How best to configure CDROM and CDRW on same IDE cable?

[PushHands]

My new Dell 2350 is somewhat limited in its configuration options. I'd like to add an CDRW but have to put it on the same IDE cable as the CDROM. Two questions:

1) On an IDE cable, which connector is used for the MASTER drive? The one closest connector to the motherboard or is it the farest connector from the motherboard.

2) How best should I set up the CDWR and CDROM on the same IDE cable?

 

[Krk3561]

Originally posted by: PushHands
My new Dell 2350 is somewhat limited in its configuration options. I'd like to add an CDRW but have to put it on the same IDE cable as the CDROM. Two questions:

1) On an IDE cable, which connector is used for the MASTER drive? The one closest connector to the motherboard or is it the farest connector from the motherboard.

2) How best should I set up the CDWR and CDROM on the same IDE cable?

1) Farthest

2) I do CDROM - Master and CDRW - Slave, I dont think it matters though.

 

[ElFenix]

doesn't really matter which is which. just set the new drive to cable select and it will work out (dells come CS from the factory)

 

[PushHands]

thanks guys.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Many cd/rws perform their best when configured as master, giving them control of the channel.

 

[bulldawg]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Many cd/rws perform their best when configured as master, giving them control of the channel.

Thats generally the way I do it. Probably won't matter in a modern system.

 

[Smilin]

Best way is not to.

Do it this way (if possible)... Put the CDRW and the HDD on the same cable and the CDRom on a cable by itself.

It will benifit the following situations:
When you do software installs from cdrom to hdd
when you do copies from cdrom to cdrw

If will hurt the following situations:
When you burn a cd from the hard drive.
When you do software installs from cdrw to hard drive

You're probably more likely to fall into one of the benifitial situations than the negative ones...and in the case of burning from hdd to cdrw the hdd is fast enough that it can sit idle waiting on write requests to complete on the cdrw and then be able to catch up before any kind of buffer underrun can occur.

 

[human2k]

I just set both to Cable Select and be done with it.