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I have two hard drives on my primary IDE and two CD/DVD ROM drives on my secondary IDE. I would like to add another hard drive. Is this possible with this configuration?

Thanks.

-Jim

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Short answer for : a single PATA/IDE channel only supports two devices (master/slave or cable‑select). You can’t plug a third device on that same ribbon — you’ll need to free a connector or add another interface. and were right to flag the power and interface limits; below are practical, non‑repetitive steps and gotchas to make the change safely.

If you want another internal drive without removing anything, add an add‑on controller (PCI is the common choice). Many inexpensive PCI IDE/SATA cards add one or two extra channels but check whether the card provides an option‑ROM (required if you want to boot from drives on that card) and whether drivers are available for your OS. If the motherboard already has SATA ports, using a SATA drive is the simplest route.

Cabling and jumpers: with PATA the end‑connector is generally the master, the middle is slave (unless both drives are set to specific jumper positions). Cable‑select works only with a cable wired for CS. Use an 80‑conductor IDE cable for UDMA/fast modes — it reduces interference and avoids some device conflicts. After installing, always power down first, set jumpers correctly, connect power, then boot into BIOS to confirm detection and set boot priority.

Power checklist and quick procedure: check the PSU’s +12V/+5V ratings on the label and compare them with the drive’s spin‑up/current specs; avoid stacking Molex Y splitters on a weak supply. Backup important data before moving boot drives. Install the drive, verify BIOS detection, then partition/format from the OS. If unsure, a powered external USB/FireWire enclosure or a technician is the lowest‑risk way to expand storage.

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Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

No. Good Luck finding an IDE cable with more than 3 connectors on it. Also, you only have selections for Master and Slave.

You can add a PCI / ISA card with an IDE interface on it to add two more ports. You can also add a SCSI card, and add more drives that way. Or find larger physical drives, and condense them.

Be careful adding so many devices though... your power supply might not like it. Yes, you can physically add more Y connectors to the power leads, but that costs amps, and you need to avoid an internal brown-out.

Christian

Member Avatar for Bizily

Thanks, Christian.

Good point about adding too many devices. I do need to be concerned about power consumption. That leads me to another question. Assuming that I am not using any Y connectors, does having an available power connector imply that I can probably "afford" (in terms of power, not cash) to add another device?

-Jim

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

Not necessairly, but you should be alright.

You have to work with the rules of electricity here. Somewhere on your power supply, you should be able to see what the output power capabilities are... 12 V @ 5 amps, or 5 V @ 5 amps. Remember high school physics: Amps * Volts = Watts. Whatever rating your power supply is... that is the supply.

Add up your external devices... those are "draws". All hard drives. The mother board. USB devices.

Supply - Draws = spare.

If spare is a negative number, you are in trouble. If spare is within 10 percent or so of supply, I would say you are in trouble.

I would "guess" that if you have another free connector, that you could put something else in there. BUt if you want to do it right, then do the math.

Christian

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