Why is the 20th hole plugged on the Ribbon Connector?

It is a means of preventing the cable from being installed (plugged in) upside down. Users that inadvertently plug a cable in backwards can cause damage to both the hard drive and the interface. If your system does not have the corresponding missing pin, you may remove this plug by "teasing it out" with a straight pin. The red stripe on the cable itself may be alternatively used for correctly plugging the cable on the drive. The red stripe should always be the closest wire to the power connector. This is usually different with what occurs with floppy drive controller cables, where the red stripe designates the wire furthest away from the power supply.

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