Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Other Components > Power Problem

Power Problem

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - Power Problem

Tom's Hardware: Over 1.4 million members in 6 different countries available to answer all your high-tech questions. Sign up now! Its free!

Ask the community Add a reply

Bottom Search this thread

I have a PC with an AMD Sempron Processor.

I tried installing Windows Vista Home Premium today as an upgrade to XP Pro. When I discovered Vista did not work, I booted from my XP CD in hopes of installing a fresh copy. When i reach the screen where the installer allows you to create/delete/modify hard drive partitions, I was unable to create a partition on my hard drive and unable to install windows/format the drive to NTFS.

I tried re-booting my PC a few times in hopes of it working, but no luck have I had.
I have a 200GB IDE drive spare, and I want to put inside the computer to see if it solves my problem..

HERES THE PROBLEM

After I had connected the drive to my PC, I realised my DVD drive had no power, meaning I cannot boot from the XP disc, but my hard disk does. I took the disc drive out, and the DVD drive started working.

I've tried all the connectors inside my computer to try and get them both running together, but have had no such luck.

Does anyone have ANY suggestions at all? I'm truely stumped and currently am without a computer, forcing me to use a laptop (I hate laptop computers).

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

~ Bee

Add a reply

Can you tell us exactly what IDE devices are connected, to what cable (if more than one) connector and if they are configured as master, slave or cable select.

Reply to GhislainG

I have 2 IDE devices connected, the HDD I'm attempting to use is IDE, and my DVD drive is IDE, My computer only has 1 IDE connector on the MOBO, so I'm using a 1 cable to connect them both.

Do I have to configure them some how?

Reply to ozfordfreak

Is the hard disk configured as Master and the DVD as Slave or are they both configured as Cable Select?

Reply to GhislainG

the DVD drive is configured as the master and the HDD as the slave. I don't know how to change them round. :S

Reply to ozfordfreak

If you don't know how to change them, then how do you know that one is master and the other one is slave? The only way to tell for sure is to check the jumpers in the back of the drives to see if it's set to Master, Slave or CS. Since the DVD drive doesn't work when the hard disk is connected, then something is wrong with your setup.

Is your IDE cable 80-pin? It's easy to tell as one connector should be colored (usually blue to match the color of the IDE connector on the motherboard).

Reply to GhislainG

the lead that connects them to the MOBO is labelled, the top connection is 'Master' and the second connection is 'Slave'.

And yes, its colored (yellow) at the end where I have it connected to the mobo.

Reply to ozfordfreak

If the hard disk and the DVD both are configured as Master or Slave, then you'll have problems. Master and Slave connectors on the cable work only when both devices are configured for Cable Select (CS). You have no choice but to make sure that both devices are configured for Cable Select or set the hard disk to Master and the DVD to Slave and ignore the labels on the IDE cable.

Reply to GhislainG

Ask the community Add a reply

Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Other Components > Power Problem

Go to:

Help |
Forum rules

There are 685 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Page generated in 0.349 seconds

Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel

Focus On

Power Problem

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - Power Problem

Please mind