IDE DVD Burner VS SATA DVD Burner

[mn072065]

ok here is my question. on my PC i have two DVD Burners. One is IDE and the other SATA. I wanted to know if I have my setup correctly. My IDE is set to slave. Is that ok? Or should it be master since the SATA has it's own port. Thanks all.

[Nelson37]

Neither. Standalone is the correct setting for ONE drive on ONE cable.

[KBeee]

Set it to master if it's the only drive on the IDE channel

[mn072065]

Yes it's the only drive in the IDE channel. The SATA is in another channel, so set it to Master, correct. Should I see a difference since I already have the IDE set to Slave?

[Nelson37]

You'll see the jumper on a different set of pins, but otherwise it either works or it doesn't. Optical drives will often work either way.

[Krispy Kritter]

The real question is whether or not they are functional. Is one or both of them not working?

For IDE, there are numerous ways that it could work (MASTER/SLAVE/CABLE SELECT), it all depends mostly on the MB/BIOS, whether it is alone on the cable, and which connector on the cable it is attached.

For SATA, it is a matter of setting the BIOS and connecting the data and power cables. There are no jumpers on the drive.

[mn072065]

Thanks, Yes they are both functional. I just thought since I know I have the IDE as slave and I added the SATA, I just wanted to know if I can switch my slave to master on the IDE side. But since it's working, I guess i can leave it like that. The only problem i have is that my IDE takes too long to open the tray, which I already addressed in another thread, I'm waiting for that replacement to come in anytime soon. Thanks for the help.

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Given that your IDE drive is the only device (hard disk or optical drive) on that particular IDE channel, it should be set to master. Even if it appears to be functioning properly as a slave, you should set it to master to avoid future trouble.

When you set it to master, I suggest you use cable select (CS) if and only if your other devices use it, too. In other words, make sure *all* your devices (on both channels) use cable select, or *none* do. Mixing and matching cable select with master and/or slave can often work, but, again, it helps to just use one or the other to avoid possible conflicts down the road.

Good luck!

[mn072065]

Great thanks. I will switch it to cable select (CS). Thanks guys.

[budz]

Great thanks. I will switch it to cable select (CS). Thanks guys.

IMHO I would not use the CABLE SELECT on a dvd burner. If you only have 1 IDE connection use the MASTER setting. Newer (PATA)dvd burners recommend using 80 wire ide cables or the drives will not work correctly. What brand of dvd burner are you receiving as a replacement? It would be helpful to know the brand.

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Great thanks. I will switch it to cable select (CS). Thanks guys.

IMHO I would not use the CABLE SELECT on a dvd burner. If you only have 1 IDE connection use the MASTER setting. Newer (PATA)dvd burners recommend using 80 wire ide cables or the drives will not work correctly. What brand of dvd burner are you receiving as a replacement? It would be helpful to know the brand.

Technically speaking, you're right that it is safer to use appropriate "master" or "slave" jumpers rather than "cable select," because all IDE cables support the former while only newer IDE cables support the latter.

Practically speaking, though, I think it's better to use "cable select." See, although only newer cables support it, by "newer" I mean 1995 and later. In other words, the odds of this guy (not all users, mind you) using an IDE cable which does not support "cable select" is next to nothing. Meanwhile, setting everything to "cable select" basically means you never, ever have to worry about jumpers. This can be a very helpful convenience. I can't think of a major PC manufacturer (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.) which does not use "cable select" all the time, without exception.

But, like I said, you're right that it's slightly safer to use "slave"/"master" instead of "cable select." I just think the real-world convenience of "cable select" outweighs that concern.

Oh, and one last thing: 40-pin cables can support "cable select" as long as they have the proper conductor. But, seriously, who uses 40-pin cables anymore?

[fritzi93]

Hmm, I feel Budz is technically correct, but nevertheless, I use CS for all my drives. :P Never had a problem, and I don't have to check the jumpers when I swap things around/out, as noted above. I have enough trouble remembering stuff as it is. YMMV.

[mn072065]

Again thank you all again. This weekend I will open case and switch to Master. Both arguments are good, but since i have the other as SATA, then the IDE should be Master. FYI the burners in question is for SATA Lite-ON LH-20A1L and the new burner i'm waiting for which is IDE is the Lite-ON DH-20A3H-08.

[budz]

Again thank you all again. This weekend I will open case and switch to Master. Both arguments are good, but since i have the other as SATA, then the IDE should be Master. FYI the burners in question is for SATA Lite-ON LH-20A1L and the new burner i'm waiting for which is IDE is the Lite-ON DH-20A3H-08.

For the LITEON ide dvd burner you'll need to use a 80 wire ide cable.