[sclug] Problem with CD drives after rebuild

[Neil Haughton]

Okay, thanks to both Tom and Alex.

Bizarrely, having disconnected the two drives in turn and discovered that
they work independantly, I've just reconnected them both - and they now work
correctly. I have no useful explanation for this, because it's not as if I
didn't try disconnecting and reconnecting them before I posted my first plea
for help, but maybe I have a dodgy connection in the cable. I don't know. If
I have further trouble with the CD drives the cable will be my first port of
call.

Tom, as a precaution I'll take you up on that offer of a cable if you don't
mind, and I'll collect when I next pass your door (maybe later today if the
missus gets her way on the afternoon's activities, failing which probably
sometime next week).

It's been an instructive if frustrating exercise, and thank you both for the
useful advice. I've learned a few things, including not to be such a numpty.
:-)

One last thought - could this have been nothing to do with the cable, and
simply have been caused by dislodged dust on the drive 'lasers'?

Neil.


2009/4/12 Alex Butcher <lug at assursys.co.uk>

> On Sun, 12 Apr 2009, Neil Haughton wrote:
>
>  2. I have disconnected each of the drives in turn. At boot the BIOS
>> correctly recognises them as master or slave (respectively), and whichever
>> one is connected will automount a CD (and /dev/hdc, which is the DVD
>> drive,
>> will also automount a DVD). It seems therefore that the problem arises
>> when
>> they are both connected. Perhaps my only recourse now is to replace the
>> cable when I can scrounge one to try out. If that solves the problem I
>> know
>> what I have to do. If not.....
>>
>
> 1. Always check the physical layer first.
>
> 2. It's usually the cable. (as a friend from BBLUG puts it).
>
> I try to keep spare cables on hand for such eventualities. If the cable's
> duff, all sorts of odd behaviour becomes possible.
>
> As for the cabling itself, check you've used the cable the right way, and
> that it's no longer than 18" (maybe as little as 9" if you're using both
> channels and have a crappy PATA controller, like the CMD640 was).
>
> PATA devices should be cabled as follows
>
>
> #======================#=========#
> |                      |         |
> Motherboard            Slave     Master
>
> Note that the longest segment of the cable should be between the
> motherboard
> and the Slave device. If no Slave is present, only the two end connectors
> should be used. Many systems will no doubt be tolerant of incorrect
> cabling,
> but the above description is as per the ATA spec.
>
>  Regards,
>> Neil.
>>
>
> Best Regards,
> Alex.
>