers on the drive set for single master and cable select. No change. Then when I reinstalled the old ribbon cable the MBR and partition info reappeared and the system boots without problems. Does anybody know what is going on here? It looks like when the ATA100 cable is used it is looking for the master boot record in a different location than with the ATA 33 ribbon cable. Things checked: - correct ide plugs used. - plugs are keyed (cannot be plugged in the wrong way) - jumper setting - tried both :"single master" and "cable select" Of course, my knee-jerk response was "Bad Cable!" but I want to make sure I am not tripping over my own shoe-laces before a take the cable back for an exchange. Ideas? -- mark Remove the jumper completely and try again............................................. ..... |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Okay now here is the strange part. When I replace the old ribbon cable with the ATA-100 cable (blue plug to the mobo, black plug to the hd) it can no longer see the master boot record even though the bios still detects the drive correctly except this time it says the UDMA modes 3-5 are can be used. So with the new cable installed it thinks the HD is a virgin, unpartitioned drive. I tried this with the jumpers on the drive set for single master and cable select. No change. Then when I reinstalled the old ribbon cable the MBR and partition info reappeared and the system boots without problems. Does anybody know what is going on here? It looks like when the ATA100 cable is used it is looking for the master boot record in a different location than with the ATA 33 ribbon cable. While it is not suspose to make any differance, is the Master drive on the very end of the cable ? I have seen sometimes that unless the master is on the end you can get odd results. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
"Ralph Mowery" wrote in
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt at Tue, 08 Jul 2003 01:16:22 GMT: While it is not suspose to make any differance, is the Master drive on the very end of the cable ? I have seen sometimes that unless the master is on the end you can get odd results. The master plug is on the end, but thanks anyway. I will look for this when I go to replace it. -- mark |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
You mentioned some parts are scavenged, does that include the hard
drive? If so, did you try clearing the master boot record? envoy wrote: tomcas wrote in alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt at Mon, 07 Jul 2003 03:15:57 GMT: Are you sure you haven't inadvertently jumpered as master with slave? It seems like you have it covered and you did specify "single master" but it can't hurt to double check. Yep. Checked and rechecked. Also, made sure I wasnt looking at the jumper diagram upside down, etc.... |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
tomcas wrote in alt.comp.hardware.pc-
homebuilt at Tue, 08 Jul 2003 02:11:37 GMT: You mentioned some parts are scavenged, does that include the hard drive? If so, did you try clearing the master boot record? Both the drive and ata-100 cable are new. Oddly enough the cable that works (ata-33) is scavanged. Since Im reluctant to reinstall the OS, service packs, apps, etc. I'm trying to avoid anyting that messes up the MBR, which is the reason I haven't tried to do anything except read the drive so far. I'll get a replacement ata100 cable tomorrow and if that doesn't work I'll try ghosting my partition to another drive with the slow cable then try creating and formatting partitions with the new cable. If I can't write to the drive then I will strongly suspect the motherboard, which _is_ scavanged (pulled from a system where the power supply blew so it could have taken some kind of damage) but it has worked faithfully for a week now except with the ata 100 cable. If that is the case I will just live with the ATA-33 cable: I have 512MB of memory in order to avoid a lot of swapping to disk anyway. -- mark |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
"Ed Light" wrote in
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt at Tue, 08 Jul 2003 00:59:19 GMT: I have a Maxtor whose data sheet gives the wrong jumper settings. The right ones are on the drive. Good point, but the settings are right on the drive so I beleive they are correct. -- mark |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Can I use a USB cable to transfer data | John | General | 7 | October 10th 06 12:11 PM |
corrupted partition table - help needed! | Justin Case | General | 0 | August 3rd 04 09:22 AM |
my new mobo o/c's great | rockerrock | Overclocking AMD Processors | 9 | June 30th 04 08:17 PM |
two hd's on same IDE channel | Steve James | General | 25 | March 13th 04 12:06 AM |
cutting psu wires | Pen | General | 4 | July 27th 03 07:49 PM |