Today, the most widely used interface for connecting storage devices, abbreviated as SATA. This is a parallel interface and therefore each device is connected to the motherboard with a separate data cable. But there are still a lot of devices with a serial IDE / ATA interface in use. Several such drives can be connected with one data transmission cable ("loop"). If the optical disc reader is connected to the motherboard with such a cable, then an additional hard drive can also be connected to it.
Instructions
Step 1
Shut down the operating system and turn off the computer. Then disconnect the power cable and remove the side panel from the system unit. If the hard drive that you want to connect with an optical drive cable is already installed in the computer case, then it may be enough to remove only one (left) panel. Otherwise, you definitely need to have access to the compartments inside the case from both sides.
Step 2
Make sure the IDE cable coming from the optical drive has a free connector for connecting another device. If this ribbon has only one such connector at each end, then you will have to buy another one with three connectors.
Step 3
Set the jumpers on the optical disc reader and hard drive cases to the Slave and Master positions. It is desirable (but not required) that a hard disk be used as the primary (Master) device. Which jumper position corresponds to the Master / Slave settings must be indicated on the housings of both devices.
Step 4
If the hard drive is already installed in the system unit, then make sure that the placement of the third (middle) connector on the ribbon cable allows you to connect it to the corresponding connector on the hard drive case. The IDE cable has a limited length, so in order to be able to connect the drives to the motherboard with a single ribbon cable, you will have to choose the most convenient compartments and move the hard drive and optical drive into them. Having done this, insert the ribbon cable connectors into the corresponding slots on the device cases and on the motherboard.
Step 5
Connect the network cable, turn on the computer and go to BIOS settings. If at the same time during testing of connected devices you receive a message stating that Master and Slave are incorrectly designated, change the polling order in the BIOS settings. If the hard drive is being polled first, then if there is such a message, make the optical drive first, or vice versa. Then make sure that the hard drive and optical disc reader are correctly detected in the BIOS, and reinstall the side panels of the system unit.
