Trouble adding second optical drive

[Allen Weiner]

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.

 

[Rod Speed]

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.

 

[Allen Weiner]

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.

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

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.

 

[Rod Speed]

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.

 

[Allen Weiner]

Thanks for the feedback.


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.

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


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.

 

[Rod Speed]

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.

 

[Allen Weiner]

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.)

 

[Allen Weiner]

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.)

Correction: the unused bays at the top of the case are external 3.5-inch
bays.

 

[Rod Speed]

Given the layout of the PC case, I can't see how to do this.

Yeah, can be a problem.

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,

Its usually possible to have one cable between a hard
drive in the top of the 3.5" drive bay stack and one
optical drive in the bottom of the 5.25" drive bay stack.

You can also move one of the hard drives into
the 5.25" drive bay stack in a drive bay kit.

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.)

Its surprisingly easy, just use drive bay kits.


You should also try the opposite arrangement of master and slave
with the optical drives on the same ribbon cable, that can help when
a particular pair cant coexist on the same cable.

And like you said a while ago, you dont really need the CD drive
anymore, the DVD burner will do anything it can do, tho some of the DVD
burners wont actually burn CDs at the maximum speed the media can do.

 

[Rod Speed]

Correction: the unused bays at the top of the case are external
3.5-inch bays.

Even easier to put hard drives in those.