Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 23:00:47 +0800 From: Raymond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: AW: [LIB] Hot plugging hard drives (OT)
At 06:03 AM 22/01/2002 -0800, you wrote: >Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 14:57:47 +0100 >From: "Gerhard Kapusta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: AW: [LIB] Hot plugging hard drives (OT) > >Hi! > >I have a similar thought: why ins't it possible to hot plug IDE-drives in >desktop computers? > >I own a (non-Libretto) notebook, where ist is possible to hot plug the >IDE-CD-ROM. There are also HD's for this bay available, where I assume that >tey are also hot plugable. > >Can this be done also on desktops with changeable IDE-frames? Is additional >software or hardware neccessary? Well there ARE frames available that do allow hot plug. I'm trying to figure out what voodoo they do though because as far as I can see they don't differ electrically with the ones that don't splash 'Hot plug compatible' across them. Your laptop is a little different in that its designed for hot plug so electrically its already expecting it. If you look at the connector you'll notice that the pins aren't all the same length - they're designed so one set will always make before and break after the main set, ensuring that the data lines are shut down in the correct order. They also have appropriate buffering circuitry to make sure that only after power has stabilized on both sides do they open the data lines (THAT is the bit that worries me about hot plugging with my new computer). They are also software-aware of it ... I recall the times I was able to hot plug with my old computer (before I blew the IDE controller), Win2k sorta didn't mind me unplugging the hard drive and picked it up straight away although it DID accuse me of not shutting down the hard drive first when I unplugged it. Perhaps I should have gone into devices and disabled it ... does anyone know if that totally shuts down that IDE channel or if it just causes Win2k to ignore anything to/from that device? My old Tecra 500 on the other hand handled hot plug in a different way ... in that case the hot plug bay took a floppy or a CD. When it booted with win95, it'd think that both the floppy AND CD-ROM drive were present, when you tried to access whichever drive wasn't actually installed though it'd just return saying that there was no disk in the drive. More opinions/hints/sarcasm/abuse please! - Raymond --- /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\ | | "Does fuzzy logic tickle?" | | ___ | "My HDD has no reverse. How do I backup?" | | /__/ +-------------------------------------------| | / \ a y b o t | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | | | HTTP://www.raybot.net | | ICQ: 31756092 | Need help? Visit #Windows98 on DALNet! | \~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ ************************************************************** http://libretto.basiclink.com - Libretto mailing list http://libretto.basiclink.com/archive - Archives http://www.picante.com/~gtaylor/portable/faq.html - FAQ -------TO UNSUBSCRIBE------- Reply to any of the list messages. The reply mail should be addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Then replace any text on the message's subject line: cmd:unsubscribe --------TO UNSUBSCRIBE DIGEST------ Do above but with this on subject line: cmd:unsubscribe digest **************************************************************
