Primary Drive n and Secondary Drive n— Settings are Auto (use this setting for all IDE devices from Dell) and Off
Primary Drive n identifies drives attached to the primary IDE interface connector (labeled IDE1) on the system board.
Secondary Drive n identifies drives connected to the secondary IDE interface connector (labeled IDE2).
NOTE: You must have an IDE device connected to the primary IDE interface if you have an IDE device connected to the secondary IDE interface.
If You Have a Problem
If the computer generates a drive error message the first time you boot your computer after you install an IDE drive, your drive may not work with the automatic drive-type detect feature. Press <Alt><d> in any hard drive field to set the hard drive autoconfiguration feature.
During POST, the computer scans the IDE channels for supported devices and generates a summary message. For example, if the computer detects that a hard drive is connected to the Primary channel and that a CD drive is connected to the Secondary channel, it generates the following message:
Performing automatic IDE configuration...
Primary Master: IDE Disk Drive
Secondary Master: CD-ROM Reader
If the computer detects a device during the scan, it sets the device to Auto in system setup. If no device is listed, it sets the device setting to Off in system setup.
If your computer does not reset after you perform these steps, enter system setup and reset the computer to its original Dell settings:
Restart your computer.
As the system restarts, press <F2> to enter system setup.
When the system setup screen appears, press <Alt><F> to load the Dell default settings.
The computer beeps when the settings are restored.
Verify that the time, date, and year are correct and that the Secondary Drive 0 option is set to Auto.
Press <Esc> and then press <Enter> to save your changes and exit.
The computer restarts.
