couple of Dimension XPS Gen4 question

First of all I can't believe that it only has 1 IDE port! I have a DVD
drive, a burner and an older IDE HD I need to hook up! Oh well...

First Question: I have a secondary SATA drive that I want to hook up to the
system that also has XP installed on it (I just need to get some files off
this one)... I am assuming that the system will still look to the primary
SATA drive for the OS on boot... right?

Second Question: I want to eventually make this other SATA drive the primary
drive and I'm assuming that all I need to do is hook it up in the primary
slot, boot with the recovery cd, then format and reinstall everything onto
this drive... right?

Third Question: The system has 2 -512 DDR2 matched pair memory modules and
I have another set of 512 DDR2 matched pair Corsairs at the same speed... Do
both sets have to match each other for dual channel to work or is it simply
enough that each set is a matched pair?

Fourth Question: Is it true that Dell systems use a proprietary power
supply (or at least the connections are supposed to be proprietary)? I have
an Antec True 550 laying around my home and I thought I might try it in the
XPS (though I haven't checked to see what the XPS is using yet).

"Matt" wrote in message
...
First of all I can't believe that it only has 1 IDE port! I have a DVD
drive, a burner and an older IDE HD I need to hook up! Oh well...

Cheat. Either get a combo DVD/CDRW or an IDE controller card.




First Question: I have a secondary SATA drive that I want to hook up to
the system that also has XP installed on it (I just need to get some files
off this one)... I am assuming that the system will still look to the
primary SATA drive for the OS on boot... right?

Yep.



Second Question: I want to eventually make this other SATA drive the
primary drive and I'm assuming that all I need to do is hook it up in the
primary slot, boot with the recovery cd, then format and reinstall
everything onto this drive... right?


Yep. Be careful to avoid wiping the wrong drive. Not likely, but it does
happen.



Third Question: The system has 2 -512 DDR2 matched pair memory modules
and I have another set of 512 DDR2 matched pair Corsairs at the same
speed... Do both sets have to match each other for dual channel to work or
is it simply enough that each set is a matched pair?

2 matched pairs. You should be set. The pairs could even be different
capacities ( ie. 2x256 and 2x512)- though yours happen to be an exact match.


Fourth Question: Is it true that Dell systems use a proprietary power
supply (or at least the connections are supposed to be proprietary)? I
have an Antec True 550 laying around my home and I thought I might try it
in the XPS (though I haven't checked to see what the XPS is using yet).


That system should have (what will be) the new standard 24-pin BTX power
supply, so the connectors will be (the new) standard. However, you'll note
the unusual configuration of the PS on the XPS (resides at the bottom of the
tower). Matching a retail version to those measurements will likely be
impossible. So go in thinking you'd have to buy it from Dell.



Stew

"S.Lewis" wrote in message
...

"Matt" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the help!!

On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 16:19:53 -0500, "Matt"
wrote:

First of all I can't believe that it only has 1 IDE port! I have a DVD
drive, a burner and an older IDE HD I need to hook up! Oh well...

First Question: I have a secondary SATA drive that I want to hook up to the
system that also has XP installed on it (I just need to get some files off
this one)... I am assuming that the system will still look to the primary
SATA drive for the OS on boot... right?

Second Question: I want to eventually make this other SATA drive the primary
drive and I'm assuming that all I need to do is hook it up in the primary
slot, boot with the recovery cd, then format and reinstall everything onto
this drive... right?

Third Question: The system has 2 -512 DDR2 matched pair memory modules and
I have another set of 512 DDR2 matched pair Corsairs at the same speed... Do
both sets have to match each other for dual channel to work or is it simply
enough that each set is a matched pair?

Fourth Question: Is it true that Dell systems use a proprietary power
supply (or at least the connections are supposed to be proprietary)? I have
an Antec True 550 laying around my home and I thought I might try it in the
XPS (though I haven't checked to see what the XPS is using yet).


Hello Matt:

I cross-examined the sales rep at DELL, and finally got him to
acknowledge that there is an IDE port on the XPS Gen 4's motherboard.
I read carefully about the INTEL 925XE chipset at the INTEL website,
www.intel.com/design/chipsets/925xe/index.htm . Unfortunately, only
one IDE port, and it is consumed by the two optical drives in my PC.

I also have an IDE HDD that I want to retrieve files from, and a
separate Hitachi-Lucky Goldstar DVDrom and a Phillips DVD+/- burner.
My plan is to purchase an IDE controller PCI adapter card to make a
permananent installation of a MAXTOR 27GB HDD, but perhaps will swap
out the DVDrom drive for the IDE HDD temporarily to get those
important files. DELL offers a SIIG adapter card for a PCI to IDE disc
controller with DELL p/n A0004774 for a SIIG p/n SC-PE4B12 with, I
think, a reasonable price. I am going via DELL because I was issued a
discount coupon worth $90.00 that I must spend.

I am not an expert, however, I believe your assumptions in questions 1
and 2 are correct.

While speaking to one of DELL's Tech Support reps, I was told that the
platform in the XPS Gen 4 is known as a BetaTA layout, as oppose to an
ATA. The power supply looks to be rather slender, but I do not know
if that is the standard for a BTA layout.

Good luck, and congrats !

Regards,
de ~ Vince ~
Long Island, NY