Okay I've searched the forums like a good little boy but haven't quite found the problem from which I suffer, so here goes: I have my computer set up with a 60gb Maxtor HDD as Primary Master, no slave (it replaces the old Maxtor 40gb HDD that just failed, has a clean Win XP install as of last night). My Lite On 52x CD ROM is Secondary Master, no slave. I have a 20gb Quantum HDD that I used in the past for backup purposes (MP3s, apps, etc.) Instead of going to the trouble of copying all the backup stuff from the Quantum to the Maxtor, I want to set up the computer so that the Maxtor is my Primary Master and the Quantum is the Primary Slave (on the same IDE channel and cable of course). Sounds easy, right? WRONG! For some reason, my system WILL NOT recognize the Quantum as a slave to the Maxtor! I have tried every jumper position imaginable to no avail. Neither XP nor the system BIOS will recognize the Quantum when it is on the same cable as the Maxtor. That goes for both IDE 0 and IDE 1 channels. Whenever I hook up the Quantum as the Secondary Master (replacing my CD ROM drive) the BIOS and XP both recognize my second hard drive and it works fine. I can copy data back and forth at will...XP assigns it drive letter D: and all seems well. I could simply run with this configuration but it is not feasible because of the way the case interior is laid out (cables won't reach the available spots to mount the HDD's). My software RAID tool won't recognize the Quantum to allow me to set up any sort of RAID config but that is a matter for another thread. Before you suggest "IDE channel/mobo/BIOS problem"...I recently replaced my motherboard and processor. I had this EXACT SAME problem with the last mobo/BIOS as well! Both BIOSes were AWARD BIOS, and both chipsets were VIA (not sure which version but I can get that info if needed). I've also had the problem with other HDD's besides the Quantum. All drives have been formatted NTFS. I've tried swapping out IDE cables. This has haunted me for over a year now, in fact. Anyone know if it is a Maxtor issue? Can only other Maxtors work in a master/slave combo? (I'll be checking their Web site for info as soon as I finish this post). I will also check VIA's Web site for any info as to whether this may be a chipset issue. I'm holding out hope that someone here has experienced this problem and can help... ANY help/guidance in this matter would be appreciated. Ray Thank you in advance for both your time and your consideration!

You typically don't want 2 HDs on the same IDE. It could be that your motherboard won't even allow it. I'd recommend either rig a way to use the Quantum on the secondary IDe or buy a new case.

try the slave drive on the ide lead your cdrom/dvd is on, but make sure it aint still set to boot up cd first in bios as in "when u install" make sure ide lead orientation is correct (Waiting for a smack in the eye lol) but yer i had a hdd like this for 6 months it didnt work but one day it did hmm i guess so

There is nothing wrong with having both hard drives on the same IDE lead. That is the standard configuration for setting up hard drives. "Neither XP nor the system BIOS will recognize the Quantum when it is on the same cable as the Maxtor." Your problem here is to get the BIOS to recognize this drive first. XP will not see it if it does not appear in BIOS. I suggest you play with your BIOS settings for this slave drive and see what happens. Make sure the jumpering is set to slave of course.