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Q.  When I use the BIOS auto-detection function it detects and configures the hard disk but ignores my IDE CD ROM. How do I make the BIOS recognise my CD ROM?

Provided you can access your CD ROM through Windows or DOS (with a CD ROM driver), there is no problem if your computer's BIOS does not recognise the CD ROM. If you cannot access your CD ROM at all, then the CD ROM may not be properly installed or may be damaged. A common problem that occurs when you install a CD ROM is that you may have accidentally plugged the drive cable the wrong way around. No problem… simply unplug it and turn it the other way. Another common problem is incorrectly setting the drive to be a master or slave. If you are connecting the CD ROM with the same cable that connects the hard disk, you must set the CD ROM to be the slave device. The instructions which come with the CD ROM will explain how to do this. Alternatively, if you are connecting the CD ROM to the second IDE controller then you should set the CD ROM to be the master device..

If you would like your BIOS to detect the CD ROM you can do this by going into the BIOS set up program and changing the drive type on either the primary slave (if you have your hard disk and CD ROM connected by the same cable) or secondary master (if your CD ROM is connected separately) to auto. The BIOS should then detect the CD ROM.