HDs & CD-ROMs Layout

[daleok]

I have a CD-ROM, CD-RW and 2 hard-drives. What is the best way to connect them to a mobo to have them running efficiently?

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[hiredgoonz]

Hds on the primary ide channel and cd drives on the secondary...

[GROGSTER]

Hi!

Put both HDD's on the Primary(1st) IDE port.
Jumper the boot-up drive as Master(which it should already be, in order for you to boot from it!), and the 2nd HDD as the Slave.

Put both CD drives on the Secondary IDE port, but make the CD-writer the Master, and the standard CD-ROM drive the Slave.
You want to make the CD-writer the Master out of the two, as the computer will treat the CD-writer like a HDD of sorts when it is reading from, or writing to it.
The hard-drive specs, or HDD bible or other technical manual, states that if there is an HDD and a CD drive on the SAME IDE port, then the HDD _MUST_ be the Master. Setting the CD drive as Master, and the HDD as Slave, could cause all sorts of horrible boot-up problems...
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Cheers.


G.