Best strategy hard drive swapping?

  • Thread starter Thread starter HaHaHoHoHeeHee
  • Start date Start date
J. Clarke said:
Round IDE cables are usually flat cables that have been
hacked up and wrapped in a piece of tubing.
Click to expand...


Not true. The vast majority of "round" cables consist of
each data line twisted together with a ground line and all the
twisted pairs enclosed in a plastic sheath. There are also
shielded "round" cables wherein the twisted pairs are enclosed
in a sheath of braided aluminum or copper wires and the
whole assembly enclosed in a clear plastic sheath.

Their main utility is to make geek-chic machines with
windows in the side look k3w1 to wannabees and provide
a good laugh to ubergeeks.
Click to expand...


Again not true. "Round" cables are primarily used to
provide better ventilation inside the PC's case as they are
more compact and don't have to be folded origami-style
to make them turn corners. They also come in a variety
of lengths, and they come in 2-connector form (to serve
just one IDE drive) as well as the normal 3-connector
form which serves two IDE drives. Here, again, is a picture
of the various lengths and configurations:
http://www.svcompucycle.com/cables-ata-100-133-round-cables.html

Here is an example of the braided copper shield cable:
http://www.svcompucycle.com/rc18hd1-cop.html

"Round" cables are just the thing to tidy up the inside of a
PC's case, and in my system, they make the use of 3 hard drives,
an optical drive and a Zip drive possible.

*TimDaniels*
 
Timothy Daniels said:
J. Clarke wrote
Click to expand...
Not true. The vast majority of "round" cables consist of each data line
twisted together with a ground line and all the twisted pairs enclosed in a
plastic sheath.
Click to expand...

Wrong. And that is electrically very different
to the only thing that the standard allows, a
flat ribbon with every second wire grounded.
There are also shielded "round" cables wherein the twisted pairs are enclosed
in a sheath of braided aluminum or copper wires and the whole assembly
enclosed in a clear plastic sheath.
Click to expand...

That is electrically very different to the
only thing that the standard allows, a flat
ribbon with every second wire grounded.
Again not true.
Click to expand...

Fraid so.
"Round" cables are primarily used to provide better ventilation inside the
PC's case
Click to expand...

Wrong again.
as they are more compact
Click to expand...

Pity they arent normally in the main airflow.
and don't have to be folded origami-style to make them turn corners.
Click to expand...

Most dont need to turn any corners in decent cases.
They also come in a variety of lengths,
Click to expand...

So do the ATA standard cables.
and they come in 2-connector form (to serve just one IDE drive) as well as the
normal 3-connector form which serves two IDE drives.
Click to expand...

So do the ATA standard cables.
Here, again, is a picture of the various lengths and configurations:
http://www.svcompucycle.com/cables-ata-100-133-round-cables.html
Yawn.

Here is an example of the braided copper shield cable:
http://www.svcompucycle.com/rc18hd1-cop.html
Yawn.

"Round" cables are just the thing to tidy up the inside of a PC's case,
Click to expand...

I dont flout standards for such a trivial reason thanks.
and in my system, they make the use of 3 hard drives, an optical drive and a
Zip drive possible.
Click to expand...

Just as possible with ATA standard cables in a properly designed case.
 
HaHaHoHoHeeHee said:
Ok, thanks, looks like caddies are the best way to go if I must
have easily removable IDE drives. I took a quick look at three
different mfg. pages, including kingwin and all the cheaper models
were plastic, no fan for like $30. Guess I did not look hard
enough. If you have a model number for the $20 alum. fan model,
can you give that to me? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Just go to newegg.com and search on "kingwin fan" and then pick "disk
accessories off the menu to eliminate separate fans.
 
HaHaHoHoHeeHee said:
Thanks for the information. Yes, I will watch the WD thing.
How expensive/difficult is it to install the promise controllers?
Why exactly is this better? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Relatively cheap, PCI card type. Go to promise.com and see for yourself.
Not RAID or SATA. Some hardware/software stores sell them locally.
Advantages are same bios, no CHS and landing zone differences, so HDs are
always seen the same way. No driver needed for low level dos, linux or
otherwise access to these connected hard drives. Windows sees these
connected hard drives without a driver. A windows driver is provided for 32
bit access (faster) in windows. Windows perceives these connected drives as
pseudo-scsi at that point.
There are other makers of such add-on ide cards. Find one you like and
works. Then get the same identical model for all of your PCs you intend
this mod on. Don't digress to other makes and models.
 
Lil' Dave said:
Relatively cheap, PCI card type. Go to promise.com and see for yourself.
Not RAID or SATA. Some hardware/software stores sell them locally.
Advantages are same bios, no CHS and landing zone differences, so HDs are
always seen the same way. No driver needed for low level dos, linux or
otherwise access to these connected hard drives. Windows sees these
connected hard drives without a driver. A windows driver is provided for
32
bit access (faster) in windows.
Click to expand...

All current Windows uses 32-bit access. Some uses 64-bit access where
available. And all current versions _do_ require a driver for Promise and
other third-party host adapters unless they're old enough for one to have
been bundled.

You're thinking windows 9x, which has been dead for several years.
 
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for the good information I
received from my OP in this thread.

If you can get past all the pissing contests in this group there is alot
of useful info to be had ;-).
 
Lil' Dave said:
Relatively cheap, PCI card type. Go to promise.com and see for
yourself. Not RAID or SATA. Some hardware/software stores sell them
locally. Advantages are same bios, no CHS and landing zone differences,
Click to expand...

Landing zones are completely irrelevant, they have
been ignored by hard drives for years and years now.
 
J. Clarke said:
All current Windows uses 32-bit access. Some uses 64-bit access where
available. And all current versions _do_ require a driver for Promise and
other third-party host adapters unless they're old enough for one to have
been bundled.

You're thinking windows 9x, which has been dead for several years.
Click to expand...

You're right of course, John.
Many older PCs can't install XP for various reasons. My crystal ball is in
the shop, so was guessing on the appropriate OS here. Thus my input on
msdos etc. and related Win 9X/ME access.
Am glad your crystal ball is working fine.
 
Lil' Dave said:
You're right of course, John.
Many older PCs can't install XP for various reasons. My crystal ball is
in
the shop, so was guessing on the appropriate OS here. Thus my input on
msdos etc. and related Win 9X/ME access.
Am glad your crystal ball is working fine.
Click to expand...

They must be really old PCs if they can't handle XP or Windows 2000. I've
got 2K running fine on a P200 machine and Server 2K3 on a machine with a BX
chipset. But that's beside the point. If you tell someone that he is not
going to need a driver and he's running NT4, 2K, or XP, all of which _will_
need a driver, then he's going to get pretty frustrated trying to make his
board work. On the other hand if you tell him that he needs a driver and
it turns out he doesn't then at worst you end up looking stupid. My skin
is thick enough to tolerate looking stupid once in a while.
 
Lil' Dave said:
Relatively cheap, PCI card type. Go to promise.com and see for yourself.
Not RAID or SATA. Some hardware/software stores sell them locally.
Advantages are same bios, no CHS and landing zone differences, so HDs are
always seen the same way.
Click to expand...
No driver needed for low level dos, linux or otherwise access to these
connected hard drives.
Click to expand...

That applies to almost every ATA controller
Windows sees these connected hard drives without a driver.
Click to expand...

Only Win9x.
A windows driver is provided for 32 bit access (faster) in windows.
Click to expand...

You don't say.
Windows perceives these connected drives as pseudo-scsi at that point.
Nonsense.

There are other makers of such add-on ide cards. Find one you like and
works. Then get the same identical model for all of your PCs you intend
this mod on.
Click to expand...
Don't digress to other makes and models.
Click to expand...

The problem is in the MoBo bios when set wrong.
That isn't possible on any of the add-in controllers. They all work the same.
 
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