I have just built myself a nice new AMD XP2400 based machine on a Jetway mobo -- using a Western Digital 7200 rpm ATA100 with 8 meg on board cache HDD.Everything seems to work nicely with it - and I have used a programme called HDTach to compare the Hdd performance to the one in my old P3/100 system. The numbers I get for the new system are far better than my old systemBUT -- my old system also has an ATA100 drive in it - and , on bootup, it shows up as a UDMA 5 drive on the POST screen. However , this new system only shows as an ATA33 drive.I have checked that I am using the correct 80 core ATA cable (supplied in the mobo box) -- so I am wondering whether the Hdd is actually performing as an ATA100 drive - but only showing as an ATA33 in the POST.Any ideas??Thanks Barry

My only advice to you would be to try another ATA cable. I had something similar happen to me when I used the cable that came in the mobo box just this last winter :-roll

I finally found out why my new machine was only registering the Hdd as ATA33 -- I had the 80 wire cable connected the wrong way around!! Even though both ends of the cable are "keyed" - you still need to ensure that one particular end is connected to the mobo. I still haven't worked out which end -- but by turning the cable around, hey Presto!! I have ATA100.Barry

Those simple little mistakes happen to all of us LOL :) . I haven't had problems with the IDE cables, but I do have problems from time to time with my floppy cables (not keyed). A lot of floppy cables dont mark the red line on the right side of the ribbon too well, so I end up putting it on upside down on accident. It dont hurt the drive, just its annoying to find the computer you been working on wont boot :-lol .