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Parallel ATA (PATA)

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Parallel ATA (PATA), also known as Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) or Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics (EIDE), is a standard interface for connecting hard drives, CD-ROM drives, and other storage devices to a computer. PATA uses a 40-pin ribbon cable with a 16-bit wide data bus, which allow…

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CompTIA A+ - Parallel ATA (PATA) Example Questions

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Question 1

You need to recover data from an old computer using PATA drives. The computer has a faulty power supply, and you have a modern SATA-based system. What is the best course of action to recover the data?

Correct Answer: Use a PATA-to-SATA adapter or PATA-to-USB enclosure.

Using a PATA-to-SATA adapter or a PATA-to-USB enclosure is the best solution. This allows connecting the old PATA drives to a modern SATA-based system or directly to a USB port, enabling data recovery without needing to fix the old computer's faulty power supply. Replacing the SATA cables with PATA cables won't work because PATA and SATA are incompatible interfaces. Replacing the power supply could fix the old computer, but it's unnecessary if the goal is just data recovery. Modern Standby power mode is unrelated to this issue and won't help recover data from the PATA drives.

Question 2

You are troubleshooting an older computer with PATA hard drives and the computer can't detect the second PATA drive. They share a PATA cable, and the jumpers are correctly set to Master and Slave. What is the next step to resolve the issue?

Correct Answer: Check the PATA cable and reseat the connectors if necessary.

The best answer is to check the PATA cable and reseat the connectors if necessary. Since the computer is not detecting the second PATA drive, and the jumpers are already set correctly to Master and Slave, the next logical step is to verify the physical connection. A loose or faulty cable could prevent the drive from being detected. Setting both drives to Master would cause a conflict on the shared cable. Switching to Cable Select mode could work, but it's better to first ensure the cable is properly connected. Using a SATA adapter is unnecessary and would not resolve an issue with the PATA connection itself.

Question 3

You are upgrading an older computer with a PATA hard drive and need to install a second PATA hard drive. Both drives only support one jumper setting for Master or Slave. Which configuration should you use?

Correct Answer: Set the first drive to Master and the second drive to Slave.

To install a second PATA hard drive, you should set the first drive to Master and the second drive to Slave. This allows the computer to recognize both drives without conflict.

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