Member Avatar for GiddyupGilbert

I have an ASUS A7V8X-X mb with 2 HDS, both partioned X2; 1.5 gig RAM; a 2 gig AMD processor.

This is kind of a long storyi. I began getting Boot Disk Failures here awhile back. They would begin once in awhile and grew to nothing, but Failure. I had an old Zip drive in the case, never using it. When I would reboot sometimes the HD indicator on the case would stay lit, and sometimes the Zip light would stay on constant. I finally took the Zip out of the mix and reconfigured. That got rid of the Boot Disk Failure and everything seems to be running harddrive-wise just fine. All of a sudden the Secondary Primary and Slave, DVD player and DVD burner are not recognized by the system. CMOS says Auto, but when Windows boots there's nothing there. At the DOS splash screen my Primary Master and Slave show up just fine, but the Secondary Master & Slave don't show up even though CMOS indicates Auto for both. I've unplugged the cabling & power then replugge and rebooted. Also, the HD LED indicator on the case stays lit constantly. I feel there's something in CMOS, but can't see a path. Any input will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Giddyup

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A concise troubleshooting summary and practical checklist tied to the thread: when optical drives on an older parallel-ATA (IDE) system vanish while HDDs remain visible, the usual culprits are jumper/cable conflicts, a bad IDE ribbon or power connector, or BIOS confusion after hardware changes. As suggested, clearing CMOS is a sensible early step when Auto detection fails; that often forces the BIOS to re-enumerate devices from a clean state. ’s follow‑up indicates the situation resolved, and the steps below are the common, reliable fixes that lead to that outcome.

Step‑by‑step checklist (do these in order):

  1. Power down and unplug the PC, ground yourself.
  2. Reseat or replace the IDE ribbon (use a known good 80‑conductor cable if available) and reseat Molex power plugs to each optical drive.
  3. Verify jumpers: set one drive as Master and the other as Slave, or use Cable Select only if the cable supports it—don’t leave two drives set to the same role.
  4. Test drives one at a time on the primary channel to isolate a bad drive or bad channel.
  5. Clear CMOS: either use the motherboard CLR_CMOS jumper per the manual or remove the CR2032 battery for several minutes, then replace and enter BIOS to set time/defaults.

Extra tips and cautions:

  • Disconnect the front‑panel drive‑activity LED header to rule out a short that keeps the LED lit.
  • Inspect IDE headers for bent pins and check Molex plugs for burned or loose contacts.
  • If hardware checks out but detection is flaky, try each drive in another system or with a USB‑to‑IDE adapter. A vendor BIOS update can fix controller bugs—only flash with the exact file and procedure for the board.
  • Keep current backups before swapping hardware or flashing firmware; power off and unplug before touching connectors.

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Member Avatar for ramjo

can you try ro reset the CMOS and then try to manuall check whether the DVD burner are recognised

Member Avatar for GiddyupGilbert

can you try ro reset the CMOS

I've not reset before and I'm not sure of the procedure.
Giddyup

Member Avatar for GiddyupGilbert

It was a forest and trees situation, but the problem is solved.
Thanks,
Giddyup

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