installing a dvd burner

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i already have a cd burner on my pc. i want to add a dvd burner also. is
there wiring plugs already inside to hook up to? if so what do i have to look
for and how will i know if its the right ones?
 
pierce454 said:
i already have a cd burner on my pc. i want to add a dvd burner also. is
there wiring plugs already inside to hook up to?
Click to expand...

Maybe. You need to hook up a power cable and an ide cable, normally. Without
looking inside the computer, it's impossible to tell from here whether you
have them available or not. Some computers are configured so that they
support exactly what is in there already and no more, and some have support
for additional devices. You may need to buy a power splitter or a different
ide cable if yours isn't ready for the additional hardware.

if so what do i have to look
for and how will i know if its the right ones?
Click to expand...

The power cable normally has a white endpiece and had four colored wires
going in to it. It's rounded on one side and square on the other so it makes
it difficult to insert it upside-down. You'll see one of them going to your
hard drive(s) and CD drive(s) already.

The ide cable is a flat ribbon, usually gray, with a red stripe on one side
so you know which way the ribbon is supposed to go into the drive. Some
ribbons have 2 connectors for drives (the most you can connect) but some
cheap ones that come with computers will have only 1 connector for a single
drive, which means you'd need to replace the cable to add a drive.

Also, when installing the drive, if you're installing 2 drives on one cable,
you need to make sure that either you've got one set for master and the
other for slave, or that both are set for cable select and the drives and
cable are correct for that configuration.
 
Cari (MS-MVP) said:
I've not come across a DVD burner that has a SATA connection.
Click to expand...


Cari:
Well there's the Plextor PX-716SA which has a SATA interface. There might be
others as well.

But to respond to the OP's query...

We'll assume you'll be purchasing the usual type of DVD recorder with the
common PATA interface. It will be basically the same connection-type as your
CD-ROM. So you'll have two connections on the recorder -- the IDE data cable
connector & the power plug connector -- the same that is on your CD-ROM.
Note the jumper pins on the device. You'll have to set the jumper depending
upon how you connect the recorder, as a Master or a Slave. Assuming you
purchase a retail boxed DVD recorder it will come with instructions re
setting it up. But if at all possible it *really* would be helpful if you
had someone at your side leading you in the connection process. Not
particularly difficult, but it helps if you have someone guiding you the
first time you're installing the device. And it certainly looks like this is
your "first time".
Anna
 
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