[downlowder]

Using an IDE cable with a connection on each end and one in the middle, can I plug the middle connection into the motherboard, and the end connections into a secondary hard drive and optical drive, respectively, or will that cause problems?


I know it's a weird question, but I only have one IDE jack on my motherboard, and the positioning of those drives is just so that it's the only way it would work (unless I bought longer cables, of course...I just don't have them handy).

 

[kapone]

Not gonna work.

 

[Bigbird999]

You need a longer cable they come in 20 and 24 in length for big cases


BB

 

[blue_z]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigbird999 /forum/post/15489385


You need a longer cable they come in 20 and 24 in length for big cases

The IDE spec has always had a maximum cable length of 18 inches. If it's longer than that then you're gambling with signal integrity (read "signal integrity" as "command and data integrity").


And like kapone wrote, alternate connections won't work.

 

[rjburke377]



Quote:
Originally Posted by downlowder /forum/post/15489017


Using an IDE cable with a connection on each end and one in the middle, can I plug the middle connection into the motherboard, and the end connections into a secondary hard drive and optical drive, respectively, or will that cause problems?

Won't work. *And* if you do use the MB IDE port to connect the optical and hard drive you have to set the jumpers on each of the drives: one to master (primary) and the other to slave (secondary). Usually the hard disk is set to primary.


/R