VOGONS


First post, by kaolinitedreams

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Hello all. I've been restoring a 486dx (Zeos) and needing to install a CD-ROM drive. Originally, the computer only had a 3.5" floppy drive. I installed a Creative Sound Blaster 16 card (working) and connected the CD audio cable from the card to the CD-ROM drive (Creative 24x.) I also plugged in the IDE cable from the card to the drive. The drive is working, but windows is not recognizing it, even after doing the 'Add New Hardware' setting.

Two questions:
1. For the IDE cable, it had three connectors. I'm using the two ends of the cable (SB card to CDROM drive), but the middle is being unused. Does this effect how it's plugged in?
2. Do I need the actual creative drivers for the CD-ROM drive? I don't have them, and the only drivers I see in Windows is Sony, Mitsumi, and Panasonic (see photo.) Can I use one of those, or do I need to find the drivers?

I'm running Windows 95 if that helps. Thanks in advance!

Reply 1 of 9, by feda

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You need to install it in DOS, just use generic drivers from the Vogons archive or google. Then win95 should see it too.

Edit: nevermind. I glossed over the fact he's got it plugged into the ISA sound card.

Last edited by feda on 2024-08-16, 05:02. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 2 of 9, by jakethompson1

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CD-ROM drivers in Windows are only for proprietary sound card CD-ROM drives. This appears to be an IDE setup.

That CT2950 is ISA Plug and Play. The IDE interface on it will stay dormant until configured through ISAPNP. Your Device Manager should show an extra IDE interface on the sound card. If it doesn't you'll need to figure out why; it might be disabled.

Make sure the CD-ROM is set to Master and not Cable Select on the back.

Reply 3 of 9, by ux-3

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kaolinitedreams wrote on 2024-08-16, 03:14:

The drive is working

What does this mean in your book?

You have tested it on another machine's IDE interface and there it does read cdrom just fine?
You bought it as working but never seen it work?
It does work on this machine in DOS but not in windows?
It has a light that goes on and something spins in it after power on?

Retro PC warning: The things you own end up owning you.

Reply 4 of 9, by chinny22

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Here is a post on how to make it work in dos
Re: CT2950 with IDE CDROM not working ?

This'll get it working in windows as well but isn't ideal but I'm not sure how to do it in windows or which drivers are needed.

But
If you only have 1 hard drive you can add the CD-ROM as a slave and avoid overcomplicating things.

Reply 5 of 9, by kaolinitedreams

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jakethompson1 wrote on 2024-08-16, 03:45:

CD-ROM drivers in Windows are only for proprietary sound card CD-ROM drives. This appears to be an IDE setup.

That CT2950 is ISA Plug and Play. The IDE interface on it will stay dormant until configured through ISAPNP. Your Device Manager should show an extra IDE interface on the sound card. If it doesn't you'll need to figure out why; it might be disabled.

Make sure the CD-ROM is set to Master and not Cable Select on the back.

Thank you for this. The sound card is a plug and play, and the device manager did find the card and I got it working. It is interesting what you said that the extra IDE on the sound card might be dormant; I'll take a look at the device manager again. Also, thanks for pointing out the master setting on the CD-ROM. I didn't think to check that. Appreciate your response!

Reply 6 of 9, by kaolinitedreams

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ux-3 wrote on 2024-08-16, 04:54:
What does this mean in your book? […]
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kaolinitedreams wrote on 2024-08-16, 03:14:

The drive is working

What does this mean in your book?

You have tested it on another machine's IDE interface and there it does read cdrom just fine?
You bought it as working but never seen it work?
It does work on this machine in DOS but not in windows?
It has a light that goes on and something spins in it after power on?

What I meant is that the drive lights up, the disc tray opens, it has power, etc etc. It was just the computer itself not recognizing the drive.

Reply 7 of 9, by kaolinitedreams

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chinny22 wrote on 2024-08-16, 06:12:
Here is a post on how to make it work in dos Re: CT2950 with IDE CDROM not working ? […]
Show full quote

Here is a post on how to make it work in dos
Re: CT2950 with IDE CDROM not working ?

This'll get it working in windows as well but isn't ideal but I'm not sure how to do it in windows or which drivers are needed.

But
If you only have 1 hard drive you can add the CD-ROM as a slave and avoid overcomplicating things.

I'm really trying to avoid hooking up the CD-ROM on the hard drive cable. I've tried all my IDE pata cables to hook up the CD-ROM drive to the HD, and they aren't long enough. The main HD connection on the motherboard is a HUGE pain to access. The plug itself it right underneath a solid metal caddy for the CD-ROM and 5.25" floppy drives. It is the most inconvenient place to put a main connection. After countless hours trying to try all my IDE pata cables and realizing they aren't long enough, I want to try and get the drive working through the sound card. The later models of the Zeos actually relocated the HD connection on the motherboard, probably for the same reason.

Reply 8 of 9, by ux-3

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kaolinitedreams wrote on 2024-08-16, 14:46:

What I meant is that the drive lights up, the disc tray opens, it has power, etc etc. It was just the computer itself not recognizing the drive.

But that means that you don't know if the drive works. All of what you describe will happen, even if you don't connect it to the board at all. It would also happen if this were no IDE drive but incompatible.

Retro PC warning: The things you own end up owning you.

Reply 9 of 9, by kaolinitedreams

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jakethompson1 wrote on 2024-08-16, 03:45:

The IDE interface on it will stay dormant until configured through ISAPNP. Your Device Manager should show an extra IDE interface on the sound card. If it doesn't you'll need to figure out why; it might be disabled.

This was the problem! I had the Sound Card Plug and Play activated in the 'Sound' Devices, but not the IDE/ESDI activated in the 'hard disk controllers' section. It works like a charm now. Thank you so much!