ATA(PI) 80-Pin Cable Detection

Common Options : Host & Device, Host, Device

Quick Review

This BIOS feature was incorrectly named because it actually refers to the 40-pin, 80-conductor IDE cable. Despite the misleading name, the IDE cable does not have 80-pins.The 80-conductor cable only adds 40 additional ground wires to the 40 ground wires already nestled between the 40 signal wires.

This BIOS feature allows you to control whether both IDE controller and IDE device should be allowed to detect the type of IDE cable used.

When set to Host & Device, both the IDE controller and the IDE device will be able to detect the type of IDE cable used.

When set to Host, only the IDE controller will be able to detect the type of IDE cable used.

When set to Device, only the IDE device will be able to detect the type of IDE cable used.

The higher Ultra DMA transfer modes will only be allowed if the 80-conductor cable is used and detected by the system. Otherwise, the system defaults to slower transfer modes, even if you set the drives to use the faster transfer modes.

It is recommended that you leave this BIOS feature at the default setting of Host & Device. This ensures that the system will never incorrectly detect a 40-conductor cable as an 80-conductor cable, preventing data corruption.