any difference between IDE and EIDE hard drives?

[klyap]

hi,

i plan to add a second hard drive to my PC (IBM Aptiva 2171) which uses IDE type as opposed to the newer EIDE type. is there a difference? can i have an IDE and EIDE drive at the same time?

where can i find a good guide to help me buy and set up my second hard drive?

thanks!
kl

 

[Storm]

Umm what are the comp's specs? desktop or laptop? processor? how much ram? what type of ram?

 

[Pariah]

EIDE (Enhanced IDE) is a "standard" that WD created a few years back, but now it's just a marketing term. It doesn't mean anything at this point though WD still uses the term. They're all compatible with each other.

 

[PCMarine]

Yea I was gonna say... "Is there a difference?"

 

[Storm]

Originally posted by: Pariah
EIDE (Enhanced IDE) is a "standard" that WD created a few years back, but now it's just a marketing term. It doesn't mean anything at this point though WD still uses the term. They're all compatible with each other.

Wasn't it in 1990 they announced EIDE? I dunno if thats just a few years ago. Heh before my time when I started to mess around with computers... So my question is are newer EIDE drives backwards compatible with the old IDE interface? Cuz what if klyap's BIOS cant handle drives bigger than 512 megs? He'll only see 512 megs of a 80 gig hd...

 

[Pariah]

WD announced EIDE in 1994, with features that would be included in the second official ATA standard (ATA-2). It was the only EIDE "standard" released, though for some reason WD continues to use the term with all their current drives despite the fact it means absolutely nothing and really has nothing to do with the original and only EIDE. There are no newer EIDE drives. If you are concerned about size restrictions or other backwards compatibility problems buy a retail drive that comes with an add-in controller card.

 

[Trashman]

If you are concerned about size restrictions or other backwards compatibility problems buy a retail drive that comes with an add-in controller card.

Best advice right there.
With older system, restrictions and BIOS problems, best off avoiding and gettin controller card... another reason to buy retail, comes with detailed guide to install, as well as software to copy current drive to newer drive, and enjoy.

 

[Davegod]

I've an old matrox (i think) 2.4gig that just isnt recognised for some reason on my KT266a, not to hijack the thread much but any ideas? Would be fine for the temporary backup drive.

 

[Trashman]

Give a bit more info on your setup? what other devices you have and how they are hooked up.
Are you certain that the drive is getting power but just not being detected?

 

[zephyrprime]

For your old 2.4GB, maybe you'll have to enter in the drives parameters manually if autodetect doesn't work. It's strange though because your drive isn't so old that autodetect should fail.

And as far as IDE vs. EIDE, I'm not sure if any modern IDE drive is a true EIDE since EIDE only specified up to PIO3 if I recall correctly. Plus, all modern drives are bigger than what the original EIDE spec allowed. In any event, my nitpicking totally doesn't matter as I'm sure that klyap's Aptiva 2171 has some sort of modern Ultra ATA drive and not a really old original IDE or original EIDE generation drive. The Aptiva 2171 uses a P2 or P3 so it's not old enough for ide problems to be an issue.

Except, you will have problems if you use a drive bigger than 128GB because I don't think your bios will support it. Maybe a bios update is available that will fix that...or maybe not.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

WD called it EIDE, Seagate called it Fast ATA.

 

[thorin]

Try checking the FAQs (specifically the "HD INterface and Standards FAQ").

Thorin

 

[Pariah]

Originally posted by: Kingofcomputer
WD called it EIDE, Seagate called it Fast ATA.

EIDE and Fast ATA were competing standards released before ATA-2, not different names for the same thing. They contained a number of similar features, but both contained unique features as well. Thankfully, Seagate dropped the term after Fast ATA-2 was outdated.

Try checking the FAQs (specifically the "HD INterface and Standards FAQ").

The FAQ mentions nothing of the origins of EIDE, what it originally was nor its current state or whether or not it is compatable with the actual standard.

 

[thorin]

Originally posted by: Pariah

Try checking the FAQs (specifically the "HD INterface and Standards FAQ").

The FAQ mentions nothing of the origins of EIDE, what it originally was nor its current state or whether or not it is compatable with the actual standard.

Oh I guess we're (I'm ) gonna have to add a new section. Sorry about that, I was pretty sure it was covered. You guys gotta let me know when it's missin stuff...

Thorin