Can I add an extension to the cable of the HD?

Hi,
I have a new PC and the cable of the HD has grown loose twice (perhaps
for the heat) causing me some problems always resolved opening the PC
and taking down and fastening again the cable of the HD.
The reseller has just given me a short and safer cable to prolong the
cable inside my PC.
I should add it to the cable that there is already in my PC.
My question is: will I have some problems of data transfer or some
other problems with an extension?
Thanks for your suggestion,

bye Adriano

Adriano

Adriano wrote:
> Hi,
> I have a new PC and the cable of the HD has grown loose twice (perhaps
> for the heat) causing me some problems always resolved opening the PC
> and taking down and fastening again the cable of the HD.
> The reseller has just given me a short and safer cable to prolong the
> cable inside my PC.
> I should add it to the cable that there is already in my PC.
> My question is: will I have some problems of data transfer or some
> other problems with an extension?
> Thanks for your suggestion,
>
> bye Adriano
You could. It depends on the quality of the connection & the combined
length of the cables. What you need is to get the signal from the HD to
the mobo without degrading it to the point where it can't be read. Each
joint it passes thru causes some degradation-how much depends on the
quality of the joint.

The combined length of the cables also causes some degradation. IIRC IDE
cables should be no longer than 18" although some (single) cables will
work when longer. If you combine a long cable length with an extra
joint, particularly one that is likely to be poor, then you're likely to
have problems.

The reason I say that the joint is likely to be poor is because the
cable has already come loose twice. This indicates that the connector on
the cable is unable to make a firm connection. Maybe the problem is with
the connector on the HD-but that connector is still going to be in your
signal path so it needs to be taken into account.

Cables aren't that expensive-I'd buy an entirely new one that's long
enough. But that's just my opinion-YMMV.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 19:15:20 GMT, Adriano <> wrote:

>Hi,
>I have a new PC and the cable of the HD has grown loose twice (perhaps
>for the heat) causing me some problems always resolved opening the PC
>and taking down and fastening again the cable of the HD.
>The reseller has just given me a short and safer cable to prolong the
>cable inside my PC.
>I should add it to the cable that there is already in my PC.
>My question is: will I have some problems of data transfer or some
>other problems with an extension?
>Thanks for your suggestion,
>
> bye Adriano

Sounds as though your supplier expected the shorter cable to be of
better quality. If the new cable a grounded 80 wire cable that will
reach from the controller to the hard drive I would replace the
existing cable you are currently using.

Once you start having trouble with a controller cable it is better to
toss it in the trash rather than deal with intermittents especially
with a new system. Sometimes rerouting the cable slightly will allow
the use of a shorter cable or mounting the hard drive closer to the
controller.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 19:15:20 GMT, Adriano <> wrote:

>Hi,
>I have a new PC and the cable of the HD has grown loose twice (perhaps
>for the heat) causing me some problems always resolved opening the PC
>and taking down and fastening again the cable of the HD.

Which cable?...power?...or IDE?

>The reseller has just given me a short and safer cable to prolong the
>cable inside my PC.
>I should add it to the cable that there is already in my PC.

You can't...unless you go out and by an adaptor to hook the 2
together.

Simply use the new cable.

>My question is: will I have some problems of data transfer or some
>other problems with an extension?

Again...that's not an extension. It's a new, different cable. Use
it.



Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season...

Trent

Proud member of the Roy Rogers fan club!

Trent© wrote:
> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 19:15:20 GMT, Adriano <> wrote:
>
>
>>Hi,
>>I have a new PC and the cable of the HD has grown loose twice (perhaps
>>for the heat) causing me some problems always resolved opening the PC
>>and taking down and fastening again the cable of the HD.
>
>
> Which cable?...power?...or IDE?
>
>
>>The reseller has just given me a short and safer cable to prolong the
>>cable inside my PC.
>>I should add it to the cable that there is already in my PC.
>
>
> You can't...unless you go out and by an adaptor to hook the 2
> together.
>
> Simply use the new cable.
>
>
>>My question is: will I have some problems of data transfer or some
>>other problems with an extension?
>
>
> Again...that's not an extension. It's a new, different cable. Use
> it.
>
>
>
> Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season...
>
> Trent
>
> Proud member of the Roy Rogers fan club!
The problem stated was that the original cable is too short. If the
reseller sent, as a replacement, a shorter cable then the solution is to
get support from someone else-and preferably not from you, Trent, since
you also missed the fact that replacing a too-short cable with an even
shorter one doesn't fix the problem. (You've provided good support in
the past so maybe I should cut you some slack on this one-but you did
blow it here.)

Admittedly the OP could have been more explicit re: connectors, but the
only thing that makes sense to me (assuming that the vendor didn't screw
up) is that the shorter cable sent *was* an extension cable-and
therefore had the proper 'adapter' already on one end.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 07:36:02 -0900, Calvin Crumrine
<> wrote:


>The problem stated was that the original cable is too short.

The problem stated was that the cable is coming out of the drive.
Although you ASSUME its too short, that may not be the case.

>If the
>reseller sent, as a replacement, a shorter cable then the solution is to
>get support from someone else-and preferably not from you, Trent, since
>you also missed the fact that replacing a too-short cable with an even
>shorter one doesn't fix the problem. (You've provided good support in
>the past so maybe I should cut you some slack on this one-but you did
>blow it here.)

Maybe its your age, Cal...I don't know. So I guess I'll cut YOU some
slack, too! lol

Where did you see that he was given a shortER cable? I read 'short'.

>Admittedly the OP could have been more explicit re: connectors, but the
>only thing that makes sense to me (assuming that the vendor didn't screw
>up) is that the shorter cable sent

No one said it was shorter...only that it was short.

> *was* an extension cable-and
>therefore had the proper 'adapter' already on one end.

They don't make such an animal. I stand corrected, though, if you've
seen one...'cause you seem to see a lot of things that I didn't see!!
lol


Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season...

Trent

Proud member of the Roy Rogers fan club!