I am about to install a new motherboard (A8N-SLI), but am for the moment retaining my older IDE drives- both HD's and DVD's.Currently, in my old system, I have the Primary and Secondary IDE's cabled to 2 drives each (both HD's and DVD's on Primary and Secondary respectively), with the jumpers arranged on all units to configure it to a "master" or "slave" status. I was anticipating doing the same on the new board.However, looking at the new mobo manual, I see 3 IDE slots:1. Blue Primary IDE.2. Black Slave IDE3. Gray Master IDE.No primary and secondary, unless the "slave" and "master" IDE's (2 and 3 above) both comprise the secondary.I'm a little confused as to how to connect up my drives. Can anyone help with this?Thanks- Bruce.

I have an A8N-SLI Premium board & it only has 2 IDE connectors (Primary & secondary) and a floppy drive connector.Now are you talking about the physical connectors on the motherboard itself or do you mean the IDE cable?Some IDE cables do come with BLUE/BLACK/GREY colour coded connectors.BLUE = Plug this end into the motherboard.GRAY = Plug this into your master drive.BLACK = Plug this into your slave drive.As a rule of thumb I'd put your hard drives on one IDE channel (Primary), and your DVD/CD drives on another (secondary).

Hi Bruce,Unless I am looking at the wrong mobo, I only see two IDE slots next to the floppy slot and power supply plug.Doing much instrument flying? I have our C182-G1000 scheduled for today but it looks like a bad weather day. Not much use taking passengers if all they want to do is see the ground.I booked our DA40-G1000 for tomorrow and the weather front is suppose to be South of us tomorrow.Regards,W. Sieffert

Hi guys,Thanks- I believe you are right (I have the mobo now, but have still to really take a look at it- too busy travelling and seeing family :) ). If there are 2 IDE connectors then I'm back in familiar territory. Thanks again to both of you.On the instrument flying- yes, still doing some IFR flights, although IMC is almost impossible to get out here without thunderstorms or icing. I have yet to try one of the club's G1000 aircraft, although they are fast rendering the older 6-pack planes to second choice for many of the pilots here. :)What I like about the instrument flight, even in VMC, is working in the ATC system and getting the priority that filing IFR offers. After so many VFR arrivals at my towered home airport, and extended downwinds and madly looking for traffic that the controller is calling- to have the seas virtually part and get that priority ride into the runway is something else!Thanks again- Bruce.