[Splice]

Here is the problem: I can only get the BIOS to detect IDE devices on the secondary connector. This connector detects everything, my CDROM, and all 3 HDDs.

The Primary IDE connector (blue plastic housing) doesn't detect anything!!! HELP!

Everything works fine if it is connected to the secondary; boot disk, CD-ROM; but I have more IDE devices I want to connect.

The manual says that stuff using ATA66 or less should be connected to the secondary, but the HDDs I'm using are ATA66 or higher. This should be supported by the Primary IDE conn, which goes to the South Bridge, which claims to support ATA100/66.

I am using a Western Digital 13400 (ATA66) and a WD400; I put them on the master end of the 80-pin IDE cable w/ proper jumper settings for single drive and get nothing. I put them together w/ the end one master and the 2nd-to-last one slave and get no detection.

It seems like the primary IDE connector is broken!!!

 

[clintfan]

I am using a Western Digital 13400 (ATA66) and a WD400; I put them on the master end of the 80-pin IDE cable w/ proper jumper settings for single drive and get nothing. I put them together w/ the end one master and the 2nd-to-last one slave and get no detection.

You seem to know how to correctly attach the devices to the proper cable connectors. Be sure you are plugging into the upper blue mobo connector next to the floppy connector, not the lower blue one which hangs off the board edge and goes to the Promise. Also with HDD's I would recommend 80-pin IDE cables, not the old 40-pin cables.

Instead of the WD "single drive" strapping, try using the "Dual (Master)" setting with the master connector of the cable. See if that works any better. Maybe you already tried that strapping, I couldn't quite tell.

Also check the BIOS setup Main- "IDE Configuration" screen, make sure you have not inadvertantly disabled the PRI IDE port there by selecting a strange mode. I think that the settings should be as shown in the mobo manual for this screen.

If none of this works, then I agree you probably have a bad PRI IDE port on the mobo.

BTW, have you tried temporarily attaching master/slave HDD's to the Promise "PRI RAID" connector instead of the ICH5R's "PRI IDE" connector? (With the Onboard Promise Controller enabled in BIOS, of course, and set to Operating Mode "IDE".) If the Promise reports your devices OK at bootup, then I would definitely suspect a bad PRI IDE port.

The manual says that stuff using ATA66 or less should be connected to the secondary, but the HDDs I'm using are ATA66 or higher.

That was a surprise. This, I believe, is obsolete information: I think the ICH5R specs claim equal speeds on the two ports. I just hunted for that ref. again, but could not find it stated in that way, only that each IDE device can have its own independent timings.

All the manual says about this on 2-22 is, "It is recommended that you connect non-Ultra DMA/100/66 devices to the secondary IDE connector." I think they are just saying that for minimum latency you should think about your device speeds, and put fast devices together when possible. Plus, naming something as "primary" tends to imply you want to choose that, before choosing a "secondary" thing.

Hope this helps,

-clintfan

 

[Splice]

broken

I think it's broken. Why?

1. I have a Seagate HDD and a CDROM (master, slave, respectively) on an 80-pin IDE ribbon cable. If I plug them into the sec IDE connector, BIOS sees them. If I simply switch the end from the sec to the primary connector, it doesn't see them. All BIOS settings are from v1011 and the setup defaults (except I turned off the Promise RAID controller).

ideas???

 

[Splice]

broken

I think it's broken. Why?

1. I have a Seagate HDD and a CDROM (master, slave, respectively) on an 80-pin IDE ribbon cable. If I plug them into the sec IDE connector, BIOS sees them. If I simply switch the end from the sec to the primary connector, it doesn't see them. All BIOS settings are from v1011 and the setup defaults (except I turned off the Promise RAID controller).

ideas???

 

[Javora]

Sorry to hear you are having problems with your motherboard.

If you are sure that the IDE ribbon cable is in good working order, and it sounds like it is. Then I would ask Asus for a new motherboard.

 

[clintfan]

No, no more ideas. If you've checked out the BIOS "IDE Configuration" screen settings as I suggested, it sounds pretty dead to me. Maybe a fuse, maybe something else. Send it back.

-clintfan