Hard drive jumper settings

[Shineman]

I've built three computers, the last one about 18 months ago. I never noticed that the jumper settings included a "cable select" option til today. I've simply set one drive to master and one to slave. However, I'm building a new computer with a single Seagate 80GB drive and will install Windows XP Home edition. Two questions actually: What is the "cable select" jumper mean ( can I simply use the "master" position) and should I use the disc utility CD that came with the HD to "prepare the HD for the OS" prior to inserting the Windows XP CD to install the OS?

[glc]

All new 80 wire Ultra ATA cables are wired for Cable Select. There is a controller connector, a master connector, and a slave connector. Using Cable Select is recommended. Master is always on the end and slave is always in the middle. No need to use the utility, XP's setup will allow you to create and format a partition.

[Shineman]

Thanks for your quick reply. The hard drive I am replacing I would like to install in my "older" computer but it has Windows XP Home as the OS. My "older computer" has Windows XP Professional in the HD. If I install both HDs using the new Ultra cable, installing both as you've suggested, the one at the end as the master and the next one as the slave, do I still use the "cable select" jumper positions on both HD's, and will the computer on boot recognize both HD's and then give me an option as to which HD to "activate"?

[glc]

Yes, use cable select on both. However, do the install on the new drive with the other drive disconnected. Then you can introduce the old drive and copy off the files you need, you really don't want it booting off the old drive.