SCSI hard drives: when one is connected, computer won't turn on

[nater]

I have two 18 gig IBM 10k rpm scsi hard drives. They were working fine in a system for the last 3 years or so. Recently that system failed, and I'm unsure exactly what cuased the problem. I decided to go ahead and build a new system and figure the problem out later. When I try to use the drives now, two things happen. When one of them is connected, the computer won't turn on at all. The fans whir/lights turn on for about half a second, then stop. If the other is connected (by itself), it fails to be be detected at all. I have not messed much with this scsi setup before, so I think that at least with the second drive that I might have connected something incorrectly. I greatly appreciate any help I can get on this issue.

I am using an adaptec 29160 with the drives. I believe the card is not the problem as my scsi cdrom drives stiill work correctly when plugged into the card.

Also, with the drive that apparently prevents the computer from starting up at all, for a minute or two after it has been disconnected, the computer will not start up at all, even in its absence. I'm thinking this could be an electrical short, but I don't know.

 

[mechBgon]

To start with, make sure that

1) your SCSI cable has an LVD teriminator on the opposite end from the 29160, and the drives are plugged in as close to the terminator as possible

2) your SCSI cable is plugged into the 29160's LVD port and not its 68-pin SE port (picture of which plugs are which). Do not put your CD-ROM on the same cable as the hard drives, it belongs on the SE ports.


It's possible both drives are toast, of course. Full specs on your new build, including all PCI cards and what slots they're in, might not hurt either. Don't forget what brand/model of power supply.

 

[nater]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
To start with, make sure that

1) your SCSI cable has an LVD teriminator on the opposite end from the 29160, and the drives are plugged in as close to the terminator as possible

2) your SCSI cable is plugged into the 29160's LVD port and not its 68-pin SE port (picture of which plugs are which). Do not put your CD-ROM on the same cable as the hard drives, it belongs on the SE ports.


It's possible both drives are toast, of course. Full specs on your new build, including all PCI cards and what slots they're in, might not hurt either. Don't forget what brand/model of power supply.

THanks for the help.

The new build is
P4 INTEL 865PE
P4 3.0e
Thermaltake Xaser III 480w PSU

I have tried the 29160 in different slots but to no different effect. I have plugged the 68-pin cable into both ports and I get the same thing. The CD drives I was talking about are 50-pin, so they were connected to the other port.

 

[mechBgon]

The power supply shutting off suggests to me that there's a short-circuit on that individual drive. From the fact that this setup had been working before, and presumably you didn't do anything radical to the drives' jumpers or stuff, my hunch is that either the drive shorted out and nuked the old system, or the old system nuked the drive on its way out.

 

[nater]

any idea on the drive that won't detect?

 

[mechBgon]

Damaged? Seems plausible.