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From: pef@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Panayotis Fouliras)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: IDE/XT into an AT based PC compatible
Message-ID: <3363@sequent.cs.qmw.ac.uk>
Date: 21 Feb 91 14:14:28 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept, QMW, University of London, UK.
Lines: 26

I have an 80386/25MHz based compatible, with a 40Mb @28msec
hard disk (it is a WD IDE/AT hard disk). I also have a WD "file
card" (= basically, an IDE/XT hard disk, 32Mb, with a controller,
again from Western Digital, with 70msec access time). I do not
remember the model name, but from a recent list, I saw that it
has been discontinued.

I know that both IDE/AT and IDE/XT have a 40-pin connector, but
different layout. I tried to connect the IDE/XT on the
interface card for the IDE/AT hard disk and it would not work.
The same happened when I took the interface card out, and
plugged in just the IDE/XT hard card. The machine would produce
a series of beeps, the screen would remain blank and then
nothing.

I tried the same thing on the 8-bit expansion slots, after
configuring through the BIOS the IDE/XT hardcard's existence,
but the same symptoms persisted.

The question is: Have I been doing something wrong? Or simply
an IDE/XT hard disk does not work on AT buses?

Any answers would be appreciated.

Panayotis Fouliras
(QMW, Univ of London)