I don't think that this is particularly a Linux question but my problem started in the name of Linux :-)

I wanted to add a second drive to my Mandrake box. Both drives are newish and functioning. Stupidly, rather than do things properly, I twisted the IDE cable to reach hdb (I know I should have taken hda out and repositioned it etc!) and now - help - no boot. The hda and hdb are not detected at all. Nothing else has been changed.

Stupid question - do IDE cables break internally? Could my twisting it have caused a break - or is it unlikely and should I look elsewhere?

I haven't had chance to swap and change - I'm at work now.

Please advise.

Stupid.

It could be that you have set the new hd as master or/and that the bios isnt set to autodetect the hd.
Start the bios setup and change the ide primary master and slave to AUTO and check the jumpers on the hds.

Thanks people

It was a cable issue in the end. At least - I hope it was!! Changing a couple of IDE cables around solved everything....eventually!

Thanks