Tried to upgrade my A1200T's HDD, now it can't find any HDD or CD-ROM

[Thomas]

Not enough details here.

So your original config was motherboard (44pin) - 8.5 GB 2.5" HDD (44pin, master) - CD-ROM drive (40 pin, slave).

Then you disconnected the CD drive and added another HDD. How big is the new HDD ? What kind of HDD is it ? 3.5" 40 pin or 2.5" 44pin ? If 44 pin, how did you connect it to the 40 pin connector ? How do you supply it with power ?

Finally you disconnected everything and reconnected it like this:

Motherboard (44pin) - new hdd (master) - CD drive (slave, 40pin).

How is the new hdd which was previously connected to the 40 pin connector now connected to the 44 pin connetor ? How do you supply it with power ?

Does the original config still work ? Is the old HDD still recognised ? Is the CD drive recognised when the old HDD is connected ?

Is the new HDD recognised when connected as slave toghether with the old master HDD ?

Does the new HDD spin up when connected to the IDE cable ?

Does the CD drive open its tray when connected to the IDE cable ? Does the CD drive react on Ctrl-A-A ?

Does the new HDD react on Ctrl-A-A (does the spinning noise change) ?

Well, a vague conclusion:

If the old config does still works, then there is an issue with the new HDD. If the new HDD is recognised when connected together with the old HDD, then nothing is lost.

Mayby it simply is the well-known slow-spin-up-and-spin-down-during-reset problem. So if you hear a difference after Ctrl-A-A, you might want to try to cut the reset line of the IDE cable. (Get a spare cable first for the case you cut too deep.) Then the HDD should be recognised after a reset. And the slave CD drive will probably be recognised, too, once the master works.

Bye,
Thomas

[Thomas]

Sounds like the cable is damaged or not connected correctly.

Did you disconnect the cable from the motherboard ? Then check if it is connected correctly now. It's easy to miss some overlapping pins at the side.

Certainly the CD drive does not open its tray by itself. What I meant was if the drive opens when you push the button or if it just ignores the button.

If you are about to buy a new cable, I'd suggest to use standard parts rather than custom-built cables. There are adapters to connect notebook drives to desktop PCs. These can be used the other way around, too. Use one of these to connect a normal 40pin IDE cable to the motherboard. Might even be cheaper than a custom cable from an Amiga dealer.

Bye,
Thomas