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bootups can't locate hdd

 
 
Pieter Claassen
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Posts: n/a
 
      10th Jul 2003
Hi Mate

You say that you checked the original hd and found a fault
before replacing it.

1 What was the fault.
2 Did the problems start after you made changes(installing
new hardware or configuration changes)

To ensure this is not a hardware clush, remove all IDE are
SCSI devices from that cable (depending on what you have)

Only plug in your primary HDD / check that the jumper on
the hdd is set to master and
make sure the cable's other end is plugged into the
primary ide connector on the mother board

mail me if you need more detail (E-Mail Removed)

cheers
Pieter


>-----Original Message-----
>Most cold bootups can't locate hdd.
>Subsequent attempts thru c/a/del boots ok
>Restarts always boot fine
>
>I checked my physyical connections and they seem OK
>I checked the hdd and found a fault
>I replaced it w/ a new hdd and cable and still have same

problem
>
>Is my motherboard going?
>
>Thanks
>
>Barry
>
>
>.
>

 
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Brynk
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Posts: n/a
 
      10th Jul 2003
it was a 6 digit error code that Maxtor's testing software never explained
I'm not sure when it started, but it was an used 10 Gig hdd that I put in
when an older one died

It usually worked so I added it as a secondary drive to the system. Could
it still be causing problems from it's second position?
I'm not using Master/Slave, but Cable Select and the new one is primary.

I'll disconnect it later and see if that helps

Thanks Mate<g>

--

Barry


"Pieter Claassen" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:0e4b01c346db$cc0222a0$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi Mate
>
> You say that you checked the original hd and found a fault
> before replacing it.
>
> 1 What was the fault.
> 2 Did the problems start after you made changes(installing
> new hardware or configuration changes)
>
> To ensure this is not a hardware clush, remove all IDE are
> SCSI devices from that cable (depending on what you have)
>
> Only plug in your primary HDD / check that the jumper on
> the hdd is set to master and
> make sure the cable's other end is plugged into the
> primary ide connector on the mother board
>
> mail me if you need more detail (E-Mail Removed)
>
> cheers
> Pieter
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Most cold bootups can't locate hdd.
> >Subsequent attempts thru c/a/del boots ok
> >Restarts always boot fine
> >
> >I checked my physyical connections and they seem OK
> >I checked the hdd and found a fault
> >I replaced it w/ a new hdd and cable and still have same

> problem
> >
> >Is my motherboard going?
> >
> >Thanks
> >
> >Barry
> >
> >
> >.
> >



 
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Wolf Kirchmeir
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Posts: n/a
 
      11th Jul 2003
On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:38:19 -0500, Brynk wrote:

>I'm not using Master/Slave, but Cable Select and the new one is primary.


Try master / slave instead of cable select.



--
Best Wishes,
Wolf Kirchmeir, Blind River ON
"Not that brains are everything --
you'll also need a skull to put them in." (Nancy Franklin, 1997)


 
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Brynk
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Posts: n/a
 
      11th Jul 2003
is cable select not reliable?

this is the 1st time I used that setup

--

Barry


"Wolf Kirchmeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:38:19 -0500, Brynk wrote:
>
> >I'm not using Master/Slave, but Cable Select and the new one is primary.

>
> Try master / slave instead of cable select.
>
>
>
> --
> Best Wishes,
> Wolf Kirchmeir, Blind River ON
> "Not that brains are everything --
> you'll also need a skull to put them in." (Nancy Franklin, 1997)
>
>



 
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Wolf Kirchmeir
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Posts: n/a
 
      11th Jul 2003
On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 21:01:46 -0500, Brynk wrote:

>is cable select not reliable?
>
>this is the 1st time I used that setup
>
>--
>
>Barry


Well, AFAIK cable select just sets the drive next to the controller as slave,
the one at the end of the cable as master. Also AFAIK, both drives must be
cable select. So it should work. But I've never used it. Your problem may be
caused by cable select not working right, that's why I suggested going back
to master / slave.

There is some confusion about where your boot drive should be -- I've read
that BIOS will try boot first whatever it's told to boot first, say a floppy
drive, and if none of the specified devices boot, it will go to the first
bootable partition on the master attached to the primary controller. This
latter habit makes boot managers possible, BTW.

If there is more than one HDD, BIOS should give you the option of setting HD0
or HD1 as the boot drive (in the boot sequence setting.). Normally, the
master on the primary controller will be seen as HD0, and it should be the
boot drive. I'd arrange things so that is the case. I don't like departing
from common practice. IOW, I won't use a new feature (such as cable select)
unless I was sure it would work at least as well as what I was used to. If
the machine came supplied with two HDDs, both set to cable select, that would
be the proof it worked as it should.

BTW, at least once I found that if the master is not at the end of the cable,
you can have problems. This was on an older machine with a BIOS dated 1997,
so things may be different with your BIOS. Anyhow, I'd make the boot drive
the master, and put it on the end of the cable.

Some people have reported that mixing HDDs and CD drives on the same cable
causes problems. "It's all rather confusing really." (Neddy Seagoon.)

<short rant:>
The variations in the problems reported leads me to believe that the
underlying cause is a lack of industry-wide and enforced standards in BIOS
design. Of course, if we had true smart drives, whose read and write
operations were totally independent of the operating system, none of this
would be a problem. BIOS would simply query the attached drives for bootable
partitions, list them, and either default to some designated OS, or boot with
your choice. Which would make both BIOS and OS a hell of a lot simpler and
more reliable IMO. There was the beginning of such a technology, pioneered by
Commodore and Amiga, among others, but along came the unholy alliance of IBM
and Microsoft, and we got the PC -- an inherently crappy technology, which in
essence is a kludge of patches. It's amazing it works at all, really.
<end short rant>

HTH&GL



--
Best Wishes,
Wolf Kirchmeir, Blind River ON
"Not that brains are everything --
you'll also need a skull to put them in." (Nancy Franklin, 1997)


 
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Brynk
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Posts: n/a
 
      11th Jul 2003
thanks Wolf
I appreciate all the info
I'll play w/ the different configs over the weekend

--

Barry


"Wolf Kirchmeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 21:01:46 -0500, Brynk wrote:
>
> >is cable select not reliable?
> >
> >this is the 1st time I used that setup
> >
> >--
> >
> >Barry

>
> Well, AFAIK cable select just sets the drive next to the controller as

slave,
> the one at the end of the cable as master. Also AFAIK, both drives must be
> cable select. So it should work. But I've never used it. Your problem may

be
> caused by cable select not working right, that's why I suggested going

back
> to master / slave.
>
> There is some confusion about where your boot drive should be -- I've read
> that BIOS will try boot first whatever it's told to boot first, say a

floppy
> drive, and if none of the specified devices boot, it will go to the first
> bootable partition on the master attached to the primary controller. This
> latter habit makes boot managers possible, BTW.
>
> If there is more than one HDD, BIOS should give you the option of setting

HD0
> or HD1 as the boot drive (in the boot sequence setting.). Normally, the
> master on the primary controller will be seen as HD0, and it should be the
> boot drive. I'd arrange things so that is the case. I don't like departing
> from common practice. IOW, I won't use a new feature (such as cable

select)
> unless I was sure it would work at least as well as what I was used to. If
> the machine came supplied with two HDDs, both set to cable select, that

would
> be the proof it worked as it should.
>
> BTW, at least once I found that if the master is not at the end of the

cable,
> you can have problems. This was on an older machine with a BIOS dated

1997,
> so things may be different with your BIOS. Anyhow, I'd make the boot drive
> the master, and put it on the end of the cable.
>
> Some people have reported that mixing HDDs and CD drives on the same cable
> causes problems. "It's all rather confusing really." (Neddy Seagoon.)
>
> <short rant:>
> The variations in the problems reported leads me to believe that the
> underlying cause is a lack of industry-wide and enforced standards in BIOS
> design. Of course, if we had true smart drives, whose read and write
> operations were totally independent of the operating system, none of this
> would be a problem. BIOS would simply query the attached drives for

bootable
> partitions, list them, and either default to some designated OS, or boot

with
> your choice. Which would make both BIOS and OS a hell of a lot simpler and
> more reliable IMO. There was the beginning of such a technology, pioneered

by
> Commodore and Amiga, among others, but along came the unholy alliance of

IBM
> and Microsoft, and we got the PC -- an inherently crappy technology, which

in
> essence is a kludge of patches. It's amazing it works at all, really.
> <end short rant>
>
> HTH&GL
>
>
>
> --
> Best Wishes,
> Wolf Kirchmeir, Blind River ON
> "Not that brains are everything --
> you'll also need a skull to put them in." (Nancy Franklin, 1997)
>
>



 
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