ECS RC415ST IDE Not working correctly

[AsceTic!]

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I need help here to fix the IDE connectivity issue on ECS RC415ST motherboard. There is a HP Pavilion T3705 Desktop at my office. Suddenly the system stopped working. It boots but does not shows up windows screen. There is a CD ROM and a 40GB hard drive connected. I had fixed some sata connector on it to setup a different disk for backup purpose. When the system stopped working I had checked the connection was proper. The issue shows with the hard drive. THe IDE drive contains Windows and it is not detected in the bios. I had changed the cable and then checked the same thing. I even tried to borrow another IDE drive and fix the same in this old system, but still it is not working. I am not sure but my friend says that the IDE socket might be dead completely. I am looking for some help to fix this thing. I tried to check and clean up stuff but still no help. I think a bios update can fix up this thing. So where can I get the bios for it and how to update it. Second thing if everything failed I need help to find a low end motherboard similar to ECS RC415ST to use my existing stuff and make this machine work. I do not want to spend a higher amount. Any basic board that can detect the drive will do. Is there any other way by which I can connect the hard drive to the system and use it for temporary basis atleast for couple of months. Thanks.

[Skullnit]

It looks that HP discontinued update for this desktop. Go on HP support site and find the driver updates. There you can see a list where you can insert the model number of desktop and find appropriate drivers. What I found is only LightScribe System Software update. There is no bios provided here. So there is no bios provided here. Try to clean the IDE socket and check back. Ensure that the hard drive gets enough power. Sometime due to improper power supply the drive is not detected and you can do nothing much on that. If the socket is completely gone you can use the sata connectors here to check one more time. RC415ST is a very old board and 2 sata connectors. You can try connecting the IDE drive on that. You will need to find a good adapter for your IDE drive. Search on Google or in your nearby show a IDE to Sata connector. You can use this with the drive and on your system and if the drive is not damaged yet, it will show up. You can also install Windows in the same. And i you are planing to have a backup before doing all this stuff, get a LiveCD. You can download Ubuntu LiveCD for free and boot your system with it. Once the system is on you can copy paste content of the attached drive and later on go with a fresh installation. I found a link where you can find the layout and short description on this motherboard.
RC415ST-HM (Alhena5) motherboard Specs

[raghini]

I do not know where you searched but I found the bios update. I found this link on a forum and posting the same here. Form this link you can download RC415ST-HM Motherboard BIOS update. You can give a try. But before going for a bios update I would recommend you to do one more thing. Because if bios update fails the system will be dead forever. Try to remove the CD rom connection and fit the IDE drive on that. The CDROM also features IDE connector. Fit the drive and check in your bios. If detected then the socket is dead and this can be repaired only by chip level engineer. Bios update sometime works but that can be risk.

[Quasim]

I would recommend you to go with a IDE to Sata converter. That will be much better solution. The converter is cheap and found on web easily. There are two sata ports on your board and you can fix the IDE drive on it. You can install Windows or keep the drive as data storage. The motherboard might support that. A bios update surely can fix this. But you must perform that in proper way. Because any failure in update can cause a dead system which you cannot fix up easily.