Primary IDE not reading

Hi ,
i recently had some freezing and restart problems as my memory timings did not match i used a setting of CL 2,3,3,5,8
@2.70V ...it used to run fine till i got some freezes and restarts ...at the moment it now runs normally with the above timings V @ 2.70 ..turbo mode and OC set to (2.8 @2.850 max) or disabled in bios ...no freezes...basically have tried most possible options..i now dont OC t private because i use the stock heatsink and no cooling whatsoever... i tried a Bios flash through windows...the startup and other utilities show the bios version etc ok as AMI V2.5 ...the bios flash seemed ok and everything else seems to be working fine ..but now my IDE MASTER doesnt work correctly i have 2 DVD RW drives and two hard drives ....when i connect any two of the drives on the SECONDARY IDE in any combination the system boots ok but when i try to connect all four (two dvd/cd's and two HD ) ..the startup feezes after recognizing the secondary and in fact even one CD drive on the primary ..but then the boot sequence freezes..it doesnt show the second drive..and the D-BRACKET LED's freeze at "initializing floppy drive controller" EVERYTIME and the system will not boot...i have tried a reflash..same story...i cannot get the PRIMARY IDE to work.... the boot sequence freezes after detecting any drives on the secondary and one drive on the primary..but if i use all four drives the system wont boot

1. would you say it was the PSU ? i've checked the rails currently reading @
+3.3 min= 3.31 max 3.38 mean 3.35
+5 min= 5.05 max=5.11 mean 5.09
+12 min=11.98 max 12.16 mean 12.08
-12 min=-13.19 max -13.02 mean -13.07

POWERSAFE L&C technology PSU LC-B500E(500W) i'm thinking of getting the 550W one if its available

2. does anyone know if there is any good MSI support available in Mumbai ? i'm not happy with the dealer through whom i bought the board MSI-865PE-NEO2 FSI2R ...its under warranty stilll ,but i have RMA'D it once already ,had to wait for 2 months i think ,almost

3.i'm thinking to switch to AMD ( a little late i know) with a nice dual core and an asus board ...which dealer would give be the best warranty support in Mumbai ? as far as replacements ...and how quick should i expect them to be....Hi ,
i recently had some freezing and restart problems while using turbo and ultra turbo modes ,as my memory timngs were different i used a setting of CL 2,3,3,5,8
V 2.70 ...it used to run fine till i got some freezes and restarts ...at the moment it now runs normally with the above timings V @ 2.70 ..turbo mode and OC set to private or dusabled in bios ...no freezes...basically have tried these is my rig at the moment....
MSI 865PE NEO2-FIS2R(bios v 2.5)
P4 2.8C
1 x 512MB PC3200 DDR Nanya techology CL 3 ,4,4,8
1 X 512MB PC3200 DDE Kingston KVR CL 3,3,3,8
MSI FX5600 256 mb TD
2 X 80 Gb Seagate barracuda @7200 rpm
Windows XP pro SP2
500W power supply L&C technology(taiwan) +3.3v/28A +5V/50A +12V/18A

thanks for any help in advance

anyone ? :no: :rolleyes2

Simple to analyze if you understand how the drivers and hardware work.
If BIOS sees the drives OK, then the basic system board IDE controller, cable and basic interface electronics of the CD-Rom drives are working OK.

If you boot with a Windows Startup diskette (DOS) and it sees the drives and assigns drive letters to them, same as above the basic hardware is working. BUT, if you put a known good CD in to the drives and DOS can not read them, then the drive READ optics and electronics are blown or at least not working for some reason. This is often caused by either dust blocking the read optics, or the electronics overheating.

Keep in mind, that lasers have to be kept in optically closed boxes (don't want to damage anyones eyes) and that traps heat. If the system is left on for long periods of time, and do not have good air flow through AND over and around the CD-Rom drive(s), then they can overheat and fail.

When you "add" a second CD-Rom drive you have to be careful to make sure the cables do not block air flow around them and that there is still good air flow into the machine around them.

On systems with smaller power supplies, having two CD-Rom drives can overload the power supply and as it ages, cause drives to fail. This can usually be checked by unplugging one of the drives (CD-RW) and seeing if the other one starts to work.



Bye

Hi Dilip thanks for your reply ,but no the problem is that the bios itself wont recognise any drives on the prmary IDE ,and yes i did try to connect only one drive at a time ..no luck ...nothing on the primary gets recognised...and the PSU is not that old its a powersafe and the PSU rails were supposedly adequate considering this is one of the better supplies available compared to the cheap ones ...its a 500W one (voltage rails in signature) ...aside from the ANTEC or PC COOLING i didnt think this would be inadequate ..so any suggestions ? also its not a CD drive problem like i said anything in any configuration is ok on the Second IDE ....re airflow..the side of the case is always open in my case...all the airflow i need :biggrin: ..no cooling problems...all heat,voltages being actively monitored...

I am experiencing the same problem, but mine has been happening ever since i connected both my dvd drives along with both my hard drives. Mine, i think i can figure out from your previous post, might be my power supply.
However i have had this problem before i connected the extra dvd drive. What i suggest is to reset your bios.
If you don't know how, plug out your computer and every thing in it then open it up. Plug the power cables going into your motherboard out as well as all your ide cables. Then located near your bios/System clock are three pins with a jump in it. Take it out and put it in so that the middle pin and the other pin connect. Leave it for about 30 seconds and put it back to where it was and make sure you do it before plugging everything in again.
After plugging it in and you switch on your computer it'll go on, then off for a second then on again. It's re-reading the drives you have.
this should be able to work. If You're not sure about the resetting your bios, get a manual of your motherboard (If you don't have one you can find one online)
There is another thing though. If that doesn't work, your cable might be faulty