OK Section 3 was the Basics as explained by PC World
These are additional tips that come from personal experience and from the many people from Dell-Talk and other forums. Most of the PCs now also have a Zip drive, therefor having 4 IDE devices. This seems to be the preferred set-up when using the motherboard's two IDE channels (ports):
Primary IDE: Hard-drive / Master; Zip / Slave. Dell ships Cable Select, Cable Select means that the position of the device on the cable determines master/slave, the end connector is the Master. You may leave as Cable Select, it will work.. It is highly recommended NOT to place CD/RW device on the Primary channel with your Hard-drive. See: Why not CD/RW and Hard drive on same Channel
Secondary IDE: CD-RW / Master; CD-ROM (DVD) / Slave. The CD-RW just seems to work better as Master, less headaches and about 98% of the Manufacturers recommend setting it as Master. I have not yet seen Cable Select as an option, except from Dell. I'm not saying it will not work, try it if you like, many members do so with no problems. Also some set the CD-RW as Slave and stated no problems, this can / will work.
4-0-2: Cable too Short & Length LimitsCable being too short has been a big issue. Some people have had to move the Hard-drive to a 3.5 bay, this seems to work best and you might be able to use your original cable. I've heard you have to use Dell's cable, I'm sorry that's just not true but you will see various posts on this subject and regardless of the Pros & Cons, many people are changing IDE cables with positive result. A IDE Cable to consider is the Ultra ATA/66. This cable adds 40 additional ground lines between each of the original 40 ground and signal lines, which help shield the signal from interference. This cable supports the Cable Select feature and works with older non-ultra-ATA devices as well and is slightly longer than Dell's but still under the Length Limit below.
You are recommended to stay under the 18" limit on length for this type of data cable. This has been a big issue also, the 18 inch limit is due to the physical properties of the Data Cable itself not the distance the signal can travel.. Here is a quote from an experienced Technician on the subject of cable length. I'm sure he does not mind. "The 18 inch distance is for the cable itself and involves the physical properties of the cable. It's not the maximum distance that the signal can travel...for example if the distance from the controller to the port was 20 inches on the motherboard it would make absolutely no difference in the world. However, when you're talking about a cable, you're talking about signal dissipation (i.e. the loss in signal strength as the current flows across the cable). As an example, the maximum distance for Ethernet over CAT5 cable (similar to phone line) is 300ft.....after 300 ft you start to get a loss in signal and irregularities in performance. however of you connect a signal regenerator every 295 ft you could go on for quite some time. So you can understand that its not the signal that can only travel 18 inches, it's the signal on the cable because of the physical properties of the cable itself. If the cable were fiber optic it could travel about 2 KM without signal loss." The cable comes in a variety of lengths and you can pick one up most computer stores under $10.00.
Note: See ATA/ATAPI-5 for additional info.
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The question is a very good one. I was hoping to find a more exact answer, but here are a few quotes from various sources: All IDE drives are not created equal. A set of technical standards exists for IDE drives, but these standards did not necessarily apply to early drives. Also manufacturers of IDE drives have not universally or fully implemented all the standards and thus are handled differently in different drives IDE drives provide configuration options to act as the Master or the Slave drive in a two-drive-per-interface configuration. The Master and Slave jumpers configure the routing of the drive addressing signal into, through / between, and out of the drives. In simplest form, a drive needs to be told that it is a Master, whether or not a Slave drive is also attached is determined by the drive; the Slave drive needs only be told that it is the Slave. Some drives require that you also set an additional jumper to indicated that there is a Slave drive attached on the same cable. Older drives used Cable Select jumper that configures which drive gets the drive addressing signal to determine whether it is the first, or Master, drive versus the second, or Slave, drive, which require a special IDE cable to support the Cable Select feature. The implementation of drive selections is not the same for all drive manufacturers. Sometimes a drive must be the first or must be the second drive or may not work at all with a drive from another manufacturer in a two-drive system.
Ok that's most of the quotes. We know Dell ships their system using the Cable Select feature. I could only speculate on their reasons /policy /standards, maybe ease of setup, just set all the devices to CS, then let the location on the cable determine Master / Slave. This is easier for the customer and Tech support when installing new and /or replacement drives, do not have to worry about configuring all the jumper settings, just use CS. We know Cable Select works well the majority of the time, but on occasion you have to use M/S jumper settings. I believe this is due to the manufacturer designs themselves as explained above. You will notice on some installation guides they will specify Master and /or Slave jumper settings. Then others will use the term Master or Slave, which leaves it up to you to speculate whether they mean jumper settings or location using CS on a IDE cable that supports the Cable Select feature. If one configuration does not work, then try changing location of drives when using CS feature, or change to M/S jumper settings. I have always just preferred Master/Slave jumper settings with CD/RW as Master and "burn" from the hard-drive, but here again this is just my "nickel" on the subject.
Again, almost all Manufacturers recommend setting the CD/RW as Master and one of the first questions if you call for support usually is, " Is the device set as Master?" One Tech told me that when a signal is sent to an IDE channel it will default to Drive 0 and since the CD/RW puts such a demand on your system and requires a constant stream of data, it will work more efficiently at the Master setting. I could not and would not argue the fact "more efficiently", most people just want it to work and it will or can work as Master / Slave, Slave / Master, and Cable Select. But remember, what may work for someone may not for another, even the same system has different devices, software, drivers, etc~~sometimes it's "trail & error" especially with older devices.
As you can see there are many possibilities but for now CD/RW as Master & CD-ROM (DVD) as Slave, is still the preferred set-up.
Also below is Dell`s article on Cable Select:
What is "Cable Select" and how do I configure new hardware for that setting?
Cable Select is the default setting used to configure integrated drive electronics (IDE) devices on Dell computers. IDE drives have a set of exposed metal pins with plastic jumpers that cover certain pins. Each pair of covered pins corresponds to different configurations. The plastic jumpers have a metal lining, which shorts across the pins, acting like a switch. Selecting which pairs of pins to cover or leave uncovered indicates the settings required to identify the drive configuration to the motherboard.
Here are most common settings used for drives:
Devices attached to the IDE interface must be identified to the controller as either the Master or the Slave device. Generally, the main hard drive is configured as the Master device on the primary controller, and the CD-ROM drive is configured as the Master device on the secondary controller.
Dell ships systems with the IDE devices jumpered to Cable Select. The Cable Select setting uses the location of the drive, as it attaches to the IDE cable, to determine the Master or Slave designation.
The manufacturer's label on the drive will usually depict the location of the pins, and will identify which pins need to be covered for the desired setting.
For help with Windows® functions, click on Start | Help and when the Help menu appears, click on the Index tab. Type in a key word for the desired task you need help with and wish to review.
For help with specifics on your Dell system, or additional troubleshooting support, refer to http://www.support.dell.com. Dell provides you with the troubleshooting tools necessary to resolve most any problem.
WARNING FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF THE EQUIPMENTBefore you start to work on the computer, perform the following steps in the sequence listed:
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Dell uses a special data cable for Cable Select, if you encounter a problem of your system not recognizing the CD/RW when using Cable Select (CS) set-up, first check your BIOS to insure that both Secondary devices are set on Auto, if this setting is correct, then the problem may be Dells cable. You have the option of changing both drives jumpers to Master / Slave, or purchase a different IDE cable (ATA/66). Most people have not experienced this problem but it can be an issue.
Checking BIOS settings: After entering your BIOS set-up screen ( usually hitting delete when Dells logo appears ) you can check and change these settings by using the directions at the bottom of the page which will instruct you on how to navigate your BIOS , but be Fore - Warned, messing around, changing various settings, values, unless you are experienced in this field can adversely affect your system. Using your instructions, navigate to Advanced, under IDE Configuration, make sure IDE Controller is set to Both, if you plan on having a device attached to Primary Slave, it will need to be set to Auto, the same applies to the Secondary Master and Slave, just follow your instructions and you should not have any problems.
Also I have read that when they had their CD-ROM (DVD) as Master, CD/RW as Slave, they were not able to burn " on the fly ", but reversing the setting worked, others said the exact opposite. The DMA setting is another example, I dare say that 95% of the People state, UN-check DMA box on CD/RW, others claim DMA works for them, then some have had to UN-check DMA on both devices.
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4-0-5: Installation for Dell L____series
Dell's L___series has only one 5.25" internal bay. You may order it with a CD/RW pre-installed instead of a DVD or CD-ROM now. If you have a DVD or CD-ROM and wish to add CD/RW, your options are externally; USB, SCSI, Firewire and soon USB-2 which is designed to compete with Firewire`s speed, avoid Parallel. You can also remove your existing DVD/CD-ROM and replace it with a CD/RW. If you choose this route:
You can find the Tech notes for the L___series here, Please consider reviewing it:
http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems/dmum/rr.html
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4-0-6: Installation for Dell's XPS xxx
Dell's XPS xxx series have two 5.25" bays therefor allowing the addition of a CD/RW without having to replace the original device. The motherboards two IDE Channels will support 4 IDE device. When I ordered my R 400 in August of 98, Dell would factory install 3 IDE devices, usually, HD~DVD/CD-ROM~Zip. I'm sorry but at this time I do not recall when (model & date) or even if the option of 4 IDE became available. To my knowledge from other members that have stated they ordered their system with a Promise ATA/66 card: Hard-drive attached to ATA - Primary channel, CD/RW attached to ATA - Secondary channel, The DVD and Zip attached to motherboards Secondary channel - CS and the motherboards Primary channel in BIOS in Disabled. I hope someone reading this can verify or correct this statement, please do. I shall attempt to get clarification from Dell again on this set up. For now we will discuss using motherboards two IDE channels.
You can find the Tech notes for the XPS xxxx below:
If you Do-Not have a Zip:
If you have a Zip drive and Do - Not wish to keep it:
If you have a Zip and Wish to Keep it:
This is where installation is a little bit harder, usually requires moving Hard-drive and / or purchasing longer IDE Cable. Do not use the one supplied with CD/RW. If you do decide on longer cable, get the ATA/66, well worth the extra couple of dollars, and stay under the 18" length limit.
You will find that installation techniques vary from one person to the next. This does not mean one is wrong and the other is right.
For instance, Dell ships the system with the Hard-drive connected to Primary IDE Channel, jumpered CS, attached to the "end" connection on IDE Cable, no device on "middle" connector. The DVD/CD-ROM is connected to Secondary IDE Channel, jumpered CS, attached to the "end" connection and Zip is jumpered to CS attached to "middle" connector same IDE cable. The best set-up using motherboards two IDE Channels is Primary: Hard-drive(MS) - Zip(SL) and Secondary: CD/RW(MS) - DVD/CD-ROM(SL). (Again review Sec 4-0-1 through 4-0-1) With this set-up we know the Zip needs to be disconnected from Secondary Channel, attached to Primary Channel, then add CD/RW to Secondary Channel with DVD/CD-ROM. Example(1) You could simply Shut down, move Hard-drive up to a 3.5" bay, move connection for Zip to same cable with Hard-drive, set jumpers correctly, add CD/RW to 5.25" bay below DVD/CD-ROM, set jumpers correctly. Turn PC on, all devices are detected and in a few minutes you're "Burning" your first CD-R. Example(2) Some people would rather work with one device at a time. Remove the Zip from Device Manager, disconnect it from system. Install the CD/RW, get it working correctly, then re-install the Zip to it's new location on Primary IDE Channel. More steps and honestly both Examples will work, but the latter will give you less headaches in case something does not load properly. I've done both but prefer the "one device" at a time approach. Some of the steps are the same as above...
Remember this is not Set in Stone, just my nickels worth and what has worked best for some of the "Regulars" on DellTalk
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4-0-7: Installation for Dell's 4100
The Instructions for the 4100 using the motherboards two IDE Channels is actually the same as Dell's XPS xxx series. The 4100 series uses Intel's 815 chip set. It has two 5.25" bays and the motherboards two IDE channels will support 4 IDE devices. You could consider adding a ATA/card in order for your Hard -drive, DVD/CD-ROM and CD/RW to be on separate IDE channels which would improve the success of installations of various devices. See Section 4-0-9. Your impute is truly welcome and needed.
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4-0-8: Installation for Dell's 8100, 4400, 4300, 4300S, 4200, 4100, 2200, 2100
The Instructions for the 8100 using the motherboards two IDE Channels is "basically" the same as Dell's XPS xxx series. The 8100 series uses Intel's 850 chip set, has four 3.5" bays and three 5.25" external bays which makes it an excellent choice for the installation of a ATA/card. To use a Ultra 66 or 100 controller card, please see Section 4-0-9. The 8200 series has four 3.5" bays and two 5.25" bays.
Your impute is truly welcome and needed.
The 4400 series uses Intel`s 845 chip set, four 3.5" bays and two 5.25" bays.
The 4300S series uses Intel`s 845 chip set, two 3.5" bays and one 5.25" bay.
The 4300 series uses Intel`s 845 chip set, four 3.5" bays and two 5.25" bays.
The 4200 series uses Intel`s 815 (ICH2) chip set, four 3.5" bays and two 5.25" bays.
The 2200 series uses Intel`s 810E chip set, three 3.5" bays and one 5.25" bay.
The 2100 series uses Intel`s 810 or 810E chip set, three 3.5" bays and one 5.25" bay.
Note: The use of the 40 pin - 80 conductor ATA IDE Cables is a must for this standard.
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Overview
Another installation option which many members should consider is the addition of a ATA/66 or ATA/100 controller card if you have an available PCI slot. The Promise ATA cards provides two IDE ports with independent programmable timing registers in the controllers design. Coexists with IDE and SCSI controllers. An onboard BIOS with LBA translation and supports IDE hard-drives up to 128GB. Using your motherboards two IDE ports and the ATA/cards two IDE port, you can support 8 IDE devices. One has the opportunity to place their Hard-drive, CD/RW and DVD-CD/ROM on separate IDE channels, actually the Zip can also be on separate channel. The separate channels should almost eliminate the Buffer underrun issue, timing conflicts, compatibility issues and whether this drive should be Master / Slave. The cards are under $60 and work with your existing IDE devices. You can choose from a variety of set-ups and I`ll try to list the two most common. Also it would be a good idea to review Promise's Web Site for any known issues. I do know some members have stated conflicts with Matrox Video cards, they had to manually set IRQs but afterwards the card worked fine. Review the installation manual and the web site before beginning.
The Easy Install:
If you are only interested in adding a CD/RW and are content with your present set-up and do not wish to change Dell's drive arrangement.
Example: Dell's
then you may consider the following installation guide. If you have a Hard drive that supports ATA/66 or ATA/100 transfer rate, then you might consider the installation guide Here.
Installing the Controller Card: (Easy Install)
Note: New Ultra ATA Storage Driver, please see information here: Ultra ATA Storage Driver Support Site
Installation taking advantage of ATA66 / 100 features:
If you have a ATA/66 or faster hard drive and your motherboard is a ATA/33 then you should see a performance boost by moving your Hard drive to the new controller card. If you choose this set-up, then consider setting up the ATA/card with Hard drive, getting it to work correctly before attempting installing CD/RW.
Some of the steps are the same as Easy Install: A note though: if you have Windows NT, you must install just the card first if you are wanting to place Hard drive on the card.
The Promise's BIOS seems to load in between the Dell's BIOS. The Dell's BIOS will come up and do memory count, etc and show the drives connected on motherboard controller. Then the Promise cards BIOS detects it's installed drives and then goes back to the Dell BIOS screen again. It is as though the Promise BIOS is loaded before the Dell BIOS makes its final approval. Also the ATA/card will show up as a SCSI device, this is normal.
NOTE: It has been recommended in the forum to install the Promise card in PCI slot #1 if it is available, although there seems to be no mention of this in the manual. If the card is not recognized then consider moving to a different PCI slot, preferably #1.
One question that has been asked a few times: "What happens if I have to re-install Windows? The Promise card will be detected but you will need to install the drivers again.
Now for the install of the CD/RW, you have a number of options and each depends on the member themselves. Most of the members usually leave the motherboards Secondary IDE channel as it was shipped from the Factory. Example: DVD/CD-ROM jumper CS on "end" conection~~Zip jumper CS on "middle" connection. You can either place the CD/RW on the ATA/cards Secondary IDE channel or place on motherboards Primary IDE channel. Most prefer the latter because it frees up the ATA/cards Secondary channel for use with a faster Hard drive if they choose to add one at a later date. You should be able to use Dell's original cable for the CD/RW and the majority set the jumper on the CD/RW to Master. You might check over the installation of IDE devices under Dell's XPS xxx and too it's your machine, you may play around with the device set-ups and find what works best for you.
Good Luck and let me know if you have additional information that might help someone.
Note: New Ultra ATA Storage Driver, please see information here: Ultra ATA Storage Driver Support Site
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4-0-10: Installation for Dell`s Newest systems, ATA Interface.
This should cover Dell's new 8400, 8300, 8200, 8250, 4700, 4600, 4500, 4550, etc...
The majority of members now are not ordering a system with an internal Zip drive, usually we see Hard-drive; DVD & CD/RW or CD-ROM & DVD/+ -RW or a Combo drive of some sort but if you have a Zip then Section 4-0-6 above will cover the installation for ATAPI devices.
We have found that Cable Select which is the standard jumper settings that Dell uses is working much better than it did in the past and it will work the majority of the time. The catch here is that almost all the manufacturers of Burners, whether we are talking CD/RW or DVD/RW prefer the device as Master on the IDE channel when there are two devices on the same cable. (Naturally the device needs to be set as Master | CSEL | CS | or Auto and attached to "End" connection if it is the only device on the IDE channel / port).
If you already have a DVD, CD-ROM or CD/RW and wish to add a second device which will be your main Burner, what I mean by main burner would be per say if you had a CD/RW and wished to add a DVD/RW. The DVD/RW will be your work horse, used much more than the CD/RW, in this example you would want the DVD/RW to be the Master.
More than likely your existing drive will be in the Top Bay, you basically have three options:
Note: your existing drive letter may change and the new device may take the original drive letter, you can change the drive letter of the devices in Device Manager if you wish. Also in the wonderful world of PC, nothing is set in stone, what may work for one, may not for another, so be prepared to try different options.
A Note: Dell`s newer systems may only have one IDE channel on the motherboard, moving toward all SATA. If your system shipped with only one optical drive, in the BIOS, the PATA (Drive 1) is turned off, you may need to turn it on.
Below is a general installation guide, most of it is from Dell's and various sources from the members themselves:
Caution: Before you begin any of the
procedures in this section, follow the steps in the safety instructions in your Owner's
Manual.
Caution: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your
computer from the electrical outlet before opening the cover.
Notice: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your computer and then unplug it from the network wall jack.
Installing:
Check the documentation that accompanied the drive to verify that the drive is configured for your computer. If you are installing an IDE drive, configure the drive for the Cable Select setting. Note: Review the above mentioned options of jumper selection, many of the "oldies" still prefer the Master / Slave and / or at least recommend the burner as Master (Drive 0) which ever way you decide.
Now if after installation the drives are not recognized, then you may need to enter the BIOS screen. Using your instructions (Dell article, entering BIOS), navigate to Advanced, under IDE Configuration, make sure IDE Controller is set to Both, if you plan on having a device attached to Primary Slave, it will need to be set to Auto, the same applies to the Secondary Master and Slave, just follow your instructions and you should not have any problems.
Recheck you connections, re-seat if necessary. You may want at this time to try different Jumper settings; Cable Select to Master / Slave, etc..
Some members have had to use Dell's article on "Clearing the NVRAM"
Also Microsoft's article on "Deleting the Upper & Lower Filters"
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4-0-11: Note on Dell`s systems that use SATA Interface.
Special note for Members with Dell`s systems that support and use the SATA Interface: So far it seems that if you order one of these systems with RAID set-up or simply a SATA Hard-drive, Dell installs the ATA/Interface optical drive(s) on the Secondary IDE channel and leaves the Primary IDE channel / port empty and it may also be defaulted to "off" in the BIOS.
We highly recommend you separate your optical drives, no use in letting the Primary channel set there empty, this also helps reduce the likelyhood of device conflicts on the same cable. You may have to purchase a IDE cable, please get one of the 40-pin 80-conductor cables and use the "End" connection. You may have to enter the BIOS and verify the Primary IDE is enabled, usually "Auto".
Also we are now seeing a few SATA DVD/RW drives on the market, again the easy of set-up, smaller size cable, only one device per channel / port, no Master / Slave / Cable Select settings to worry about makes this an idea option to consider.
A Note: Dell`s newer systems may only have one IDE channel on the motherboard, moving toward all SATA. If your system shipped with only one optical drive, in the BIOS, the PATA (Drive 1) is turned off, you may need to turn it on.
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from Andrew:
Jeff, this is the procedure I followed starting from the very beginning. I’m writing it in real basic, simple language. I have Windows XP-Home and the existing DVD-RW drive is HLDS GRA 4120B (Dell factory installed).
I made this "How To" real basic and simple. This is how I write up all my instructions for all the software and hardware I install on my computers and save for future reference for myself. This way the PC can’t intimidate me say 6 months from now when there might be a reason to reinstall software or hardware, I’ll have the procedures right at my fingertips.
Good luck & enjoy !
Andrew
Predator: I wanted to thank Andrew for this article on installing a SATA DVD/RW in his Dell 8400 series.
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Dell Specification Pages for Their systems:
You can find the User Guides for your system from the Dell Support site:
Hover your mouse over the Product Support Tab, scroll down to User Guides, select Dimensions | Systems, then follow the link for your model.
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