Understanding IDE/ATAPI Connections
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is the built-in system a PC computer uses to connect drives to the computer. You may have also heard it called ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment)—they mean the same thing.
There are usually two places on the motherboard for the IDE cables to connect. These are the primary and secondary IDE channel connections. The hard drive usually uses the primary connection. The IDE channel connections are usually located next to each other either end-to-end or one above the other. They are also generally labeled on the motherboard as “pri IDE” and “sec IDE” or something similar. If you are unsure of where the IDE channels for your computer are located, refer to your computer’s documentation or local computer retailer.
These channels can support a maximum of two drives each. If there are two drives connected to the IDE interface cable, one drive must be configured as a master and the other as a slave. If only one drive is attached to the cable, it is configured as a master.
IDE (ATA) was originally designed for hard disks only, not removable devices such as ZipCD™ drives, CD-ROMs, and tape drives. ATAPI, which stands for Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface, is designed to bridge this gap and support removable drives. ATAPI devices use your IDE channel to communicate with your computer.
The jumper is the small plastic piece that surrounds the two pins and can be removed and placed in different locations as needed. There are different jumper configurations that can be used with ATAPI devices such as your ZipCD drive. There are also jumpers located on the back of your CD-ROM and hard drive. If you need to change the settings on your CD-ROM, refer to the table on the CD-ROM or in its documentation. This diagram shows the possibilities for the ZipCD internal drive.
Use this setting if you’re connecting the ZipCD internal drive on the same cable as your CD-ROM or hard drive.
Use this setting if you’re connecting the ZipCD internal drive as the only device on the secondary IDE channel or when installing to an IDE add-on card. Use the jumper provided when configuring the drive to the “Master” setting.
Use this jumper setting if your computer features “Cable Select.” On a Cable Select system, the master/slave configuration is automatically determined by the system and all devices will be set on cable select. To determine if your computer uses cable select, look at the jumper setting of any device on the same IDE channel as your ZipCD drive or contact the computer manufacturer. Use the jumper provided when configuring the drive to the “Cable Select” setting.
Your computer may be configured in one of the following ways. If you need to change the jumper settings for your CD-ROM, check its documentation to see how to configure it as master or slave as needed.
