Some users may encounter a boot error when a USB Flash drive is plugged in during boot. This is a random error and has affected only a few system setups. This error may also occur if you have a Flash Card in a card reader during boot.

If you are encountering a problem where your computer will not boot after switching drives, please make sure you do not have a USB Flash Drive or Flash Card plugged into your machine during boot.

If you are still having a problem please contact technical support and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Question
I want to have two switched drives and a third drive common to both. Is this possible?

Answer
Yes. You can have any combination of switch and non-switched drives.
However, we do not recommend this type of setup do to the very likely possibility of viruses or other unwanted software from transferring between drives.

Question
Is it possible to switch more than four separate drives?

Answer
It is possible to cascade the IDEX units to control more than 4 drives. With two open bays you can use two IDEX switches to control seven drives. The first IDEX switch connects to drives 1, 2 & 3 as in a standard configuration. The drive 4 power output on the first IDEX switch connects to the power input of the second IDEX switch. The second switch thus controls drives 4, 5, 6, and 7. 

A custom order "7 Position Header Cable" is required for computers that only have one IDE/ATA connector available. 

A header cable up to 10 connectors may be custom ordered if desired. The image below shows the described setup with the 7 position header for simplicity on the diagram. The difference from one header to two headers is that the bus switches are not all on one cable.

Additionally, we can create a custom product at your request. Please contact sales to discuss your needs.

Question:
Do the IDEX drive switches work with SATA 3 drives?

Answer:
Yes.
All the IDEX units, except the IDEX 350, work with SATA 3 drives.

Question:
Can I have more than one drive per switched position?

Answer:
Yes.
You can have several drives or devices per switch position. The only requirement is that the total load per position does not exceed five amps. The average current rating of hard drives is quite low, and the peak start up current is short enough to not be an issue. Hence you can easily have two or more drives per position. We recommend not to exceed four per position, to ensure proper product operation.

Question:
Are your products compatible with WIndows Vista or Windows 7?

Answer:
All of the IDEX switches are compatible with any operating system, UNIX, LINUX, Windows, and Apple.

Note that there are some BIOS settings that need to be modified depending if you are using SATA with any operating system, except Apple or Apple hardware. Every manufacture seems to be using slightly different setups and we can not predict how your system will need to be set up.

If you are having a problem with the BIOS settings, just send us an email or phone call and we will be happy to assist you.

Question:
Can I have SATA and IDE drives on the same switch?

Answer:
The IDEX 300, 400, and 410 allow you to switch any drive or data device, regardless if its SATA, IDE, or SCSI. When ordering, choose the IDE kit and get extra hard drive power cables for a third and fourth SATA drive.

PXE is a Windows “Pre-Boot Execution Environment”. Its primary purpose is to provide the ability to boot from a network using your lan card if you have one. You should not have it enabled. There should be some option in the BIOS that specifies booting from an IDE hard drive. That would be the setting that you should be using.

Another possible cause could be a miss-wiring of the Control and Power cables. This has happened before and may be what is causing your problem. The “Drive 1” Control and Power cables must go to the same drive. You can check if this is the problem by connecting the power cables directly so all drives power up. If the PC boots you know you have the power cables crossed.

Question:
Do any of your products switch not only between hard drives but also turn on or off ethernet connections (high speed internet)? I would like to use my computer on the internet, but I cannot afford to have one of my hard drives connected to the internet and exposed to possible viruses.

Answer:
You can easily accomplish what you want by using an IDEX hard drive switch to switch between your two drives and disabling the ethernet port in the settings on second drive. You do not need to physically disconnect the port to be secure.

To disable the port:
- Right click on the “My Network Places” icon and select “Properties”
- Right click on the ethernet adaptor icon and select “Disable”.

You can also add an extra layer of protection by:
- Right click on “My Network Places” and select “Properties”
- Right click on the ethernet adaptor icon an select “Properties”
- Unselect all of the protocols 
   (TCP/IP is the only one you really need – but you might as well turn them all off.).