[Kathyf]

Can you run 2 slaves drives and 1 master? I have a computer I'm working on that has only a 40gb hd, want to add as storage drives another 40 gb and an 80gb.. is that possible? Also once I have a slave drive is it possible to move the 'Program File' folder to the storage drive or does it HAVE to be on the 'C' drive with Windows? And is a 1586 processor okay to run multiple drives?

THANKS in advance for you knowledge, time and willingness to help us lesser knowledgable folk

Kathy Fakes
Lebanon, TN

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Can you run 2 slaves drives and 1 master? I have a computer I'm working on that has only a 40gb hd, want to add as storage drives another 40 gb and an 80gb.. is that possible?

No. You cannot have a slave without a master, but a master does not have to have a slave. Depending on your motherboard, you can run 2 masters, 2 masters and 1 slave, or 2 masters and 2 slaves. It is important to remember that master and slave applies to a single drive cable and most motherboards more than a year old came with 2 IDE connectors on the motherboard, each supporting two drives.

So you need to check your motherboard manual and make sure it has two IDE connectors. The first drive on each cable will be masters and the second slaves. The C drive is the first (master) drive on the first (primary) IDE connector.

Note too the jumpers on the back of the drive MUST be properly configured - and there are specific rules to follow.

There are 3 settings: MA (master), SL (slave), and CS (cable select). CS means the system will determine which drive is master and which is slave based on the drive's position on the cable. If on the end, opposite the motherboard connection, it will be the master. If in the middle, it will be the slave. With cable select each drive MUST have the jumpers set to CS.

Alternatively, you can use the MA and SL settings instead of CS. The important thing to remember is you cannot mix CS and MA/SL on the same cable.

SATA drives do not use master/slave or CS settings.

Also once I have a slave drive is it possible to move the 'Program File' folder to the storage drive or does it HAVE to be on the 'C' drive with Windows? And is a 1586 processor okay to run multiple drives?

You can move it, but most of the program will not work because the registry will still be looking for all those file on C drive. It can be changed but it is usually not pain free. I usually recommending running the install (or repair option) - in most cases, the pointers to the new locations are set and all your special configurations and files are in tact.

Processor power has very little to do with the number of drives it can handle. You CPU will do fine.

Your power supply, on the other hand may not. I urge you to make sure you have enough power to support the power demands of that much hardware. Also, heat from all those devices will have to be removed from the case.

[Digerati]

Can you run 2 slaves drives and 1 master? I have a computer I'm working on that has only a 40gb hd, want to add as storage drives another 40 gb and an 80gb.. is that possible?

No. You cannot have a slave without a master, but a master does not have to have a slave. Depending on your motherboard, you can run 2 masters, 2 masters and 1 slave, or 2 masters and 2 slaves. It is important to remember that master and slave applies to a single drive cable and most motherboards more than a year old came with 2 IDE connectors on the motherboard, each supporting two drives.

So you need to check your motherboard manual and make sure it has two IDE connectors. The first drive on each cable will be masters and the second slaves. The C drive is the first (master) drive on the first (primary) IDE connector.

Note too the jumpers on the back of the drive MUST be properly configured - and there are specific rules to follow.

There are 3 settings: MA (master), SL (slave), and CS (cable select). CS means the system will determine which drive is master and which is slave based on the drive's position on the cable. If on the end, opposite the motherboard connection, it will be the master. If in the middle, it will be the slave. With cable select each drive MUST have the jumpers set to CS.

Alternatively, you can use the MA and SL settings instead of CS. The important thing to remember is you cannot mix CS and MA/SL on the same cable.

SATA drives do not use master/slave or CS settings.

Also once I have a slave drive is it possible to move the 'Program File' folder to the storage drive or does it HAVE to be on the 'C' drive with Windows? And is a 1586 processor okay to run multiple drives?

You can move it, but most of the program will not work because the registry will still be looking for all those file on C drive. It can be changed but it is usually not pain free. I usually recommending running the install (or repair option) - in most cases, the pointers to the new locations are set and all your special configurations and files are in tact.

Processor power has very little to do with the number of drives it can handle. You CPU will do fine.

Your power supply, on the other hand may not. I urge you to make sure you have enough power to support the power demands of that much hardware. Also, heat from all those devices will have to be removed from the case.

[Kathyf]

Thanks for all the info, VERY helpful.... I have a 600 power supply in this machine... will that be enough?

Now on the 2 masters, 1 slave.... One of the masters can be on a cable by itself and not have to have OS info on does it? It can be used as a storage drive? The 80gb and 40 gb I've wiped clean are on one cable strap... the 80 having been the master in another computer and the 40 being the slave.... I could leave those settings and have 2 clean drives, and yes I do have the slot for it on motherboard. Actually I have them installed but with the 40 unplugged at this point and the 80 showing as a slave.. If I put the jumper back to master on 80 and slave on the 40 both will work being cleaned?

Edited by Kathyf, 24 July 2008 - 07:13 AM.

[Digerati]

One of the masters can be on a cable by itself

Yes - any time there is only 1 drive, it must be connected to the master end of the cable, and the jumper must be set to master or CS.

and not have to have OS info on does it?

No. The OS can be on any drive, as long as the BIOS knows how to find it.

If I put the jumper back to master on 80 and slave on the 40 both will work being cleaned?

They should - as long as you have them positioned on the cable properly too.

We need to use the right terminology when talking hard drives. I suspect by "clean" you mean they are not full of files. But "clean" means something else:

Clean - to remove clutter by deleting temporary files with Disk Cleanup or 3 party tool
Wipe - to write random or a pattern of 1s and 0s to every sector of the disk many times to ensure any magnetic residual traces of previously saved data is irretrievable - this should be done before getting rid of old hard drives
Format - to prepare a drive for file storage (NOTE: this does not wipe or clean a previously formatted drive - it only marks all the space as free - previously saved data is still there and can be recovered, if not used much after formatting)

600W should be plenty, depending on how much RAM and how big your graphics card is. Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your power supply unit (PSU) requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom. I recommend you set Capacitor Aging to 30%, and if you participate in distributive computing projects (e.g. BOINC or Folding@Home), I recommend setting TDP to 100%. Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of your video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation).

[shard92]

I will add that with western digital they often had another setting called "single" and you needed to use that instead of master if it was the only drive and sometimes if it was the only HARD drive... ie it didn't care about cd's or zips...

[Digerati]

I will add that with western digital they often had another setting called "single" and you needed to use that instead of master if it was the only drive and sometimes if it was the only HARD drive... ie it didn't care about cd's or zips...

Yeah, they did that. I wish they didn't because with a single drive, CS or MA is fine - why add to the confusion? Oh well - it is somewhat moot as the move to all SATA marches on.

[shard92]

Yeah i know.... I'm not sure if their "newer" drives did that as well but their older ones did...

[Kathyf]

Okay what I did to the two drives from old computer was 'format'... should I really 'wipe' them or will the format be enough for them to be used as storage drives?

I appreciate the power supply info and will look at that before I complete my upgrade.... THANKS so much for all info ... does help for this project and anything I do in the future. that is IF I can remember it all.. :-)

[Digerati]

You only need to "wipe" a drive if you are giving it away. Since you are keeping the drive, a format is just fine.