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Intel Customer Support Common System Configuration Issues using Intel® Ultra ATA Storage Driver 35
Important Note for Removable / Mobile IDE Rack Users: If you have an Ultra ATA/66 or
Ultra ATA/100 IDE device that uses a removable/mobile IDE rack, verify that the short IDE
cable inside the tray is 40 pin, 80-conductor. If the IDE cable inside the try is 40 pin, 40-
conductor, it will limit the device to Ultra ATA/33. Please contact the mobile IDE rack
manufacturer for more information.
11.3 Troubleshooting
11.3.1 Symptom: Intel Ultra ATA Companion Incorrectly Recognizes IDE
Cable
The Intel® Ultra ATA Companion incorrectly recognizes the cable type as 40 conductor even
though an 80 conductor cable is installed resulting in slower performance of IDE/ATAPI drives.
Possible Causes
: There are several things that could cause this symptom to occur.
The first step is verify that your system meets ALL the Ultra ATA/66 or Ultra ATA/100
requirements that are listed in the section titled "Ultra ATA/66 and Ultra ATA/100."
If the motherboard BIOS is not capable of detecting the type of IDE/ATA cable installed, the 40
pin, 80-conductor cable will be reported as being 40-conductor. Not all motherboards BIOS's
are capable of detecting 40 pin, 80-conductor cables. Updating the motherboard BIOS can
correct this issue on some motherboards. Please contact your motherboard manufacturer for
more information.
If the motherboard chipset or IDE controller card is not capable of using Ultra ATA/66 or Ultra
ATA/100 transfer modes, the cable can be incorrectly reported. Please contact your
motherboard or IDE controller card manufacturer to determine if your hardware supports Ultra
ATA/66 or Ultra ATA/100 transfer modes.
If an Ultra DMA-2 (Ultra ATA/33) device is slaved to a high performance DMA-capable device
such as an Ultra ATA/66 hard drive, the cable type can be reported as being 40-conductor. The
reason that this occurs is because of performance issues with the Ultra DMA-2 device being
configured as a slave device.
Resolution: Try switching the master/slave devices to the opposite configuration of how they are
currently configured. Another option is to move the slave device so that it is not mated with an
Ultra ATA/66 master device.
If the all the system requirements for Ultra ATA/66 or Ultra ATA/100 has been verified and you
are still experiencing problems with the cable being incorrectly recognized, you might have a
defective 40 pin, 80-conductor IDE cable. If possible, try using another 40 pin, 80-conductor
IDE cable and see if the problem still occurs. You can also try contacting the cable
manufacturer to see if they have seen this issue before.
11.3.2 Symptom: Unable to Update BIOS to Correctly Detect Cable
Type
If you are unable to update the BIOS in your system, an Ultra DMA PCI adapter card might be a
possible workaround. Please contact your computer manufacturer or place of purchase to
determine if your system can accept an Ultra DMA PCI adapter card.