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IDE controllers may contain more than one port and
hence contain more than one IDE cable. Such a
controller is called an enhanced IDE controller. Its
ports are called the primary port, secondary port,
tertiary port, etc., usually labeled by the side of
the ports. Currently, most enhanced IDE controllers
contain two ports: the primary port and the secondary
port. Any “bonus” port that comes with a peripheral
device, for example, your sound card, is taken as a
secondary port.
Red
Red
Secondary Port
Primary Port
Figure A-2 Enhanced IDE Controller Card
Note: Your PC system can have only one port of each
kind at any time. If you add an enhanced IDE
controller to the system, you must remove or
disable the PC’s original port(s). Similarly, if
a “bonus” port is present, you must disable
either this port or the PC’s secondary port, if
your PC already has a secondary port.
Because each IDE port supports up to two devices, you
need to tell your PC whether a device you are
connecting is the master or the slave device of that
