DVD woes

[pdsterling]

Well, I am back. The network says I haven't been here in weeks, and this is accurate.

I got some good advice on testing my DVD drive, :grinthumb which tested out perfect, but did not actually work. Ergo, I got a new drive. Brand new Phillips, a name I trust.

I popped it in, and couldn't get the computer to boot - just a loop - Windows was booting, was booting (repeat till you throw up) - I finally yanked the plugs on the old drive, and am sitting here fuming. And I have to go to bed.

So the short question is: am I allowed to have 2 DVD drives? or, as they say in Japanese, would it be better not to do so. I still have no idea if the new drive burns, and I am so tired and cross, I am going to bed. :zzz:

However, any further advice will be gratefully appreciated.

regards,
P D Sterling

 

[mailpup]

Yes, you certainly can have two DVD drives. Are these IDE or SATA? If IDE, are the jumpers set correctly? If SATA, are the SATA/RAID drivers installed?

 

[pdsterling]

DVD progress??

well, they are IDE, and appear to be plugged in properly, as the drive light operates and the trays open and close. I would imagine the drive lights wouldn't operate unless the CPU is communicating (?)

both are jumped in the middle (slave), which seems to work with one only, but not with two . . . your turn (and many thanx :grinthumb

regards,
P D Sterling

 

[mailpup]

Do each of the optical drives share a data cable with an IDE hard drive that is jumpered as master? If not, that is where the problem probably lies. If two IDE drives are on the same IDE cable, one must be set as master and the other as slave. Ordinarily the device on the very end of the cable is set as master and the middle device is the slave. If you prefer to use cable select, then both devices must be set to cable select.

Setting both as slave (on the same cable) won't work.

 

[pdsterling]

Thanks!

Okay, pup, :grinthumb you hit it on the head. Apparently, I am slave/slave on one cable for optical drives and master/slave on the other cable for hard drives. I guess I expected the old plantation rules that there's only one master (don't hit me)