Tandy Professional Forum   Section: The Soapbox
Subject: Model 2500 CDROM Install   Total messages: 3
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#62588   1 Reply   10/29/96   14:22:16
From: Dale Magnant, 76773,2507
To:   sysop

Hello,

I have a fellow office worker who owns a 1991 Tandy model 2500RSX
(Model 25-1621).  She is interested in installing a CD-ROM drive.
 Upon inquiring at a local hardware vendor about CD-ROM drive
prices, she was asked whether the system had an available "IDE
Port" - the implication being that some of the older machines did
not have this.  I have installed several CD-ROM drives myself,
both IDE and SCSI.  I have never heard of the term "IDE Port".
Is this a new term introduced with 'Plug and Play' systems ?
Anyhow, beyond the usual need for an available IDE interface
connection and an available power plug, is there anything
abnormal about installing a CD-ROM drive on this particular
system?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Dale Magnant


#62594   Reply to #62588   1 Reply   10/30/96   17:17:22
From: Robert A. Hengstebeck, 76417,2751
To:   Dale Magnant, 76773,2507

Dale, I am not any kind of an expert here. But after having
installed CDROMs into a number of computers, I just don't see the
advantage of an IDE port.  As the 2500sx computer stands now, it
will support two hard drives, even though there isn't any place
to put the second drive in the computer.  I have velcro'd the
second drives any place I could find for it. The Creative lab
sound blaster cards which contained pin outs for a CDROM drive,
have worked very well for me.  Are the cards not providing the
cdrom ports now?


#62598   Reply to #62594   10/31/96   09:21:07
From: Dale Magnant, 76773,2507
To:   Robert A. Hengstebeck, 76417,2751

Robert,

Thanks for your response.  In hindsight I think all the confusion
arose from the sales reps use of the term "IDE ports".  I know
Tandy has defied convention at various times in the past, and I
thought this might be another such case.  In fact, it doesn't
sound as though there is anything unconventional about installing
a CD-ROM into a 2500RSX machine.  I would also agree with your
comments about using the supplied interface cards supplied with
some CD-ROM drives - I have installed a couple of the Creative
Labs drives with their cards and they have  worked fine.

Thanks again,

Dale


