Installing an IDE CD-R

With the wave of interest in CD-Rs it is likely that you will soon invest in one of these units. It is also likely you will invest in an IDE version. Several companies offer various speed, and writing options.

One of the reasons you may invest in an IDE version is so you won't have to add another card to your system which may already be full. Also most systems have at least one port available where you can put such a unit.

So one of the first things you need to know is, do have you a place to connect the CD-R to? On most newer computers usually you have two IDE ports that will handle two devices( a master and a slave). A bootable IDE hard drive is usually on port one as master. If you have a CD-ROM, it could possibly be on the secondary IDE port as master. Probably you will make the CD-R master and the CD-ROM slave.

Once you have the CD-R you should take care of a few necessary things to make sure it works correctly. First, they usually work best on the secondary IDE port, and not as slave to the main hard drive. Secondly, you should make sure that any Ultra DMA and busmastering options are disabled for that port. These options will cause bad recordings.

On some systems you may find that you will have to have the CD-R as slave by itself on the secondary port. And even if it can work as master on the secondary port, it may not work if any other unit is attached there. Don't be surprised if you have to move an existing CD-ROM elsewhere. This can be to as slave to the main hard drive or to a sound card which has a port for a CD-ROM.

Make it a good day!

Ross

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