Installation Procedures - HD Jumper Pins and Ribbon Cable

Changing Drive Jumper Settings. Now is the time to change the jumper pin settings on both drives before they are inserted into the computer case. For our purposes, we will treat the new drive as the "slave" drive. This allows you to copy your operating system and other files over to the new drive using the included MaxBlast software.

Jumper Pins. This photo shows the back end of the drive with one jumper pin set in place and one unplaced jumper pin on top of the drive. Possible settings include: solitary master, slave, master with slave.
If jumper pins are not set correctly, your system could lockup at boot, or your system may not recognize one or more of the hard drives.

To change the jumper settings on your drives, you will need your hard drive manuals to figure out the correct jumper pin settings. Sometimes this information is displayed on the back of the drive. If you are unsure of the settings, visit your manufacturer's web site.
Remove your current C: drive from its computer case and change its jumper pin setting from "solitary master" to "master with slave". Change the jumper pin setting on your new (second) drive from its factory "master" setting to "slave".

Attach Drive Ribbon Cable. The next step is to attach the hard drive ribbon cable. The ribbon cable must be correctly attached to each drive and the motherboard with the same "pin 1" orientation as illustrated and described below.

Ready for Power. This photo shows the back of the drive with the jumper pins set in the slave configuration and the hard drive ribbon cable in place. The next step is to mount the drive in the drive bay and to plug in the power connector.
Notice the bright red line on the edge of the ribbon cable. This represents the first pin connector, pin 1, on the drive. The ribbon cable must connect to pin 1 on the motherboard and pin 1 on the master and slave drives in the same manner. Pin 1 is marked on the motherboard as well as on all hard drives.
If the cable is not connected correctly to each drive and the motherboard, your system will lockup at boot. This is usually evidenced by a hard disk light that continuously remains on with no evidence that the drive is being read. Sometimes you will also get a DOS message asking you to insert a boot disk.

Finish Installation - BIOS Settings and Partitioning >>

<< Back to Installing the Second Drive - Getting Started

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Adding a Second Hard Drive Review; Demonstrated with the Maxtor 13.6 GB DiamondMax Plus

Installation Procedures - HD Jumper Pins and Ribbon Cable

Adding a Second Hard Drive Review;
Demonstrated with the
Maxtor 13.6 GB DiamondMax Plus