CMH1.

If the computer has a factory installed SATA HD, then you will need to buy a 80 wire IDE ribbon cable, if you are installing a IDE/ATA second HD.

 http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems/dim8300/sm/drives.htm#1103012

D8300 Motherboard connector details.

http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems/dim8300/sm/techov.htm

Bev.

OK, I downloaded the connector diagrams and that's a big help.

New questions: 

Since this second drive will be a slave, do I connect it to the middle connector on the IDE cable, as shown in the "Interface Connections for Dell Installed Drives" table (even though it's not a Dell-Installed Drive)?

The "Adding a Second Hard Drive" instruction 12 talks about cable-select drive cables and says "Be sure that the jumper setting on the new device is set for 'cable select'".  I understand setting the jumper for master or slave, but should the IDE drive have a cable select jumper setting?  BTW it's about 10 years old.

Thanks

CMH1.

If this the only IDE HD on the ribbon cable, then connect it to the end connector[Master]
The following post by TomXPS may be a help .

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_harddrive&message.id=55547

A hint, always try to distinguish between SATA and PATA hard drives.

Bev.

Bev,

It's a 120GB SATA drive in the Dimension 8300.

My concern in that the IDE drive be connected to the correct connector, since it's the only device on the IDE channel.  The instructins say to connect it to the middle connector, but I think that's assuming two IDE drives on the same channel.  In the case we've been talking about there will be and IDE on its channel and a SATA on its channel.   I'm assuming that there won't be a problem having a SATA master and IDE slave connected to the same motherboard.

Thanks

CMH1.

Will this be a slave HD to another IDE HD?   If so, then it's installed on the middle ribbon connector and Dell uses the "Cable Select" jumper position for their IDE/ATA devices, this means that the cable location of the device determines if it's the "Master or "Slave".   

 http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document_print.asp?DN=FA1036724

Was the system shipped with a IDE [PATA] HD or a SATA HD installed?

Bev.

Bev,

Thanks.  I did connect the IDE drive to the end of the cable and set the jumper to slave, but after boot up, Windows didn't see the drive.  Then, I set the jumper to cs, booted up again with the same result. 

In the questions TomXPS generated, some users talked about changing the BIOS and CMOS.  This would be something new for me and I see nothing in the user manual "Adding Another Hard Drive" section.

Thanks

Bev,

Perhaps part of the problem is the IDE cable I'm using.  I used the existing ribbon cable the drive was connected to in my 1996 Gateway.  Now that I've read some of the info in the PC Guide, it may not support cable select, which the Dimension 8300 user guide says the computer uses.

I'm thinking I need to buy something like this http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=22&pcount=&Product_Id=15088.

Correct?  If so, will XP then recognize the second HD?  Will there still be an adjustment required to the BIOS or CMOS or will XP do that automatically?

Thanks,

Mike

Rick,

Thanks.  I plan to pick up a cable this afternoon and I think I'll get one for a single device, since the IDE drive is all that will be connected to it.

If this cable solution works, the IDE drive jumper set to cable select and connected to the primary IDE connector on the motherboard, will XP recognize the SATA drive as the master and the IDE drive as the slave? 

Thanks,

Mike

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@CMH1 wrote:

Bev,

Perhaps part of the problem is the IDE cable I'm using.  I used the existing ribbon cable the drive was connected to in my 1996 Gateway.  Now that I've read some of the info in the PC Guide, it may not support cable select, which the Dimension 8300 user guide says the computer uses.

I'm thinking I need to buy something like this http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=22&pcount=&Product_Id=15088.

Correct?  If so, will XP then recognize the second HD?  Will there still be an adjustment required to the BIOS or CMOS or will XP do that automatically?

 

Thanks,

Mike

That's your issue.  Your 1996 Gateway most likely has a 40 wire, 40 pin cable, not an 80 wire, 40 pin like you need now.  Go to any computer store and buy a cable, the one you listed is rather high priced.

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@CMH1 wrote:

Rick,

Thanks.  I plan to pick up a cable this afternoon and I think I'll get one for a single device, since the IDE drive is all that will be connected to it.

If this cable solution works, the IDE drive jumper set to cable select and connected to the primary IDE connector on the motherboard, will XP recognize the SATA drive as the master and the IDE drive as the slave? 

Thanks,

Mike

Mike:

You've been given the correct information in the link that Bev provided.

You won't find a single device cable...