- Can my PC have 4 IDE hard-drives?
- Posted by Fabien LE LEZ on August 28th, 2006
On Sun, 27 Aug 2006 19:49:04 -0500, Andrew J. Rozsa
<rozsa@usa.invalid>:
Uh? What kind of "floppy" can be plugged on a 40/80 IDE cable?
There's no "absolute limit".
One IDE (PATA) socket = 1 80-wire cable = 2 devices.
If you have 2 PATA sockets and 2 SATA sockets, you can put up
to 2x2+2 = 6 hard disks (but no optical drive then).
On my PC, including my Promise controller, I have 4 PATA sockets and 2
SATA sockets. So I could have 10 hard drives.
The CS (cable select) maybe?
Try putting one drive as the master, and another as the slave.
None.
The only thing is, if the motherboard is old, you may have trouble
booting from a PATA device that's not the master on the primary port.
With recent motherboards there's usually no such problem.
I've seen some converters to plug SATA drives on PATA controllers, but
not the other way around. But that might exist.
However, you wrote:
My advice: try to sell those, and buy a 320-GB hard disk instead.
Simpler, less noisy, and you even might earn some money if you bargain
well.
If that's not possible, a PCI PATA controller might be the best
solution.
I've got a Promise Ultra133 TX2 myself, but you can find something
cheaper if you're short on money.
Or, maybe a Promise 150 TX2plus would be better for the future, since
it has one PATA socket (for two drives) + two SATA sockets.
- Posted by Arno Wagner on August 28th, 2006
Previously Fabien LE LEZ <gramster@gramster.com> wrote:
It could be an IDE floppy, e.g. an LS120.
I believe there is, but it is simething like 256 or higher.
I have made good experiences with both Promise ATA and SATA non-RAID
controllers.
Are the drives seen in the BIOS setup? If so, maybe they are
just disabled for booting.
Some bothched attempt to signal they are different, but without
conveying any true information. Or maybe aestetic reasons...
They exist. Look for some older prostings from me with google
groups. Not too reliable or compatible in my experience.
If you get something not from WD or Maxtor, you may even increase
reliability ;-)
The Ultra100 TX2 is as fast in practice and you can sometimes
get it even cheaper.
I would stay away from that. At least under Linux it is problematic,
sicne it needs special drivers. I would expect that the Windows
drivers may also have troubles that are not present with the
pure ATA or SATA contrllers.
Arno
- Posted by Folkert Rienstra on August 28th, 2006
"Fabien LE LEZ" <gramster@gramster.com> wrote in message news:sok4f2durgplbldjkngmgk8qf55m1sorgb@4ax.com
You new to computers?
Actually there is from the old PC days.
The limit is 2 IDE class controllers, ie 4 drives.
Which is why add-in/non_cpu_chipset IDE controllers identify as SCSI.
This changed with SATA which have their own SATA class.
It's not that old by a long shot.
Which has what to do exactly with the devices not showing up?
And not with that one either.
And if none of the PATA drives is seen it's obviously booting from the
SATA array.
Uhuh. Wanna try that again?
Think again.
- Posted by Folkert Rienstra on August 28th, 2006
"Arno Wagner" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:4lft95F1lqqsU1@individual.net
Your beliefs are your problem, babblebot.
How about the bios device number limit for fixed-diskdrives,
(and no, it is not "simething like 256 or higher").
Can you read, babblebot?
Whatever that is supposed to mean.
Used integrated on many a sata drive and not a problem there at all.
What you do is your problem, babblebot.
O ye Blasphemist !
Every new controller needs new drivers, numbot, so what else is new.
So because Linux fucked up so must Windows. Good thinking, babblebot.
- Posted by Rod Speed on August 28th, 2006
Folkert Rienstra <see_reply-to@myweb.nl> wrote
Nope.
Wrong, as always.
Wrong, as always. There was no cpu
chipset IDE controllers in the old PC days.
And the reason they get identified as SCSI is a different reason entirely.
One of them is seen, stupid.
- Posted by Folkert Rienstra on August 29th, 2006
"Andrew J. Rozsa" <rozsa@usa.invalid> wrote in message news:2ul7f21llk6ou20iv5g571eul0i5bgdrf7@4ax.com
What SATA.
What is? What's wrong with this situation
(apart from the PATA drives not visible from BIOS)?
Depends on what is 'wrong'.
I'm not entirely sure with what.
As for the drives not showing up in BIOS, that is rather strange.
In my BIOS setup all drive entries are at 'NONE' but the optical
drives are nonetheless reported. I don't have IDE diskdrives though.
Obviously your IDE controller isn't disabled since your drives are
working in Windows.
I do have an AWARD version 4 bios though and yours is version 6.
Unfortunately I couldn't get your boards BIOS to show in Award's
Bios viewer so can't be of much help there.
