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Before
installing the hard drives and optical drives in the
computer case, they should be configured properly. The newer
SATA drives do not need to be configured at all and can be
simply installed in the case, but the traditional ATA (also
called IDE or EIDE) drives have jumpers that set them as
either 'Master' or 'Slave.'
Motherboards with an IDE interface have two channels for
hard drives, optical drives, or tape drives. Each channel
can have two drives connected to it. Because there is only
one cable for each channel, the drives need a way to
identify themselves to the motherboard, and for this reason
they are set as either master or slave.
The usual configuration is to put the hard drives on IDE
channel 1 and the optical drives on IDE channel 2, although
there is no reason not to mix optical and hard drives on the
same channel. If you only have one drive of each type, you
should install each of them on its own channel.
There are jumpers on the back of the drive allowing you to
set it as master, slave, or cable select. The cable select
option automatically assigns a master/slave status to a
drive depending on which connection it is using. The
connection furthest from the motherboard is the master
connection, while the connection in the middle of the cable
is the slave connection.
The jumper positions should be clearly marked on the drive
itself. If not, consult the manual. Use a pair of needle
nose pliers or tweezers to insert the jumpers on the proper
pins.
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Building
your own Computer:
»Build
Your Own Computer
Computer Components:
»Components Overview
»Motherboards Part I
»Motherboards Part II
»CPU's
»Memory
»Hard Drives Part I
»Hard Drives Part II
»Accessories Part I
»Accessories Part II
»Video Cards
»Sound Cards
»CD-DVD Drives
Step by
Step Guide:
»Choosing the Right
Parts
»Motherboard
Installation
»Connecting the CPU
»Attaching MB
Connectors
»Installing the Drives
»Installing Expansion cards
»Operating system Setup
Other Computer Building Resources:
»Helpful Links |
If you are installing just a
single drive on each channel, they should each be set as the
master drive. If you have two hard drives, the one with the
operating system will be the master drive. If you have two
optical drives, for example one CD-ROM and one DVD drive, it
doesn't matter which one is set to master and which one to
slave. The master/slave setting is really just to
distinguish one drive from the other -- master doesn't have
any higher priority than slave.
Now attach the data cables. These are the wide flat ribbon
cables that run from the motherboard to the drive. IDE
cables have three connectors. The two connectors which are
close together are attached to the hard drives. The third
connector is attached to the motherboard. The connectors are
keyed so it is easy to see how the cable is inserted.
Remember that the master drive is at the end of the cable
and the slave drive is in the middle of the cable. To verify
the cable is correct, make sure that pin 1 is connected to
the red wire on the cable.
It is now time to install the drives in the case. The two
drives which are on a single channel should be installed
close together with the master drive on top and the slave
drive on the bottom. Optical drives are usually installed at
the top of the case and hard drives below them. The optical
drives must be accessible from the front of the case so the
bay coverings need to be removed. The drives are secured to
the case with two screws on each side.
The final step is to connect the power cables. IDE drives
have a four pin molded connector which is impossible to put
in the wrong way. SATA drives also have a keyed power
connector, but some models may have both a SATA power
connector and a four pin IDE power connector. You can use
either one, but DO NOT use both.
Continue Reading "Building Your Own Computer - Step
6"
on the next page...
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