BIOS HDD detection question
glee
Primary has WD 5.1 gb HDD + CD-ROM drive slave.
Award bios ViaMVP-3 AMD K6-2 OSR2.0 using VIA Busmaster drivers.
WD says to use auto-detection in the bios, to detect the drive.
My current drive (the 5.1gb) is set to Type User and LBA mode.
The Standard Setup screen allows you to set the Secondary Master line to Auto, without the User setting changing on the Primary line.
Will saving the changes and exiting cause BOTH drives to be auto-detected, or will it only auto the new drive and leave the other alone?
I am trying to avoid changes to the current drive's settings, should Auto misread it.
There is a BIOS menu option called IDE HDD Auto Detection, that apparently will auto-detect all the drives, but the info I have is to use the Standard CMOS Setup screen (the first item in the BIOS menu).
Can anyone tell me whether this is the correct procedure, to avoid disrupting the already-installed drive? I have already been on an interesting journey trying to find the correct WD jumper settings for this config, and I hope I got the right ones now.
...glee
Tony
glee wrote:
>
> Installing a second hard drive (WD 10.2 gb) on secondary IDE channel,
alone.
> Primary has WD 5.1 gb HDD + CD-ROM drive slave.
> Award bios ViaMVP-3 AMD K6-2 OSR2.0 using VIA Busmaster drivers.
>
> WD says to use auto-detection in the bios, to detect the drive.
> My current drive (the 5.1gb) is set to Type User and LBA mode.
> The Standard Setup screen allows you to set the Secondary Master line to
> to, without the User setting changing on the Primary line.
> Will saving the changes and exiting cause BOTH drives to be auto-
> or will it only auto the new drive and leave the other alone?
>
> I am trying to avoid changes to the current drive's settings, should
> isread it.
>
> There is a BIOS menu option called IDE HDD Auto Detection, that
> will auto-detect all the drives, but the info I have is to use the
> CMOS Setup screen (the first item in the BIOS menu).=20=20
>
> Can anyone tell me whether this is the correct procedure, to avoid
> ng the already-installed drive? I have already been on an interesting
> ney trying to find the correct WD jumper settings for this config, and I
> pe I got the right ones now.
>
> ...glee
>
affect anything on your existing hard drive as long as you don't change
the information that CMOS has for it. So if you are using it in LBA mode
when the option comes up in auto detection to select which mode just chose
LBA. Then when it detects your new hard drive once again chose LBA. Then
when done save and exit. CMOS will update itself so as to recognise your
new hard drive and your existing hard drive will be unaffected. You can
use auto detect anytime you like whether you have data on your drives or
not it doesn't harm them. Using Stansard CMOS setup is no good for telling
BIOS info about drives that is why Auto detect is there!
--
Posted via CNET Help.com
http://www.help.com/
glee
Tony wrote in message ...
Cheers...
...glee
Zvi Netiv
> Tony wrote in message ...
> >glee wrote:
> >> Installing a second hard drive (WD 10.2 gb) on secondary IDE channel, alone.
> >> Primary has WD 5.1 gb HDD + CD-ROM drive slave.
> >> Award bios ViaMVP-3 AMD K6-2 OSR2.0 using VIA Busmaster drivers.
> >> WD says to use auto-detection in the bios, to detect the drive.
> >> My current drive (the 5.1gb) is set to Type User and LBA mode.
> >> The Standard Setup screen allows you to set the Secondary Master line to Au
> >> to, without the User setting changing on the Primary line.
> >> Will saving the changes and exiting cause BOTH drives to be auto-detected, =
> >> or will it only auto the new drive and leave the other alone?
> >> I am trying to avoid changes to the current drive's settings, should Auto m=
> >> isread it.
'Auto' is fine in standard cases, i.e. when the drive functions
properly with the partition data in its MBR. Yet there are instances
when 'auto' is the last thing to use, like when the partition data is
messed. As data recovery specialists, we see this daily at NetZ.
What happens is that the bios auto-detect is then fooled by the wrong
data in the MBR, and sets incorrect parameters in the CMOS.
> >> There is a BIOS menu option called IDE HDD Auto Detection, that apparently =
> >> will auto-detect all the drives, but the info I have is to use the Standard=
> >> CMOS Setup screen (the first item in the BIOS menu).=20=20
Try 'auto' and if it finds the drives alright then let it work that
way.
> >> Can anyone tell me whether this is the correct procedure, to avoid disrupti=
> >> ng the already-installed drive? I have already been on an interesting jour=
> >> ney trying to find the correct WD jumper settings for this config, and I ho=
> >> pe I got the right ones now.
Both auto-detection and manual drive setting in the CMOS are correct,
as long as the drives are found, and function properly.
> >Just use Auto detect as you would when installing any drive. It won't
> >affect anything on your existing hard drive as long as you don't change
> >the information that CMOS has for it. So if you are using it in LBA mode
> >when the option comes up in auto detection to select which mode just chose
> >LBA. Then when it detects your new hard drive once again chose LBA. Then
> >when done save and exit. CMOS will update itself so as to recognise your
> >new hard drive and your existing hard drive will be unaffected. You can
> >use auto detect anytime you like whether you have data on your drives or
> >not it doesn't harm them.
Correct, till here.
> >Using Stansard CMOS setup is no good for telling
> >BIOS info about drives that is why Auto detect is there!
If I had a dollar for every hard drive that had its content lost
because of that advice then I would be rich. Using standard CMOS
setup is the only way to tell the BIOS the correct drive parameters
and prevent auto-detection 'pulling'. That's why both auto and user
modes exist! ;)
> Thanks for the reply.....I have not had a computer that did *not* have the main drive set to Auto, before this one. Sooo, I was unsure if there was a risk of upsetting the reported geometry by having it Auto detected during the proces of detecting the second drive. Obviously, I am looking to prevent unnecessary problems for myself. :-)
Don't trouble troubles, till troubles trouble you! :)
Cheers, Zvi
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glee
Zvi Netiv wrote in message <008235195F4683A5.ADD502CD...@lp.airnews.net>...
>"glee" <gle...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>> Tony wrote in message ...
>
>> >glee wrote:
>
>> >> Installing a second hard drive (WD 10.2 gb) on secondary IDE channel, alone.
>> >> Primary has WD 5.1 gb HDD + CD-ROM drive slave.
>> >> Award bios ViaMVP-3 AMD K6-2 OSR2.0 using VIA Busmaster drivers.
>
>> >> WD says to use auto-detection in the bios, to detect the drive.
>> >> My current drive (the 5.1gb) is set to Type User and LBA mode.
>> >> The Standard Setup screen allows you to set the Secondary Master line to Au
>> >> to, without the User setting changing on the Primary line.
>> >> Will saving the changes and exiting cause BOTH drives to be auto-detected, =
>> >> or will it only auto the new drive and leave the other alone?
>'Auto' is fine in standard cases, i.e. when the drive functions
>properly with the partition data in its MBR. Yet there are instances
>when 'auto' is the last thing to use, like when the partition data is
>messed. As data recovery specialists, we see this daily at NetZ.
>What happens is that the bios auto-detect is then fooled by the wrong
>data in the MBR, and sets incorrect parameters in the CMOS.
>
>> >> There is a BIOS menu option called IDE HDD Auto Detection, that apparently =
>> >> will auto-detect all the drives, but the info I have is to use the Standard=
>> >> CMOS Setup screen (the first item in the BIOS menu).=20=20
>
>Try 'auto' and if it finds the drives alright then let it work that
>way.
**OK, here is where I get a little confused....do you mean to use the 'auto' setting for the new drive, in the Standard Setup Screen, while leaving the original drive set to 'user'? Or set both drives to 'auto'? Or use the IDE HDD Auto Detection menu, which is a different screen entirely?
>
>Both auto-detection and manual drive setting in the CMOS are correct,
>as long as the drives are found, and function properly.
>
>> >Just use Auto detect as you would when installing any drive. It won't
>> >affect anything on your existing hard drive as long as you don't change
>> >the information that CMOS has for it. So if you are using it in LBA mode
>> >when the option comes up in auto detection to select which mode just chose
>> >LBA. Then when it detects your new hard drive once again chose LBA. Then
>> >when done save and exit. CMOS will update itself so as to recognise your
>> >new hard drive and your existing hard drive will be unaffected. You can
>> >use auto detect anytime you like whether you have data on your drives or
>> >not it doesn't harm them.
>
>Correct, till here.
>
>> >Using Stansard CMOS setup is no good for telling
>> >BIOS info about drives that is why Auto detect is there!
>
>If I had a dollar for every hard drive that had its content lost
>because of that advice then I would be rich. Using standard CMOS
>setup is the only way to tell the BIOS the correct drive parameters
>and prevent auto-detection 'pulling'. That's why both auto and user
>modes exist! ;)
**Yes, I see that....so then, are you saying that AutoDetection is the first step, and if the parameters that result in the Standard Setup screen afterwards are correct, fine....and if not, that 'User' should be used? There are parameters from W-D for user setting, from the website. I am assuming that I would enter them and then set it to LBA, which would then change the numbers I entered, as it translated them, no?
Apparently all their drives over 8 gig, I believe, use the same parameters, LBA tranlates it using other functions. My W-D 5.1 gig has user parameters for heads cylinders sectors, but when set to LBA the heads and cylinders numbers are much smaller in the Standard Setup screen.
I hope I have adequately demonstrated my ignorance on the subject, and certainly appreciate your very explanatory reply!
>
>Don't trouble troubles, till troubles trouble you! :)
>Cheers, Zvi
**Ah, I will try that approach! ;-)
...glee
Zvi Netiv
[...]
> >> >> There is a BIOS menu option called IDE HDD Auto Detection, that apparently =
> >> >> will auto-detect all the drives, but the info I have is to use the Standard=
> >> >> CMOS Setup screen (the first item in the BIOS menu).=20=20
> >Try 'auto' and if it finds the drives alright then let it work that
> >way.
> **OK, here is where I get a little confused....do you mean to use the 'auto' setting for the new drive, in the Standard Setup Screen, while leaving the original drive set to 'user'? Or set both drives to 'auto'? Or use the IDE HDD Auto Detection menu, which is a different screen entirely?
If successful, then it will end with exaxctly the same results. BTW,
the auto-detection "screen" in the setup and the 'auto' setting of the
standard setup "screen" invoke exactly the same routine of the BIOS.
The only difference is in that the former is user guided, the latter
is automatic.
> >Both auto-detection and manual drive setting in the CMOS are correct,
> >as long as the drives are found, and function properly.
> >> >Just use Auto detect as you would when installing any drive. It won't
> >> >affect anything on your existing hard drive as long as you don't change
> >> >the information that CMOS has for it. So if you are using it in LBA mode
> >> >when the option comes up in auto detection to select which mode just chose
> >> >LBA. Then when it detects your new hard drive once again chose LBA. Then
> >> >when done save and exit. CMOS will update itself so as to recognise your
> >> >new hard drive and your existing hard drive will be unaffected. You can
> >> >use auto detect anytime you like whether you have data on your drives or
> >> >not it doesn't harm them.
> >Correct, till here.
> >> >Using Stansard CMOS setup is no good for telling
> >> >BIOS info about drives that is why Auto detect is there!
> >If I had a dollar for every hard drive that had its content lost
> >because of that advice then I would be rich. Using standard CMOS
> >setup is the only way to tell the BIOS the correct drive parameters
> >and prevent auto-detection 'pulling'. That's why both auto and user
> >modes exist! ;)
> **Yes, I see that....so then, are you saying that AutoDetection is the first step, and if the parameters that result in the Standard Setup screen afterwards are correct, fine....and if not, that 'User' should be used?
Roughly. What I am saying is this: Use either procedure. If all
ends well then be happy. And if not, then be aware of the possibility
that drive auto-detection may be wrong, with dire consequences.
That's all.
> There are parameters from W-D for user setting, from the website. I am assuming that I would enter them and then set it to LBA, which would then change the numbers I entered, as it translated them, no?
Correct. That's the exact way to set drive parameters in your setup,
and the only one when there is a risk of auto-detection pulling.
> Apparently all their drives over 8 gig, I believe, use the same parameters, LBA tranlates it using other functions. My W-D 5.1 gig has user parameters for heads cylinders sectors, but when set to LBA the heads and cylinders numbers are much smaller in the Standard Setup screen.
That's because BIOS standards do not provide for larger than cylinder
1023, head 254 and sector 63. Yet you'll notice that the reported
size of the drive, with the translated parameters, is correct.
> I hope I have adequately demonstrated my ignorance on the subject, and certainly appreciate your very explanatory reply!
> >Don't trouble troubles, till troubles trouble you! :)
> **Ah, I will try that approach! ;-)
Cheers, Zvi