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Secondary IDE Channel not detected..SOLVED!!!

W

Wheezer

Diamond Member
when I boot up my computer the bios does not detect anything attached to the secondary IDE channel. I have tried swapping cables and also tried several different drives known to be working. If I attach the cd-rom to the primary it is detected fine. If I attach any drive including the primary HD to the second IDE nothing is detected. This is a new board and I sent it back to the maker (Shuttle) and they said they had no problems with it. I got it back and had the same problem again. They then exchanged it and the new one they sent is having the same problem. (ARRRGGGGGG!) Any ideas what would cause this? Thanks

SOLVED: I had apparantly put an extra standoff in the case, it was positioned real close to the backside of the IDE connections. DOH!

Thanks for everyones help.
 
Give us some more details, especially the model of the motherboard and what operating system you are using.
 
oops....

Motherboard: AV18E
Windows 98
PIII 700E
maxtor 20gig
Philips 8x4x32 RW
128MB PNY PC133
Fong Kai 603 case w/ 300w PS
 
If you haven't done it already, the first thing I'd do is go into the BIOS by pressing the Delete key when it begins POSTing, and look for the HDD settings. If they're set to Auto then it should be able to find them. If it isn't, then try setting them to Auto. If there is an "IDE HDD Detection" menu, go in there and have it try to detect it on the spot. Sorry if that is something you already knew about, just getting it out of the way.

If the BIOS is set up then go on to the operating system. Did you install the VIA 4-in-1 drivers? If not, try that. VIA's driver download site has the 4-in-1's for download if you need them.

If you have the drivers installed and still no dice, right-click My Computer, select Properties, and then look at the Device Manager tab for devices that are not working right, marked with a yellow exclaimation point, a ?, or a X, and see if you can deduce anything from the info there.

On another tangent, could there be a stray motherboard support shorting out your secondary IDE controller from the underside? It's been known to happen... anyway, good hunting and let us know what you find. 🙂
 
Make sure your jumpers are set right, if you have both set to master or both set to slave, it won't detect them.
 
I have tried eveything in the bios. I have the drivers installed but wuill get the latest and see if that helps. I had already thought about the possibility of a standoff shorting it but have not checked them out. There is one very close to the IDE connectors on the m/b would it be possibly that one? Or does proximity matter? Thanks for the help.
 
Here's a way to check the standoff... take out the screws that are holding down the mobo at that edge of it, and use a non-conductive item like your driver's license card to feel back there. You could put the card between the mobo and the standoff there, and try again. Remember to hold the board down when pulling the IDE cable out of the socket, so it doesn't flex up at you because of the missing screw.

Another thing you could try is to go into Device Manager and "remove" the whole IDE controller that the primary and secondary IDE controllers branch from, and see if Windows has any better luck detecting them when it reboots. Have your 4-in-1's extracted to someplace you remember so you can tell Windows where to look for the driver.
 
Like the other guy said... check your jumpers on your hard drive. One should be set to master, the other to slave.
 
There's also the IBM and WD master/slave issue. If you are running each HD on it's own IDE channel, put BOTH HDs in the default jumper position, ie, not master or slave. This is assuming the 2 HDs are the only devices on those channels.
 
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