SamDude said:
Double check the IDE cable and the IDE devices in the BIOS as well...
I seem to recall saying that earlier!!
If your IDE controller was knackered you shouldn't be able to boot into Windows or right-click -> Eject the drives.
Right-click -> Eject is a very low function so its a good sign that the computer still does it and knows there are CD-ROM drives there.
Again, check the BIOS. I had my BIOS set up using the pre-determined method when I installed my 200Gb HD. At the same time I changed around the order of the CD drives (CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM/CDRW), So both HD's 17Gb + 200Gb were the master drive for each IDE channel. I nearly cried on next boot when the DVD-ROM/CDRW drive and my 200Gb HD were'nt working... Until I realised why! DOH!
Drives that have a 'cable select' jumper on the back were designed for people that have their BIOS set up to automatically detect what drive is where on startup (a little bit more 'fool proof' for the non-geek!).
If the jumpers on your drives are set to 'cable select' and you BIOS has a pre-determined list of what drives are where in the BIOS your computer is just a little confused. 'Rescan' the drives in the BIOS to see if that gets them working.
If the jumpers on your drives are specifically set to master or slave (no matter how you have your BIOS set up) and you didn't return them to exactly the way they were the computer will again be a little confused, return them to exactly the way they were or change the jumpers to reflect their new position (master/slave)
Easiest thing to do is to go into your BIOS and set it up to automatically detect drives on startup, then ensure all the jumpers on your drives are set to 'cable select' or at least correctly set up as master/slave for their respective IDE channel (when the IDE cable(s) is plugged into the motherboard the first 'plug' on the ribbon away from the motherboard is the master, the next will be the slave) this should, if its just an error in the BIOS/Master/Slave setup, get them working again but your computer will boot slower. If this does cure things go back into your BIOS and get it to 'scan' your IDE drives so it doesn't have to automatically detect the drives on startup each time (as it will already know what is where!)
There are two things that lead me to believe the above is the case:
1) If your IDE controller was knackered you shouldn't be able to boot from your HD into windows
2) If it was a hardware drivers error in Windows the drives should still, at the very least, function as plain CD-ROM drives, as even the BIOS can now read CD-ROM drives (how else would you be able to boot from CD to install a fresh copy of windows otherwise??)
Hope all of that made sense!!!!!