/_
/_The IDE devices are "lettered" according to where they are attached.  Your
/_comment about needing to specify hdc and the hdb confusion indicates this
/_layout:
/_
/_Original drive = Master, IDE bus 1 = hda
/_CDROM drive    = Slave,  IDE bus 1 = hdb
/_New drive      = Master, IDE bus 2 = hdc
/_Nothing yet    = Slave,  IDE bus 2 = hdd
/_
/_Even if you had nothing attached as the slave on IDE bus 1 and you attached
/_your new drive as the master on bus 2, the new drive would still be hdc.
/_
I worked for a firm who did PCI expansion: I recall having some drives
on my servers that had "hdg & hdh" (We had two additional IDE busses out
in the expansion unit.)

v/r
-Mike