IDE Enhanced vs. Compatible Mode

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Don Phillipson - 06 Feb 2006 01:13 GMT

Advice please for quick and dirty solution. How
relevant is the BIOS setting for IDE drives to
Enhanced or Compatible mode ?

I am reinstalling 2 HDD and 2 CD drives for
improved spatial layout and easier cabling --
thus have read carefully the manual for the
ASUS P4P800 SE motherboard, and made
yet more unwannted discoveries about the moron
who assembled this custom PC in 2004, e.g.
that ASUS was supplied with "smart" IDE data cables
which he did not use . . .

IDE Configuration may be set in the BIOS as either
Enhanced -- for Win2000 and XP
Compatible -- for Win98 and NT.

My unit was set to Enhanced mode (which is default,
unchanged since I last had to reset the BIOS --
only a couple of minor points e.g. disable LAN which
I have not got.) When I set IDE to Compatible one of
my two CDs vanished from Device Manager. Earlier when
IDE was set to default Enhanced mode both CDs were
configured OK.

Is this an undocumented feature of using standard
instead of UltraDMA 100/66 IDE connectors? Does
it matter otherwise if IDE is configured for Enhanced,
contrary to what the manual recommends?

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Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

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Noel Paton - 06 Feb 2006 07:54 GMT

I suggest that you refer to page 4-15 of the motherboard manual - where it
states that you have to choose the type of Compatibility Mode you want to
use.
In your case (assuming all devices are attached to the IDE channels), you
should choose 'P-ATA Mode Only'
This setting would appear to be present to allow Win9x OS's to be able to
use the SATA drive capability of the board, and I suspect that it simply
sets the SATA ports to IDE-emulation mode.
If you have not SATA devices attached, I'd leave it set at Enhanced Mode,
even in Win9x - just be aware that you will not be able to use teh SATA
ports, as this board does not support more than 4 devices for Win9x
IDE+SATA, without removing 2 of the IDE devices, and changing to
Compatibility mode

HTH

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Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

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> Advice please for quick and dirty solution. How
> relevant is the BIOS setting for IDE drives to
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> it matter otherwise if IDE is configured for Enhanced,
> contrary to what the manual recommends?

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Don Phillipson - 10 Feb 2006 15:47 GMT

> Advice please for quick and dirty solution. How
> relevant is the BIOS setting for IDE drives to
> Enhanced or Compatible mode ?

Problem solved by Noel Paton -- thank you !

> I am reinstalling 2 HDD and 2 CD drives . . .
> ASUS P4P800 SE motherboard, and made
> yet more unwannted discoveries about the moron
> who assembled this custom PC in 2004, e.g.
> that ASUS was supplied with "smart" IDE data cables
> which he did not use . . .

And the major problem (booting only in Safe Mode
with no CD drives) was solved simply by swapping
power connectors. The one formerly used (which
prompted me to buy a new CD RO drive) was faulty
(intermittent) -- the moron assembler's final touch, no doubt.
(He also used a fancy circular on/off button fastened
firmly to the front panel, with his logo on it, and I
would also replace that if I could . . . )

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Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

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Noel Paton - 10 Feb 2006 20:12 GMT

>> Advice please for quick and dirty solution. How
>> relevant is the BIOS setting for IDE drives to
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> firmly to the front panel, with his logo on it, and I
> would also replace that if I could . . . )

Glad it worked for you!
Thanks for coming back to let us know - hopefully it will also help others
at a later date.
WRT your power button, this is something that I'd jump on the builder for -
from a GREAT height!

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