Supplied by Koolcases

Why you should consider it: A system that I had used time and time again without fault suddenly decided to develop problems. Media player kept freezing, games locked up, Internet Explorer crashed. I too thought driver or software problems but after a clean install the problems went away…for a while. They came back and progressively got worse. And here’s why and what to look for.

Getting ’round the problems

In Short-Media Forums there are many posts asking for solutions to continually
crashing systems or systems that start off OK after a clean install but eventually
deteriorate to instability. Users can sometimes diagnose these problems improperly
attributing them to driver issues. While a lot of issues can be traced to drivers
there is a method to the madness of tracking down a problem.

• Step 1: Think back. Was the computer stable before and when?
• Step 2: Start simple. Was there new hardware, software or drivers installed
  recently?
• Step 3: Check connections and reseat IDE cables, ram, video cards or PCI
  devices.

These three simple steps can lead you down the correct path to diagnosing a
computer problem. Let’s explain by looking at step 1; determining when and if
the computer was stable and when. If your computer was stable (operating normally)
for a good period of time, say a month, then that is your “zero point”
or reference point.

Remembering when that was is crucial because it leads directly to the answers
in step 2. If you installed any new software, hardware or drivers since that
time when the computer was stable then what were they? If it is a new piece
of software try uninstalling it and running a CHECK DISK utility to clean up
the system on reboot. The check disk feature is usually found in the tools tab
if you right click on the drive icon and select properties.

The same goes for the new piece of hardware or updated drivers. If you can
return to the pre installation step and the system returns to stability then
you have found the problem and can search more accurately for solutions.

But what happens if you have gone through step 2 without success. The next
step is to check all the connections such as the seating of IDE cables, video
card, ram and power connections. Are they tight and properly connected? Sometimes
the process of reseating these can cure a problem. Connections that are not
properly seated will still allow the computer to function but with an increasing
amount of problems as data doesn’t move about properly. It’s like a faulty electrical
connection…the lamp may flicker or the phone cord crackles. It still works
but with problems that will do nothing but get worse.

This leads us to an often looked over problem of the the IDE cables themselves.
While you are reseating them have a look and, perhaps, make a decision to replace
them. This happened to me a while back. A system that I had used time and time
again without fault suddenly decided to develop problems. Media player kept
freezing, games locked up, Internet Explorer crashed. I too thought driver or
software problems but after a clean install the problems went away…for a while.
They came back and progressively got worse.

And here’s why and what to look for.

Most people have a computer with the standard 80 wire IDE cables.

In the last year rounded IDE cables have become popular for three reasons:
airflow, space consumption and…they look cool. Let’s look at a Lian Li case
to identify two problem areas for airflow with regular, flat IDE cables.

The flat ribbon cables connect the hard drive(s), floppy, CDR, CDRW, DVD drive(s)
to the motherboard and this can become crowded and cause a reduction in airflow.
Thusly:

Air should enter in through the bottom front and exhaust out through the top
rear. For a detailed series of articles on this read Airflow and Cooling Tweaks
Part 1 and Part 2. The flat ribbon cables create a jungle of space consumption
and blockages in what should be a relatively unobstructed air pathway. These
cables can deflect and reduce airflow thus decreasing the efficiency of heatsink’s
ability to cool the processor. This could lead to errors due to high heat.

So many have replaced the flat ribbon cables with rounded cables. They aren’t
any different with the exception that the wires have been bound in a tube rather
than formed together in a flat cable. This simple “trick” of manufacturing
can effectively clean up the mess of cables inside a PC case. Thusly:

You now see the reason many have moved towards rounded IDE and floppy cables.
The rounded cables do not obstruct the pathway as much as flat ribbon cables
and they also add to the attractiveness of the PC case by cleaning up the mess.

But are all rounded IDE cables the same? Compare two rounded IDE cables. The
one on the left in the next image is a “generic” rounded cable and
the other on the right is a VANTEC IDE cable supplied to Short-Media from Koolcases.com.
Initially there appears to be no difference but the color.

But look again. The “generic” cable is a rats nest of wires where
the Koolcases.com cable appears to be more organized. This is because the 80
wires of the Koolcases.com IDE cable have been partially laminated at the last
inch (or 2 centimeters) before the connection bar. This is much more visible
in the next image.

This is one simple manufacturing addition that can make the difference and
here’s why. IDE cables do a lot of bending and are misshapen into some strange
positions inside a case. If you are tweaker then you are constantly pulling
cables and putting them back in place. This creates stress on the wire at the
connection point to the plastic connector bar.

This stress of bending or tension is partially distributed across the load
of the 80 wires due to the lamination. It may not be a large distribution but
it is effective enough over the long term. I give you exhibit A and that is
the “generic” rounded IDE cable.

After tracing down the problem mentioned in the first part of this article
I physically pulled the IDE cable and upon closer examination I discovered two
wires that had broken. This is quite possible as any wire will break after the
proper amount of repetitive bending. The wires broke at their weakest point…right
where they connect to the plastic bar.

This did not cause the computer to fully stop working. It did cause a small
amount of data corruption that, like a rust spot on a car left un repaired,
grew. That data corruption become increasingly troublesome over time to the
point where instability rendered the system unusable. A fresh install only started
the whole process over again.

Now another manufacturing design to look for between IDE cables is the flexibility
of the casing itself. I give you exhibit B.

This is the Koolcases.com IDE cable and it was “posed” for this picture
with great ease. The casing is very flexible and has very little rigidity to
it. This is a “relaxed” position. Cheaper cables or rounded cables
I try to avoid feature more rigid casing that don’t flex as easily.

The blue cable is the generic in its “relaxed” position as compared
to the black, more preferable flexible casing. The generic casing is more like
plastic and the other feels more like soft rubber. The stiffer generic casing
may not cause bending stress on the wires inside but it potentially will on
the wires at the bar connections. And remember they aren’t laminated together.
I remind you with a previous image.

Conclusion

This article isn’t about which cable is better for data transfer speeds but
which is more preferable for design and what could be the cause of the problems
in your own system.

• Rounded cables are better for airflow and organization than flat ribbon
  cables.
• Softer and more flexible casings and boots are better.
• Lamination at the connection points reduces stress of bending or tension
  making the cable wires less prone to breaking.

These are the little design points that may help you choose between one cable
and the other when you hold them in your hands at the store. Now as to which
has faster data transfer or is less prone to data corruption is another article
altogether.

Happy bug hunting!