Re: Replace DVD drive easy ?

Hello Bob,

Based on my personal experience, my belief is that if you physically install
your new Duel Layer DVD burner using the same cabling and jumper settings as
with your existing (worn-out) drive, you should be fine.

Windows XP will take care of the driver issue for you. No need to install
any drivers for your DVD burner.

Installing a CD/DVD drive is very similar to installing a hard drive. If
you've installed a hard drive before, installing a CD/DVD drive will be just
as easy.

So far as your existing software goes, leave it (them) installed if your
happy with the applications you have. But be aware that older software (2
years old) may pre-date DVD duel layer technology and not allow duel layer
burning. You might have to install the DVD drive and then open your
applications to see if duel layer becomes available.

Did any software come with your new drive? Sometimes new software makes
life better. (Sometimes it makes life worse too).

When you open your favorite CD/DVD burning application, it looks for CD/DVD
drives installed in the XP Device Manager. If it is properly installed in
Device Manager, then your application should see it and burn to it without
any hitches.

One note tho, every year or so it's good to update the CD/DVD drive
firmware. Drive manufactures are constantly making updates available on
there web sites. The firmware is a small software utility that is installed
onto the drive itself. This helps the CD/DVD drive recognize blank media so
that it will know how to set the laser for a proper burn based on the blank
media you insert into the drive. Updating the firmware is somewhat similar
to flashing or updating your system BIOS.

As for question #1, it's probably good to use a good disc laser cleaner
every so often. But then I've never used one and haven't had a need to that
I'm aware of.

Hope this is helpful...!

Best regards,

Richard in Va.
++++++++++++++++++
<bcarwell@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1141616714.110300.108340@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have a Fry's desktop computer with a DVD burner in it. Its about 3
years old and after burning 20 DVDs today it looks like the DVD drive
has crapped out (it plays DVD movies but doesn't recognize CDROM, music
CDs, or blank CDs for burning, even after reboot).

First question: is there anything I can try (like a lens cleaner) ?

Second question: how involved is it to replace with a new DVD burner ?
I know all about Master, Slave, cables, etc. and how to physically
install.

But what concerns me is: (1) will I have to go through some sort of
dance with Microsoft thinking my computer is different (I have XP Home)
or does changing a DVD burner out not trigger anything with the
operating system; and
(2) what's the deal with the
burning software and drivers ? I have several applications installed
that burn (Adobe Encore, Nero, several video editing programs like
Pinnacle Studio, Adobe Premier, etc.). Am I going to have to reinstall
all those applications ? Or just a driver for the new drive (the
manual for the new drive I think doesn't say it has a driver per se but
it came bundled with burning application software that I presume has
the drivers).

Please note that the new DVD drive is a different brand than the one
that's apparently broken and supports dual layer whereas the original
broken one was only single layer and different brand. The new one
doesn't have to be configured for dual layer as I never use dual layer
disks, if that matters.

Any advice would be much appreciated before I take it in to Fry's. I'm
capable of getting under the hood since I've replaced memory, hard
drives, cards, etc. a lot. I just haven't ever done so in Windows XP
and haven't replaced a DVD drive with so many applications depending on
it for burning, so I don't know the driver story. I don't care if the
new drive is optimized to the greatest driver or how fast it burns.

Thanks for any help.

Bob



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