The primary data channel is the main channel when more than one channel is available. When referring to an IDE/ATA hard drive, the primary channel is what the first and second drive connect to the motherboard or interface card. If the connections are color-coded, the secondary channel is usually black, and the primary is blue. If the connectors are not color-coded they are labeled as “IDE0” and “IDE1,” IDE0 (IDE) is the primary channel.

Channel, Hard drive terms, IDE, Secondary channel

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