Per www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/if/ide/confCable-c.html
"Using the middle connector and leaving the end connector unattached
...... leaves part of the cable "dangling". This is called a stub and creates
much worse electrical characteristics on the cable, due to reflections
from the unterminated ends of the cable wires. It is not recommended."

I 1st ignored this warning, & found my Toshiba cd drive ( using cable
select, & assigned by Award bios as 2nd channel's slave device )
though can play any VCD just as well, cannot pass BCM diagnostic (
blue screen of "fatal error" appears in Win98se ) unless I use the end
connector of this 80 wire cable to connect this drive ( i.e. bios
assigned as master device ) to my ( VIA ) kt266a 's hdd controller.

Does any1 here have a similar experience ? If this warning is valid,
then why does no mboard / hdd / cdd / dvd / cable manufacturer warn
users of this requirement ?