IDE HD does not mount the first time

[liu]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

My system has 4 IDE HDs, 1 IDE CD-RW and 1 DVD-RW. 2 HDs and DVD/CDs
use the internal IDE connections and 2 other HD use IDE from a Ultra
133 PCI card. It's been working fine but lately my biggest and the
newest Western Digital HD connected to PCI card would not mount the
first time when I turn on the computer. If I reboot, it would mount
fine.

What is the problem?

Thanks for the help,

cpliu

 

[cjt]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

liu wrote:
> My system has 4 IDE HDs, 1 IDE CD-RW and 1 DVD-RW. 2 HDs and DVD/CDs
> use the internal IDE connections and 2 other HD use IDE from a Ultra
> 133 PCI card. It's been working fine but lately my biggest and the
> newest Western Digital HD connected to PCI card would not mount the
> first time when I turn on the computer. If I reboot, it would mount
> fine.
>
> What is the problem?
>
> Thanks for the help,
>
> cpliu
>
It's not spinning up in time (or the OS isn't waiting long enough).

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[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

liu <spamfreeliu@yahoo.com> wrote

> My system has 4 IDE HDs, 1 IDE CD-RW and 1 DVD-RW. 2 HDs and
> DVD/CDs use the internal IDE connections and 2 other HD use IDE
> from a Ultra 133 PCI card. It's been working fine but lately my biggest and
> the newest Western Digital HD connected to PCI card would not mount the
> first time when I turn on the computer. If I reboot, it would mount fine.

> What is the problem?

One possibility is that the power supply doesnt have enough
12V power to spin up all the drives fast enough. The reboot
gives the drives longer to spin up and so succeeds. The quick
check for that would be to unplug one of the drives that isnt
on the same ribbon cable as the WD and see if the WD
comes up reliably first time with that config.

The other main possibility is that the pair on the ribbon cable
the WD HD is on dont like being on the same ribbon cable
and it takes longer for them to agree on master/slave etc.
The test for that possibility is to unplug the drive thats on
the same ribbon cable as the WD and see if the WD is
seen reliably on the first boot with that config.