Hard Drive Question

I recently bought a CD-RW for my computer. I have two IDE connections on my motherboard, each supporting two devices. I have the CD-RW and DVD on one. The hard drive is on the other. Before buying the CD-RW, I had the DVD and a Zip drive together. I don't have the Zip drive connected at the moment because the position of my hard drive inside my computer case makes it impossible for the second connector to reach my Zip drive.

I have a Dell XPS T-450 (the older beige Dell cases). My hard drive is placed vertically at the front of the computer case. I was wondering if it would affect anything if I put it in one of the bays instead. It's position in the case seems well ventilated; it also fits tightly in place. I was wondering if moving it to one of the bays (where it might not be as well ventilated or fit as snug, thus perhaps vibrating more) is unwise. If not, is there anything I need to know about, anything I need to be especially concerned with?

Thanks.

 

Originally, I thought about just buying a 36-inch IDE cable. That would do the trick. But I talked with a guy at a computer store today who told me that anything beyond about 18 inches might cause data corruption or lose or something like that. I didn't much like that thought, especially in the same context as the data on my hard drive. My Zip drive isn't absolutely essential, especially now that I have a CD-RW. But since it's there, I'd like it to function. I guess I could leave it "unplugged" unless I absolutely need it for something and pull the connection off the DVD player.

 

Since my Zip drive isn't absolutely needed, I fall into the "not willing to take the risk" category. I also don't have any more 5.25 bays to put my hard drive in with a fan. Oh well.