SATA OEM HD adding an IDE HD exactly need help with bios

[Berlie474]

I would like to add an IDE hd that happens to be the same as the SATA that came with my Dell Precision 380, there is only one IDE controller on the board, 4 SATA and a floppy, the specs that I was able to get said that the board would only carry SATA or SCSI HDs.

The Dell tech that I spoke to was clueless as how to do this. I have come across an Ultra ATA/66 PCI card that is especially designed for IDE HDs., but I haven't a clue how to possibly configue my bios and neither did the Dell tech. I would really like to keep the 160g hd, but I need some advice. I too am a Dell tech, but I have never delt with SATA drives before. Small town... I will not go back to a SCSI, I am trying to update not go backwards and this particular HD was given to me new in the box for a built white box... Can anyone help?

Thanks, Berlie474

[juppy]

Hi Berlie474, and welcome to the forums!

I assume the second channel of your existing IDE controller has an optical drive on it? If so, yeah, that card you mentioned would be the best choice if you've got a free PCI slot. Promise is one of the better brands of controller cards.....something like THIS ONE should do it. I've never had to use one but I don't think there's anything to change in the BIOS. I believe it's just the usual plug it in, install the drivers, and attach the hard drives type of thing. I could be wrong having not installed one myself but that's how I've always heard they worked. Someone will likely correct me if that's not right. Oh yeah, as for SCSI, that's not technically a "jump backwards".....most SCSI drives run at 10,000 to 15,000 rpms whereas most other drives are 7200 rpms. They're generally more expensive though which is why you don't see everyday users using them alot.

[glc]

If your board does have a single IDE controller, you can put 2 devices on it. Do you already have 2 optical drives, which is preventing that? If so, you need a PCI or PCI-E IDE controller card, which should be plug and play. It will add about 30 seconds to your bootup time, because the card will have a bios - and will be scanning for bootable devices on it, just like SCSI cards do. I prefer Promise cards in the lower price ranges, Adaptec cards in the upper range.

Just a thought - if all you want to do is use the drive for additional storage or backup purposes, why not just buy an external USB housing for IDE drives? I really like this one:

http://www.apricorn.com/product_details.php?ID=332

Just a note: The bios on an ATA/66 card may not support a 160gb drive - those cards are pretty old.