CD-R/RW doesn't exist...except when you kick it!

okay, I had some fantastic help here with spyware six months ago and I appeal to you once more for assistance.

I am ruuning a "cute" computer. How cute? go ahead and giggle.

Computer
Operating System Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 4
Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0000 (IE 6.0 - Windows XP)
Note: I don't use exploder if I can help it, but it is up to date.
Computer Name HOMONCULUS

Motherboard
CPU Type AMD Duron, 800 MHz (4 x 200)
Motherboard Name Gigabyte GA-7ZX(-1)
Motherboard Chipset VIA VT8363(A) Apollo KT133(A)
System Memory 128 MB (PC133 SDRAM)
BIOS Type AMI (02/07/01)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display
Video Adapter NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64/Model 64 Pro (32 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA RIVA TNT2 M64

Multimedia
Audio Adapter Ensoniq ES1371 (Gigabyte)

Storage
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive Maxtor 32049H2 (20 GB, 5400 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive Generic DVD-ROM SCSI CdRom Device

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 5122 MB (1428 MB free)
D: (NTFS) 14409 MB (1141 MB free)

Input
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse Microsoft PS/2 Mouse

Peripherals
Printer EPSON Stylus COLOR 580
This printer isn't actually part of my computer any more. Couldn't ever get it to work.

Problems & Suggestions
Problem Disk free space is only 8% on drive D:.
(Yeah, I know. I know...)

Now, my HD is full like a bad colon, and I lost the ability to use my CD-ROM drive ages ago. I had assumed that the hardware just coughed and died, because one day it just didn't work. I bought an LG CD-R/RW Drive GCE-8527B today so I could copy a whole buncha crap off my machine, defrag it, and chug along with my cute little 20 Gig HD a little longer.

Well, I installed the little beast today (and fought the vorpal dust bunnies inside my case.) and it still doesn't work!

I don't know why the CD-R/RW says it's a SCSI. my Old CD-ROM drive is an LG CRD-8521B which IS an IDE drive. I'm incredibly confused. if you need more information, just let me know. I'd love to get this stuff backed up onto CD and then defrag. poor little computer is congested.

 

I tried removing the Optical Drive Generic DVD-ROM SCSI CdRom Device, and then went to Add new hardware.

it detected as Optical Drive Generic DVD-ROM SCSI CdRom Device again.

I noticed that also in my hardware list I have something called D343PORT SCSI Controller. I am reasonably sure that I don't have any SCSI devices in my machine, so I don't know why i have this controller installed. But what do I know? I might.

But I hesitate in removing tha controller in case it is controlling something SCSI and vital. wah!

 

First connect this drive to it's own ide channel, usually ide #2 (or use #1, just separate it from the channel the HD is using). Check your bios settings to make sure it is listed as ide master on the correct channel, also did you set the pins to master?

 

I'm sorry, but I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about.

now as I recall when I physically installed the new CD-R all I did was loose the physical connections from the old one and re-place them in the new one. I don't know what you mean when you say IDE channel, but my guess is that you are talking about a physical port inside the computer.

If my guess is correct, then I'm afraid that I'm already at a loss, as there is only one cable going from the main board and it connects to both the HD and the CD-R. I'm going to guess that means that I need to buy another one of these cables that looks like a ribbon in order to give the CD-R its own seperate physical connection to the main board. How am I doing, so far?

If I am correct, could you please tell me what this cable is called? is it an IDE cable? the last thing I want to do is wander into a computer store twirling my hair and saying, "Um, the thingy that looks like a ribbon with other little doohickeys hanging off it, hee hee!" though I suppose I could take the thingy that looks like a ribbon with other little doohickeys hanging off it with me to the store and just say that I need another one of these...

"set the pins to master" must have something to do with the drive itself. Now here's what I'm wondering. my IDE cable (if that's actually what it's called) has two ports, one for the HD and one for the CD-R. I am thinking that in order for both to work on one cable one has to be in charge and the other not, so one drive is the master and the other the slave. I'm thinking that the HD gets set to master and the CD-R gets set to slave, but if I get a seperate IDE cable for the CD-R then that gets set to master all on its own. If all that is correct, then all I need to do is figure out how to set the pins... whatever that means. I'm sorry I'm going over this so laboriously but I feel much more secure trying something unfamiliar if I know as much of the reasoning behind what I'm doing as I possibly can.

And I don't know how to get into my BIOS settings to check this stuff. I know you do it on boot, but when I try to press DEL to enter setup it never works and just goes on to the boot. it could be anything in there. sincerely.

 

For the bios, check the mobo manual, usually del, could be f10 of f1. You are correct about the ide cable (ribbon like cable), it is used to connect the hd and cd-rom to the mobo. Pull out the CD-R/RW and on back next to where you plugged in the drive, should be a small box with 8 pin with a jumper (very small white or black piece of plastic that is connecting 2 pins), this is where you adjust the settings, somewhere near the box, usually on the top of the drive, a picture should show which pins, or possibly no pins the jumper should be attached to for the different modes. Verify that the jumper is in the slave position.

FYI, the drives usually ship with the jumper in the master position

 

okay.

I got another IDE cable and put it in IDE port 2 and attatched my CD-R to that.

my monitor refused to display.

I put it back the way it was, pulling IDE 2, and it booted. wtf?

I'm going to re-boot and attempt to check my BIOS settings. no wait...

rats. yes I am going to re-boot and check my BIOS settings.

 

okay, i got into my BIOS settings and it tells me that:

Primary master is my hard drive
primary slave has nothing.
secondary master has nothing.
secondary slave has nothing.
floppy drive A: registers okay.

now I'm wondering what to try next.

 

All right, now I'm having fun.

I took the machine apart and checked toggle-it was set to master. so I switched it to slave.

I started the computer, the BIOS reported Primary Slave as ATAPI CD-ROM.

it went on to windows, but before it was finished loading, it restarted.

I let it go, and it reported Primary Slave as ATAPI CD-ROM again, and it went to windows, and restarted again.

so I powered off and pulled the power connection to the CD-R so I could post this update.

 

right click my computer>properties>advanced>click that start up and recovery "settings" button .. in the "System Failure" box untick "Automatically Restart" ... click OK then OK ... shut off then install the CD-ROM

then tell us if it stills restarts

 

well, actually....

I got it to work, sort of.

I put the SCSI/RAID controller to sleep, and powered it back on, and it worked.

well, if you ignore the fact that my plans for backup is actually a make a pile of coasters project. I haven't succeeded in actually burning a disc yet, and it's making me crazy.