BlameThePixel!

I wouldn't think so, but you might wanna check to see if you gots the IDE backwards (something SATA fixes with an 'L' shape connectoin). Usually though if you have an IDE cable backwards the computer won't boot.

You said it wouldn't recognize the drive or autoplay discs; it can't read discs at all, right?

XP should be even easier to set up than 9x or whatever other OS, a lot of the time it will install the driver for you automatically if it recognizes the hardware.

I can't think of why else it wouldn't acknowledge the drive's existence at all... I recommend checking your BIOS first, then worry about your OS. If the BIOS doesn't find it, then your OS is going to have a really hard time finding it. Hmm... maybe that's it, maybe you need to set it up in your BIOS (there are many different BIOSes). Just check on that and give us your BIOS type (Phoenix, American Megatrends, etc.).

Award Medallion BIOS v6.0

and does it see the dvd drive?

How am I meant to check, I jsut found out my BIOS by typing in dxdiag into run.

Double post, so sue me!

I've tried messing about with teh cables but it still doesn't seem to show up in the 'My Computer' window.

As you know tundraH, no CD comes with the drive so that heightens my suspicions. Although it's probably down to me and how I've connected it up.

Anyway, I'll end up taking it into somewhere and they should be able to sort it out unless there is any advice out there which I would understand...

BTW, is there any other way of getting the power cable out than using your fingers? It hurts my fingers like hell when I have to pull them out.

Usually you just hit delete as your PC first boots to get into the BIOS setup - IDE drives will be on one of the first few options. If the BIOS recognizes the drive, ignore the rest of this post. Do you know if it's set as master or slave? It needs to be set as slave if you have another drive on the same cable - it comes as master when you buy it. There's a set of 6 pins to the left of the IDE cable, labelled:

 C | S | M 
 S | L | A 

This is for Cable Select, SLave, and MAster. Your drive will probably have a jumper (green thing on mine) over the right two. Try moving it to the middle setting.

Yes, it really sucks if you're doing something like that and slip and catch your finger nails on the fuckin' thing. As far as I know there is still no easy way to do that, but if anyone finds one, be sure to tell us. I'm guessing a pair of pliers might just do the trick.

pope, i installed a dvd drive like a month ago, and on the back of it there was a little opening with 6 pins like this:
:::
there was a plastic cap which fitted over 2, and depending if this was your primary or secondary drive, you had to putit on the correct one, so that could be the problem perhaps? there should have been a cd though, for the drivers...

That's what I said really...
And you don't need a driver disk because working drivers come with Windows.

I think it's fixed anyway, he mentioned playing Far Cry on the saysomething page.

Yeah, thanks for all the help guys but i ended up taking it into a nearby University...