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Questions about CD-RW.

Postby dow on Thu May 22, 2003 2:35 am

I need advise on how to add a CD-RW to my computer and have two questions.
1/ My computer already has a 4X DVD+RW in the 1st bay and I want to add another 52X24x52 CD-RW in the 2nd bay. What is the best way to jumper the drives? The HD drive is primary Master and the DVD+RW is Secondary Master currently.
2/The DVD+RW is using Easy CD Creator 5 and the CD-RW came with Nero Burning SW. Which SW should I use or can I use both?
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Postby TheWizard on Thu May 22, 2003 11:35 am

Ahh, the Dow Jones! ... Sorry, bad reference. :)

1. Use whichever jumper setting your little heart desires. No, really, it doesn't matter all that much. For some people, they say that having two optical drives on the same IDE chain cause problems with copying from one optical drive to the other, but I never had this problem. So, in essence, you could put the CD-RW drive on the same chain as the DVD+RW; if you notice copying problems then move the CD-RW to the primary chain with the hard drive. To be on the safe side and avoid any possible copying issues, put the CD-RW on the primary chain with the hard drive. Remember to use an Ultra ATA/100 IDE cable on the primary chain! All you need is an ATA/33 IDE cable for the CD-RW drive, but if you use that cable on the same chain as the hard drive then your hard drive will become significantly slower at transferring/accessing files!

2. This answer is much like how the answer to the first question started out: use whichever software your little heart desires! Use one or the other or both. Honestly, it's a matter of personal preference.
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Postby dow on Thu May 22, 2003 11:59 am

Thanks for your reply.
1/ I will set the CD-RW as primary slave to avoid problems.
2/ The intruction that came with the CD-RW said use only one burning SW. Is this true? Which one is easier to use? Creator or Nero.
dow
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Postby TheWizard on Thu May 22, 2003 12:25 pm

The instructions probably said that because sometimes there can be software conflicts. Personally, I like Nero, but again, it's entirely a personal preference. If you've been using EZ CD Creator and like it, why switch?
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Postby rdgrimes on Thu May 22, 2003 4:25 pm

If you put the optical on same channel with the HD, you will cause a "pause" in HD activity every time you access the optical drive. This will only be an issue if you are multitasking. I suggest you put the opticals on the same channel to avoid such issues. Most systems have them set this way. You can still do disc-to-disc copies with no problems, as this is one operation, not 2. The only issue with having them on same channel is if you wish to use one for one task, and the other for another task at the same time. (like reading from one in one program while writing to the other from another program). For this they must be on separate channels. Hope that made sense. Your best route is to try both ways and use what works best for your needs. I have nothing but optical drives on the main IDE, and often find myself using more than one at a time, the only way that works is if they're on separate channels. But I can also do 2 simultaneous disc-to-disc copies with all 4 drives in use! (very carefully)
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Postby dow on Thu May 22, 2003 4:54 pm

I will try both ways tonight and see which one works best. Thanks for your input.
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Postby CDRecorder on Thu May 22, 2003 8:38 pm

I would recommend this configuration:

Primary Master: Hard drive
Primary Slave: (none)
Secondary Master: DVD+RW drive
Secondary Slave: CD-RW drive

The claim that you can only use one recording program on your computer is bogus. I've had 4 on the same PC (all at one time) without problems. The only thing you need to note is that you can have only one packet-writing program at one time. That is, don't install DirectCD and InCD at the same time, but you'll be fine with Nero and ECDC both on the computer at the same time.
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