HD IDE Cable - New XPS Gen 3
 

Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single 74GB
10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have some large
drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only ordered the
computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD only has a single
connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a standard two-connector
IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug

Are you talking about the IDE cable or the SATA cable. The 74GB drive is
not an IDE drive. It is a SATA drive and it requires a SATA cable. If you
order the retail version of the drive, it will come with a SATA cable.

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single
74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have
some large drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only
ordered the computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD only
has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a standard
two-connector IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug

I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration where I can't add an
IDE drive to the same cable as the SATA drive. Am I correct? That poses a
problem for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to allow me
to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data on from the computer the XPS
is replacing.

"WSZsr" wrote in message
om...
Are you talking about the IDE cable or the SATA cable. The 74GB drive is
not an IDE drive. It is a SATA drive and it requires a SATA cable. If
you order the retail version of the drive, it will come with a SATA cable.

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single
74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have
some large drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only
ordered the computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD
only has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a
standard two-connector IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug

If you only have one optical drive, the IDE drive can go on that. If it
only has one connector, then, yes, a cable with two connectors is all you
need.

tom
"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration where I can't add an
IDE drive to the same cable as the SATA drive. Am I correct? That poses a
problem for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to allow me
to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data on from the computer the XPS
is replacing.

"WSZsr" wrote in message
om...
Are you talking about the IDE cable or the SATA cable. The 74GB drive is
not an IDE drive. It is a SATA drive and it requires a SATA cable. If
you order the retail version of the drive, it will come with a SATA
cable.

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single
74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have
some large drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only
ordered the computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD
only has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a
standard two-connector IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug

plus you could also by an external usb2 HDD enclosure
"Tom Scales" wrote in message
...
If you only have one optical drive, the IDE drive can go on that. If it
only has one connector, then, yes, a cable with two connectors is all you
need.

tom
"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration where I can't add
an IDE drive to the same cable as the SATA drive. Am I correct? That
poses a problem for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to
allow me to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data on from the
computer the XPS is replacing.

"WSZsr" wrote in message
om...
Are you talking about the IDE cable or the SATA cable. The 74GB drive
is not an IDE drive. It is a SATA drive and it requires a SATA cable.
If you order the retail version of the drive, it will come with a SATA
cable.

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single
74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have
some large drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only
ordered the computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD
only has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a
standard two-connector IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug

I installed my spare IDE drive in a $27 USB2 external hard drive enclosure.
Works great!

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration where I can't add an
IDE drive to the same cable as the SATA drive. Am I correct? That poses a
problem for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to allow me
to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data on from the computer the XPS
is replacing.

"WSZsr" wrote in message
om...
Are you talking about the IDE cable or the SATA cable. The 74GB drive is
not an IDE drive. It is a SATA drive and it requires a SATA cable. If
you order the retail version of the drive, it will come with a SATA
cable.

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single
74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have
some large drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only
ordered the computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD
only has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a
standard two-connector IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug

There are adapters made by several manufacturers that
will convert between PATA and SATA. You could use
one of those to connect your PATA drive to the SATA
controller. If your PC's PCI Express bus is backward
compatible with PCI, another alternative is to get a PCI
card with an ATA controller on it. You can get those
from Promise, SIIG, HighPoint, etc.

*TimDaniels*


"Fixer" wrote:
plus you could also by an external usb2 HDD enclosure

"Tom Scales" wrote:
If you only have one optical drive, the IDE drive can go
on that. If it only has one connector, then, yes, a cable
with two connectors is all you need.

"Doug Miannay" wrote:
I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration
where I can't add an IDE drive to the same cable as
the SATA drive. Am I correct? That poses a problem
for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to
allow me to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data
on from the computer the XPS is replacing.

"WSZsr" wrote:
Are you talking about the IDE cable or the SATA cable.
The 74GB drive is not an IDE drive. It is a SATA drive
and it requires a SATA cable. If you order the retail
version of the drive, it will come with a SATA cable.

"Doug Miannay" wrote:
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6)
with a single 74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a
second drive since I already have some large drives here
that I planned to add. Problem is since I only ordered the
computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD
only has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick
up a standard two-connector IDE cable in order to add the
second drive?

On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 21:43:33 -0500, "Doug Miannay"
wrote:

I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration where I can't add an
IDE drive to the same cable as the SATA drive. Am I correct? That poses a
problem for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to allow me
to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data on from the computer the XPS
is replacing.

My Dimension XPS (Gen 2, almost a year old), was ordered and shipped
with a single SATA drive.

I added two "old" IDE drives (which, along with CD and DVD burners,
makes a total of 4 IDE devices). And since I have a drawer-full of
old IDE drives, I installed one of those removeable drive ports, so I
can swap them in and out.

And, as I recall, there is still a second SATA receptacle on the
mother board, so I could add a second SATA drive, giving 4 internal
HDs.

Doesn't your Gen 3 have two IDE channels?

--John W. Wells

NO, four SATA and one PATA.

"John W. Wells" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 21:43:33 -0500, "Doug Miannay"
wrote:

I guess that in my ignorance I ordered a configuration where I can't add
an
IDE drive to the same cable as the SATA drive. Am I correct? That poses
a
problem for me... I'm going to have to find some other solution to allow
me
to use the 160GB IDE drive I have all my data on from the computer the XPS
is replacing.

My Dimension XPS (Gen 2, almost a year old), was ordered and shipped
with a single SATA drive.

I added two "old" IDE drives (which, along with CD and DVD burners,
makes a total of 4 IDE devices). And since I have a drawer-full of
old IDE drives, I installed one of those removeable drive ports, so I
can swap them in and out.

And, as I recall, there is still a second SATA receptacle on the
mother board, so I could add a second SATA drive, giving 4 internal
HDs.

Doesn't your Gen 3 have two IDE channels?

--John W. Wells

Thanks everyone for the valuable comments. My choices are clear:

1. Get an SATA to PATA adapter PCI board, or
2. Pick up a new SATA HDD drive (which includes the cable).

I believe choice # 2 is the way to go since a new HDD will increase the
overall storage I have on our home network. The IDE drive I wanted to
install in the new XPS Gen3 can just stay in my older Dimension 8250 since
it's on the network anyway. I really just need a second larger drive in the
XPS so I can get all my data off the primary partition (74GB WD HDD).
Drives are pretty cheap so adding more storage space is the right way to go
here.

Again, thanks for all the responses.

Doug

"Doug Miannay" wrote in message
...
Quick question... I just purchased a new XPS Gen 3 (3.6) with a single
74GB 10,000 RPM HD. I did not get a second drive since I already have
some large drives here that I planned to add. Problem is since I only
ordered the computer with one drive, the primary IDE cable for the HD only
has a single connector. Is this typical? Can I just pick up a standard
two-connector IDE cable in order to add the second drive?

TIA for your suggestions!

Doug