Power and signal cables for internal drives
Your computer uses cables to connect integrated drive electronics (IDE) drives
to the power supply and to the system board. The following cables are
provided:
v Four-wire power cables connect most drives to the power supply. At the end
of these cables are plastic connectors that attach to different drives; these
connectors vary in size. Also, certain power cables attach to the system
board.
v Flat signal cables, also called ribbon cables, connect IDE and diskette drives to
the system board. There are two sizes of ribbon signal cables that come with
your computer:
– The wider signal cable has two or three connectors.
- If the cable has three connectors, one of these connectors is attached to
the drive, one is a spare, and the third attaches to the primary or
secondary IDE connector on the system board.
- If the cable has two connectors, one of these connectors is attached to
the hard disk drive, and the other attaches to the primary or secondary
IDE connector on the system board.
Notes:
1. If you want to add another device, and your computer does not
come with a CD-ROM preinstalled, you will need a second signal
cable with three connectors. You will need an 80-conductor ATA 66
signal cable if you are replacing the existing signal cable or adding
a second hard disk. ATA 66 signal cables are color-coded. The blue
connector attaches to the system board; the black connector attaches
to the master device, and the gray middle connector attaches to the
slave device.
If your computer comes with a CD-ROM drive, it will have an ATA
66 signal cable. However, if you installing a hard disk drive, you
must change the switch setting on the CD-ROM drive to secondary
and change the connector used for the CD-ROM drive to the gray
middle connector.
2. If you are installing a slimline CD-ROM drive in the small form
factor desktop model, the IDE cable requires a special connector to
attach to the slimline CD-ROM drive. This connector can be
attached only to an optional slimline CD-ROM drive.
– The narrower signal cable has two connectors for attaching the diskette
drive to the diskette-drive connector on the system board.
Note: To locate connectors on the system board, see “Identifying parts on the
system board” on page 48.
The following are some important points to remember when connecting power
and signal cables to internal drives:
Chapter 5. Installing options 61
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