# Using Optical Drive on PCI IDE...



## zakainfirestorm (Nov 30, 2008)

Howdy there! Just seeking some advice.

My motherboard has one IDE port, paired with 6 SATA ports.

I've chosen to use Windows XP with this build, which requires a boot floppy to install the SATA drivers.

Thusly, I need a floppy boot disk, as well as an optical drive to boot from. Yes, I have tried slipstreaming. It just wants the darn disk.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a PCI IDE controller I can use to boot from my optical drive? I've heard of people having issues with doing this, so I'd rather do it right the first time.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks so much!


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## chowder_pants (Dec 3, 2008)

you can try using NLite to load the IDE drivers.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Install-Windows-XP-On-SATA-Without-a-Floppy-F6-47807.shtml


Have you tried going into BIOS and making the computer boot from the CD? It worked for me with no issues...and no floppy


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## chowder_pants (Dec 3, 2008)

well, it may have worked for me because I had a XP disk with service pack 3 included. I'll let the guru's here clear it up


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## zakainfirestorm (Nov 30, 2008)

chowder_pants said:


> you can try using NLite to load the IDE drivers.
> 
> http://news.softpedia.com/news/Install-Windows-XP-On-SATA-Without-a-Floppy-F6-47807.shtml
> 
> ...


I have tried slipstreaming, but the actual drivers for the SATA are not available on any internet source I've found, and it seems pretty insistent on using a boot disk. I slipstreamed around twelve copies of windows with NLite, trying to get it to work, to no avail.

The problem arises from only having one IDE port on my mobo. This means I can have one CD drive, or one floppy drive attached (as you can't daisy-chain the two, to the best of my knowledge - they use different ribbon connectors).

I've heard of people having problems using a PCI IDE card with optical drives, which is what I need to do in order to get this to function correctly. _Ideal setup to get this going is an optical drive on a PCI IDE card, floppy on the onboard IDE._

Will this work, or will the optical drive get mad at me?

Thanks again for your responses.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Slipstream SP3 on the XP install disk using nlite SP3 will have the drivers you need.
The Sata/Raid drivers can also be found on the motherboard driver disk or the motherboard manufacturers D/L page for your MB.
Floppy drives do not run off the IDE controller.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

floppy drives run off their own ribbone connector on the motherboard 

the IDE port connector on the motherboard can accomodate TWO IDE devices


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

linderman said:


> floppy drives run off their own ribbone connector on the motherboard
> 
> the IDE port connector on the motherboard can accomodate TWO IDE devices




check this out


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

what they said....AFAIK, Zip drives were the only non-optical media to ever use the IDE channel....Thankfully, nobody knows what those were to care.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

magnethead said:


> what they said....AFAIK, Zip drives were the only non-optical media to ever use the IDE channel....Thankfully, nobody knows what those were to care.


We just got them at work last year, they all act like it's some kind of new invention, of course there is only 1 Winterm in the office with the USB ports open to use it on. It must do along with the new upgrade to Server 2003 that my Boss asked how I knew it was an older OS:grin:


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

wrench97 said:


> We just got them at work last year, they all act like it's some kind of new invention, of course there is only 1 Winterm in the office with the USB ports open to use it on. It must do along with the new upgrade to Server 2003 that my Boss asked how I knew it was an older OS:grin:


Why would you get those when you can get flash drives for cheaper with higher capacities??? Stupid companies...Zip drives came out in '94!


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Shh most of them think they're special devices that only hook up to the Special port on the special Winterm. We used mainframe terminals for so long, most of the old timers have trouble with windows buttons and function keys, I usually have the same lady ask twice a month if I can get her buttons back on the top of the screen in Excel or Word (Full Screen Mode) F11.

If a printer goes down and they have to use the printer dialog to pick another, there are over 2500 printers across the country luckily ours is only about 150 down the list, just start at the top and select a different printer until the paper comes out of the one you wanted


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

wrench97 said:


> Shh most of them think they're special devices that only hook up to the Special port on the special Winterm. We used mainframe terminals for so long, most of the old timers have trouble with windows buttons and function keys, I usually have the same lady ask twice a month if I can get her buttons back on the top of the screen in Excel or Word (Full Screen Mode) F11.
> 
> If a printer goes down and they have to use the printer dialog to pick another, there are over 2500 printers across the country luckily ours is only about 150 down the list, just start at the top and select a different printer until the paper comes out of the one you wanted


Sounds like a place i'd wanna work


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