Help for CD read-write

[SoopaStar]

question1: goto into your system properties (right click on My Computer and choose Properties) Click on the "Device manager" tab and goto the CD rom icon. Click on the + next to it. Then click on the CD Rom and choose properties. Under the "Settings" tab at the bottom, there is a "end Drive letter". Set that to Z. Your computer may not have allowed for extra drives. This can also solve the problem of disapearing harddrive partitions.
question2: You can use a CDRW drive as a standalone. I have an HP 7200i CDRW and I use it as my primary drive. But only because I don't use my cd rom drive very often. Many people feel you shouldnt use it as the primary cdrom drive because it can wear out the motor faster. Also, if you want to do copies of CD's, you will have to now copy them to your harddrive (make an ISO image with EZ CD Creator or a BIN file with CDRWIN) and make the copies from there. Which I reccomend anywas going the cd copy to harddrive route anyways. I feel harddrive trnasfers are more reliable than cd transfers
hope that helps

SS

[astroman]

Thanks for the help. Just another Q. I intend to have both cdroms in place. Does the jumper settings matter as the system keeps hanging when my cdRW is set as master and it doesn't respond when I set it as slave.

[astroman]

I tried installing a newly purchased cdrw with my existing cdrom with no success. System detects either one or the other. Please help. Many thanks.

ps: pardon my ignorance but is a cdrw meant to used as a stand-alone??

[astroman]

ALright, got the problem rectified. Thanks heaps for the help. Got a general question though. Is it necessary to format CD media before you burn a Cd. Took me a good hour to format one piece. Also, how long does it take to cut (let's say) a full audio cd? I have a 16x2x2 CD burner.cheers

[Mntsnow]

Astroman.

Its real easy to figure out how long it will take to burn a full cd at any given speed..

1x = 74 min burn time
2x = 36 min burn time
4x = 19 min burn time
6x = 12 min burn time
8x = 9 min burn time

as to your other question NO you dont have to "format" a cd before use. but if you want to return a cdrw to a "blank" state you are basically writing 0's to it.

I my opinion cdrw is not worth the cost or time. (most re-burners can only burn at 4x MAX. and when a good cdrw disk cost 5-7 bucks when bought in bulk verus 89 cents to 1.25 each for 8x certified cd media and burning speeds of 8x..you start to see my point.

Have fun with your burner!

Mntsnow

[astroman]

Thanks for the tips http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif