Secondary hard disk drive 0 not found

[biggtn]

I have been putting some Dell CPI -A series Laptops together and have run into a problem where the system says " SECONDARY HARD DISK DRIVE 0 NOT FOUND".
Using a Windows 98 floppy I have installed a 10gb hdd using fdisk & format. The drive is seen as primary drive in BIOS and "C" in DOS.
However when I swap the FLOPPY drive for a CDROM drive in order to install an operating system I get the above message. I understand about master/slave in normal PC but cannot understand "SECONDARY" on this laptop.
I have successfully completed all the above steps on a second machine using the same Floppy, CDROM. I have also used two different HDD's.
Any advise will be welcome.

[Sylvander]

1. "SECONDARY HARD DISK DRIVE 0 NOT FOUND"
Apparently your BIOS's configuration settings [as seen in the BIOS Setup] say that there is a HDD connected as Master to your laptop's SECONDARY [IDE?] controller, but the BIOS is unable to detect any such [Hard Disk] drive connected there.
You need to go into the BIOS Setup and make sure that the [Drive Parameter] configuration settings reflect the reality of what is actually connected.
The easiest way to do this is to have the BIOS set to "Dynamically Auto-detect" ["Auto" will auto-detect and configure the parameters of] the connected drives.
Make sure the SECONDARY IDE CONTROLLER is enabled.

2. "when I swap the FLOPPY drive for a CDROM drive"
Huh?
What are you doing here and how?
Are you just swapping the boot order in the BIOS?
Or are you physically changing the connections?
If so, how are they connected? IDE/ATA or USB?

[Paul Komski]

What are you doing here and how?

http://www.bobjohnson.com/dell_latitude_used_laptops/Dell_latitude_Laptops_Drive_Swap.htm

Having swapped you might need to change the boot order or try using F12 to get a boot selection during startup.

[biggtn]

I have searched the BIOS settings are can find no reference to either "DRIVE PARAMETERS", AUTO DETECT" or "SECONDARY IDE CONTROLLER".
The swap is a physical one. The CPI only has onebay to use either a floppy or cdrom. My method, which worked fine on my other machine, was to FDISK & FORMAT the HDD using a 98 startup disk in the floppy, then physically change to a cdrom drive to load the software from a CD.
I have set the boot sequence to 1st..Floppy, 2nd...CD, 3rd...HDD.

[biggtn]

The cdrom drive has an internal connection so I am assuming it to be IDE/ATA.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

I have set the boot sequence to 1st..Floppy, 2nd...CD, 3rd...HDD.

That's one section in BIOS. There are possible others. See below:

There could be another one and if like mine, it asks which HDD to boot from and I think it says '1st' or 'Second' hard drive, which is toggled with the space bar. If you have it set to second, it may not be seeing the CD-ROM as a writable storage device.

In this pi (http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~gaoj/pmwiki/uploads/FreeBSD/bios.jpg), notice on the right in the pic, that the HDD is listed first and CD-ROM second. This is also a possible thing to toggle the order of.

[Paul Komski]

On Line Bios Setup Settings (http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pcor/en/en_ug/setupopt.htm)

The modular bay can hold a floppy or a cd/dvd or a battery or a second hard drive. Check the BIOS setting to see which one it is identifying the CDROM as.

It sounds likely that the CDROM is simply not being recognised and thus you are getting a failure message. Try re-inserting and re-reating the module or try a second module from another laptop if you have one at hand.

[biggtn]

Screen 1 of 6 allows clock & date settings and has an entry which shows what is installed in the MODULAR BAY. This item cannot be altererd, it is information only it seems. Entries that can be altered are displayed as white text, this entriy is green. Other settings displayed also in green include Cache, memory, CPU, Video controller, Audio Controller, Primary Hard drive, Disk Drive A & B, Modular Bay. In the modular Bay it correctly shows CDrom, Floppy or Battery as I interchange them.

[Paul Komski]

If the BIOS definitely shows that the modular bay contains a CD and CD is before Hard Drive in the boot order and you are still getting the same startup error I would guess the CDROM is faulty or making an intermittent or otherwise poor data or power connection.

Would also re-check with the floppy that the hard drive is still properly functional and then retry attempting to boot to the CDROM. If that still fails you might want to consider copying the Win9X folder to the FAT partition on the hard drive removed and temporarily attached to another PC and then run C:\Win9X\setup from your DOS startup floppy when you have it back in this laptop.

[biggtn]

I have rechecked floppy, cdrom and hard drive as you suggest with the same results and also swapped for different hard drive.
I am in the process of obtaining a second cdrom which may help.
I will try your other suggestion using Windows 98 but although this may get the laptop up and running it does not solve the problem I feel.

[Paul Komski]

although this may get the laptop up and running it does not solve the problem I feelI agree.

It sounds most likely to be a hardware problem and a swap will hopefully make the diagnosis.

[biggtn]

I have done some more work on this PC using the floppy , cdrom & HDD.
The conclusion I have come to is that although the BIOS sees the CDROM in the MODULAR BAY when it boot it thinks it's a HARD DRIVE, but there does not seem to be any way of changing that.

[biggtn]

I have removed the hard drive from my troublesome laptop and loaded windows XP onto it via another machine. I have returned it to my laptop, made the HDD the 1st boot device and it runs without problems. As I said in the earlier notes this has got the laptop running but my fault remains.
Thanks for all your help, I will pick up the post when I have another CDROM to try.

[biggtn]

I have now installed another CDROM in my laptop but getting the same results, seen as CDROM in BIOS, as HDD in DOS and not seen at all in Windows.

Not sure where I go from here!!!!!!
Any further suggestions?

[Sylvander]

Is the [CDROM] drive jumpered as Master or Slave?

Perhaps the BIOS's POST expects to see/find a Master drive connected ["DRIVE 0"], but doesn't because it is jumpered as Slave [therefore it's DRIVE 1].

Perhaps the BIOS would call it a "HARD DISK" no matter what kind of drive it finds because the makers of the BIOS were trying to simplify the code.
And that drive connection slot always uses the SECONDARY IDE Controller...

Hence the totality of the warning:
SECONDARY HARD DISK DRIVE 0 NOT FOUND

Otherwise...
[I'm asking myself]
Why is the BIOS's POST expecting to see this connected?
I believe the BIOS normally reads the drive's ROM, and the info held there tells it about the nature/type of the item [HDD or whatever].

Can you Force Update the ESCD (http://www.techarp.com/showfreebog.aspx?lang=0&bogno=92) each time you swap in a new drive?
[Or change ANY PCI hardware]
This is to make sure the new item of PCI hardware has the resources it needs, so as to be enabled by the BIOS and functional.
Might that be why it isn't being found?

[Paul Komski]

As I said in the earlier notes this has got the laptop running but my fault remains
Can you access the CDROM normally from within WinXP now that you have an OS installed?

[biggtn]

Firstly to Paul...... The CDROM is not seen in "MY COMPUTER" within the windows software.

Secondly to Sylvander....The drive has a four pin configuration for Master/Slave but when this drive is connected to the caddy these four pins are covered by the connector which does not allow the normal master/slave links to be put in place. The informaton on the hdd says "no links, device 0", I assume that the warning refers to that device.
Are there special links for 2.5" laptop hard drives??
Recapping on earlier information, the BIOS only gives the warning when the CDROM when its plugged in, there is no warning without it in.
Looking through the BIOS screens I can see no mention of ESCD.

[Paul Komski]

For completeness you could check whether it is seen in Device Manager but my guess is that it won't be.

Since we know the CDROM Drive is OK in a similar PC it would seem it must be a basic problem with the motherboard itself or with the cable and connections from the mobo to the CDROM Drive.

Did this box ever have a functional CDROM Drive or has it always been like this since in your possession?

[Sylvander]

1. "The CDROM is not seen in "MY COMPUTER" within the windows software"
Perhaps because this item of PCI hardware isn't being allocated resources?
They aught to then be recorded in the ESCD and then used in all subsequent Startups, but aren't?
So the hardware isn't initialized, so Windows cannot see it.

2. "Looking through the BIOS screens I can see no mention of ESCD"
That's typical; depends on the particular BIOS.
In a former PC of mine it came under...
"PnP/PCI Configuration->Reset Configuration Data = Enabled".
In my present PC [made 1999] it isn't listed anywhere, so not sure how that updates the ESCD.

3. "when this drive is connected to the caddy these four pins are covered by the connector which does not allow the normal master/slave links to be put in place"
Does the connector that "covers" the pins connect any of them or not?
So it isn't possible to connect any of the pins with the normal jumpers?

4. ""no links, device 0""
So that's the BIOS telling you that it has detected that no device has been connected at the [removable drive] connection socket, right?
Perhaps, either:
(a) No resources have been allocated and recorded in the ESCD...
Or..
(b) The controller for that socket has been disabled by a BIOS configuration setting....
Or...
(c) There is a [hardware or BIOS?] fault.

5. How does this socket allow you to swap between connecting a FDD and an Optical Disk Drive [ODD]?
Are there different connecting pins for the different drives?
And the FDD connections are working, but the ODD connections aren't?

[Paul Komski]

It just might be worth a shot at attempting to reset the BIOS by removing all power to the board and then removing the CMOS battery for half an hour. Laptop CMOS batteries are not always easily accessible and may even be soldered to the board.

[biggtn]

Thanks for all your help but I am calling time on this one. I have swapped the BIOS chip from another faulty motherboard and although the BIOS settings differ in some ways the unit still gives the same warning. I can only assume as was pointed out earlier that it must be a motherboard/connection problem. I dont feel I want to spend money getting new parts.
Once again many thanks......
BIGGTN

[Paul Komski]

Ah well - "you cant win them all" as they say.