[rogierius]

Dear forum folks,
I'm here because of a seemingly small problem for which I can't find a solution:

Situatie:
I have here a Dell Dimension 4600i.

This Dell is my girlfriends moms' computer, which makes this particular situation a tad more delicate (we don't want to screw it up here, do we? ) This Dell had a problem with booting when I got it (and why I got it). It boots past the POST screen, but when trying to load Windows (Home), it stops loading and give me some options to reboot, like booting with Windows Safe... All options result in the same screen with the same options with the same result...going in circles endlessly.

With this in mind, I suspected a faulty harddrive or a faulty OS

To solve this riddle, I tried the following steps:

• Original harddrive a Hitachi drive 80 Gb was removed and replaced with an old IDE drive I had laying around. I do not wish to overuse the original drive in case I need to transfer valuable family pictures and what not. I replaced this harddrive with a Maxtor drive (type 52049h3) and put it in the system to see if there was any change in booting.
• Result: System starts without any problem and loads the OS which was already on this old IDE harddrive.

From this I concluded that the original IDE harddrive had some kind of problem, either hardware or software based. Something to be sorted out in a later stage of the repairment. I order a new drive (being a SATA drive as all IDE slots are taken) plus some extra RAM, next step was:

• I installed the purchased SATA drive and changed settings in BIOS to let the motherboard except the new drive, which it did. I installed TinyXP as a temporay OS (I have the original Dell Windows Home disk, so don't worry) for testing purposes only. It all went perfect, it booted without any problems (no IDE drive connected btw).
• Result: Perfect boot with SATA drive and with OS

I was happy, and all I have to do is install the original IDE drive to see if I am able to transfer files from the IDE drive. I turned off the PC, hooked ip the IDE drive and restarted. After booting I tried to access the drive through Windows Explorer, but it did not show up as a drive. I checked with disk management, but even there it was invisible... Strange.

• So, I combined the SATA drive and IDE drive and rebooted the system.
• Result: No IDE visible...

For one reason or another, this motherboard just does not recognise the IDE drive anymore, whatever I try:

• ESD precautions...as always
• Disengaged SATA drive and booted with old IDE drive as I did with first step, but post screen still reports no drive found. .
• Tried original IDE drive reluctantly, but same result. No drive found
• Resetted BIOS, same result...:down:
• New IDE cable...not a darn thing changed.
• Tried using jumpers with old IDE drive (initially it booted without any jumpers, and whatever I tried WITH jumpers, POST screen hung with first screen and did not booted any further (and not even showing it had or hadn;t found a IDE drive. I did not fool around with jumpers of original Hitachi drive. Those jumpers are in slave position. I really don't get it...
• Swapped IDE cable of CD-ROM to IDE port for harddrive: IDE Ports work and are not faulty
• Tested IDE harddrive on my own system: IDE harddrive works and is not faulty
• Using different power connectors from the PSU. Far fetched and did not change anything

I have not updated the bios to version A12 because initially this darn rig worked with an IDE.
I have not removed the extra memory I purchased, as it was difficult getting it in

I am at the stage to look beyond the scope of normal solutions, but that would be wild guessing:
I suspect either a partial hardware malfunction somehow (weird as both IDE ports seem to function with a CD-Rom), an ESD (even though I tried very hard to avoid one), the extra memory blocks the IDE drive somehow, or some idiotic mistake I have made and overseen it...

Additional info

1. SATA drive still boots fine without an IDE drive!
2. IDE drives spinning, both getting power.
3. Specs BIOS: version A07 (type mobo unknown)
4. Relevant links: some screenshots from BIOS version A12
5. Similar post in my native language (Gathering of Tweakers)
6. Similar post on the Dell forum

I prefer to find a solution within the computer and components I have now. I want to have a SATA drive as boot drive and IDE drive as storage drive. I can use my own computer to transfer the files from the IDE drive to another storage, but for this I have to order a new drive (internal or external = $$$ ), wait for it to arrive, install it, install IDE drive, transfer files, transfer files to SATA drive on Dell PC.... way T O O much work and $$ for now. Buying new hardware is a last desperate measure which I'd like to use as...last.

What did I miss? I am at a loss, please advise.

 

[rogierius]

Re: IDE frustration with Dell Dimension 4600i

I've got some inspiration (with help from other fora) to concentrate more closely on the IDE cable and the correct placement on the correct plug (grey or black).

I did manage to get some result by putting my own old HDD as master to the master end of the IDE cable & connecting the old, defective HDD on the slave end of the cable. My old HDD came without a jumper when I first used it on this system successfully, but to be sure I put a jumper in master connection, while I did not touch the jumpers of the original defective HDD as these were positioned in slave setting when I first got the system.

Result is that both HDD show up (magically I might add, individually none show up), but the one that is set as master (old working HDD), is not chosen as the HDD to boot from. Instead, BIOS selects the original defective HDD and boots from that one...

Also see image taken:

 

[Tumbleweed36]

Re: IDE frustration with Dell Dimension 4600i

I don't know your board, but many have a place in the Boot area of the bios that is called the Hard Drive Priority (or similar wording). You need to check to make sure that the drive you want to boot from is listed FIRST in that area.

 

[rogierius]

Re: IDE frustration with Dell Dimension 4600i

I solved my problem by ordering an USB drive and transferring the files on the partially defective drive to this USB drive. No really what I wanted, but the CS thingy pointed me into a direction in which I could get 1 drive to work (the original one).

Thanx!

 

[Tumbleweed36]

Re: IDE frustration with Dell Dimension 4600i

Glad you have it up and running. Have a great Thursday.