# Installed a 2nd harddrive, and now the CD-ROM drives don't work.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installed-a-2nd-harddrive-and-now-the-cd-rom-drives-dont-work/258558>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 6, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installed-a-2nd-harddrive-and-now-the-cd-rom-drives-dont-work/258558 "2004-08-06T02:25:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installed-a-2nd-harddrive-and-now-the-cd-rom-drives-dont-work/258558/1 "2004-08-06T02:25:46Z")

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Or rather, they _work_ (they’ll eject and go back in, and if you put a cd in it spins around), but as far as my computer is concerned, they don’t exist. CMOS doesn’t see them, and the OS thinks their drive letters are free. I checked the IDE cable, and and it’d gotten partially detached from the motherboard, but I pushed it back on and I’m still getting nothing. I’ve taken the drives out, put them back in, futzed with jumper settings - nada. What else should I try, any suggestions?

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**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installed-a-2nd-harddrive-and-now-the-cd-rom-drives-dont-work/258558/2 "2004-08-06T02:26:58Z")

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Could a mod edit the thread title for me, so it’s not so long? Just take out the “and” or something. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installed-a-2nd-harddrive-and-now-the-cd-rom-drives-dont-work/258558/3 "2004-08-06T04:55:26Z")

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1: Double check BIOS setting to make sure both IDE channels are active and that the 2nd channel is not disabled.

2: Re-check your jumpering - Do no use “cable select” as a jumpering option. Assign both the hard drives and CD to specific master slave relationships and check each drive to make sure it’s jumpering is specific to the assignment.

4: Try using another cable on the hard drives.

5: Make sure the CD ROM cale header is plugged in the right way on the MB (cable red stripe to Pin 1 side) and that all IDE cable headers are firmly connected and property oriented in their sockets.