IDE cable backwards?

Originally posted by Porphyria
No.. the blue end is for the motherboard..

Correct me if I'm wrong :-P
Click to expand...

No, you are right. The connectors are slightly different i think. But theoretically you could, if the connectors were the same.
 
I don't understand why you would anyways.. also.. the side that goes into the motherboard has a box in it not with a whole that should match the input on the motherboard.
 
I thought they worked both ways.

Everyone I have messed with work with no problems going either direction.
 
How could it possibly go both ways? The input on the motherboard is different pattern than the input on the hard drives ( The name escapes me.. so input it is :) ).

Unless you're bending pins...
 
I didn't work but um...ya you guys are crazy because the connectors are physically the same. The reason I wanted to was because I only have a HD and a CD/RW. The plan was to connect the "short end to the mobo and the hd and then run the long part of the cable up to the cd. The HD works fine backwards but as soon as I hook of the CD it doesn't work and I tried all the jumper combos.
 
are we talking about the flat IDE ribbion used for your HDs and opticals or floppy?

The floppy I can see, but I have never bent any pins or altered anything to make the cables fit.

Maybe I am just lucky that all 3 of my comps (2 compaq and a custom) work with them going either way.
 
Originally posted by CyberSlave
are we talking about the flat IDE ribbion used for your HDs and opticals or floppy?

The floppy I can see, but I have never bent any pins or altered anything to make the cables fit.

Maybe I am just lucky that all 3 of my comps (2 compaq and a custom) work with them going either way.
Click to expand...

Its because they are the same, I dont know what the others are talking about. Any ideas about how to get it to work would be great.
 
some ide cables have a pin hole that is blocked.

so, in theory, unless you drill it out, or it is removable, those particular cables will not work backwards.

Especially ultra 66/100 cables.

the older ata 33 cables without blocked pin holes can work backwards, if you connected all the connections on that cable backwards. (it would simply be a 1 to 1 connection, no problem)
 
I suppose I'm unlucky ^_^.

My IDE cable going for my HD (Round cables)

looks like
-------------------- |
-------------------- |
-- -----------------|

roughly...

and my mobo one looks like:

-------- ---------|
-------------------|
-------------------|
 
Look and learn...



IDE.jpg
 
Yes I see that, and I believe you, but I'm saying that my cables aren't like that.

You should really think of getting round cables, also :)
 
They may be wired differently at teh blue end.
My machines will tell me on boot-up that I am running a non 80pin IDE cable. How does it know? does it read the resistance in the cable?
 
Originally posted by Porphyria
Yes I see that, and I believe you, but I'm saying that my cables aren't like that.

You should really think of getting round cables, also :)
Click to expand...

round cables are ugly and bulky. stay with normal ones and just learn to fold..
 
There's one wire in there (for CS) that's probably the reason you can't get both drives working hooked up backwards. I don't recall how that wire connects, but I know it DOESN'T run to all 3 connectors.
 
80 pin (ATA 66 and 100) cables are wired slightly differently. They have a wire cut not too far up from the motherboard connector. This line tells the system that the drive on the end of the cable is slave, and the middle one is master. (Or the end is master, middle is slave, I can't remember) You can then set your drives to CS (Cable select)

You can't install 80-pin cables backwards.

old 40-pin cables can be installed any which way. You might have a covered pin, but that's usually just a little plastic plug, which you can pry out with a small knife/screwdriver.
 
Originally posted by kronchev
round cables are ugly and bulky.
Click to expand...

Not to mention can lead to corruption by putting wires tigether on a unterminated bus never intended for anything but ribbon cables :)

And yes, you can use IDE cables backwords, assuming you can get them to fit because many have blocked holes, and the keyway.
 
I've even come across some computers so poorly put together that the middle (slave end) was in the motherboard, and the master was on one end the the CDROM on the other end :rolleyes:

Go figuire, it came from some random "PC shop" that sold "computers". Thankfully there are things like Dell, or even Gateway, that put things together the right way, though thats not saying I'd ever buy one.
 
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