New computer problem (CD-RW)....Help Appreciated!

[wkabel23]

Finished building a computer today, and being relatively new to building computers, I have come across a problem that has stumped me.

I have 2 IDE drives: a 48x Optorite CD-RW and a 80GB Maxtor HD

The CD-RW isn't being detected so I can't install windows XP.

I'm pretty sure the CD-RW is on Master, on the back of the CD-RW it says:

CSM
SLA

The pin thing is currently on M and A.

I'm guessing that's master...but the CD-RW still won't boot.

I'm using a ribbon cable that has 2 IDE connectors, so you can hook 2 drives up to this ribbon cable. Should I use the 1st (the one closest to the thing that will plugin to the mobo) or the 2nd?

I'm on an IC7 for the first time so if im not sure if i need to do something in the BIOS to get it to detect or not. The HD IS detected btw.

Could i have the ends of the ribbon cable mixed up?
Is my win xp cd messed up?
Master setting wrong? Should it be in master?

etc, etc.

Thanks for the help, any suggestions/help at all is appreciated

BTW, it says DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK (or something very similar) when i turn the computer on and don't go into the bios and just wait for windows setup to try and load.

Green light on the IC7 turns red when i turn the computer on and i hear a little beep...all of my RAM is accounted for though so i'm not sure if the light/beep are normal, possibly ram related, or related to this problem

EDIT: Moved, sorry for the messy post

 

[mechBgon]

One possibility is that you simply have a defective CD-RW drive. Also, double-check that your ribbon cable is truly seated at both ends, and that you remembered to plug a four-pin power cable into the drive too

The typical IDE cable is keyed so it only fits the right way. If your IDE cables don't have a protrusion along one edge to "key" them, then use a cable that is keyed, or check the orientation. The better IDE cables with the 80 thin wires additionally have a blue plug at one end, which should plug into the motherboard. It is optimal to plug a solitary drive into the far end of the IDE cable, not the middle, to prevent signal bounce on an unused section of cable. But it would ordinarily work anyway.

The drive should work as Master, or as Slave, or usually even the third option (Cable Select). It does sound like you got the jumper right (two pins, one above the other, on the MAster position). If nothing is working at this point, I'd yank a known-working CD-ROM drive from some other computer and try that. If it still won't behave, the next thing is to pull the whole motherboard out of the case and run it while laying on cardboard (the motherboard, not you ).

Hope that helps

 

[SemperFi]

Did you go into your cmos setup and select cdrom as your first boot device? It may not be worded like that it depends on the bios manufacturer.

 

[wkabel23]

Got it to work. New CD-ROM + new IDE cable = win

Thanks for the help guys

EDIT: still unsure as to why the comp didn't work with old cd-rw but oh well Also, the ide cable for the new cd rom was completely filled with spaces...the older ide devices have one missing...odd...are these new cables backwards compatible? Old cable 29 holes...new one 30...or something like that