Optical drives are used to read and sometimes record compact disc media. Since most software comes on CD, optical drives are an essential part computers.

If you are unsatisfied with the performance of your current optical drive or would like to be able to record data onto CDs, this upgrade is worth considering.

Optical drives can be divided into three categories: CD-ROM drives, CDR drives, and CDRW drives. CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) drives can only read data from CDs. CDR (Compact Disc Recordable) drives have the added ability of recording data onto special CDR media. CDRW (Compact Disc Re-Writable) drives can read and record data onto CDR media, and also re-record data onto CDRW media. Drives from all three of the categories can be found with either the IDE or SCSI interface.

CDR drives and CDRW drives are becoming more popular because more models are becoming available at lower prices. CDR drives are an excellent tool for permanent data storage because compact discs have a lifespan of approximately 100 years and are relatively cheap (usually ranging from 50 cents to 2 dollars each when bought in quantities of 10 or more). CDRW media are much more expensive but can be rewritten hundreds of times. However, most older CD-ROM drives cannot read CDRW media, making them unsuitable for file transfer between computers. Most CD-ROM drives are priced between $40 and $200, while CDR and CDRW cost $300 and up.

A Phillips screwdriver and about 30 minutes of time are required to install an IDE optical drive.

Click here for a list of links to IDE CD drive manufacturers.
 

the installation

1. Make sure the computer is turned off.

2. Carefully disconnect all of the cables from the back of your computer, place the computer on a stable working platform, and remove the outer case. Discharge any static electricity from your body by touching the computer's power supply.

3. If you are replacing another IDE device, remove the mounting screws, the IDE cable, and the power cable from the old drive. Remove the drive from the computer.

4. Locate a free IDE connector to be used with the drive. If there is another IDE device on the same IDE cable, you will need to set one of the drives as master and the other as slave. Consult the manuals for the two drives to determine the correct jumper settings of each. If you will only have two IDE devices in your computer, it is best to give each its own cable so that they won't have to share the bandwidth. If this is the case, set them both as master.

5. Mount the new drive in the desired location, then secure it with mounting screws.

6. Locate a free power cable with the appropriate connector and plug it into the new drive. Plug an unused IDE connector into the drive, making sure that the side of the cable with the red wire is on the side of the drive connector marked with a 1 or an arrow.

   

7. If you have a sound card that you would like to use to play CD audio, use the four-pin audio cable (usually included with the sound card or optical drive) to connect the four-pin connector on the back of your optical drive with the CD input connector on your sound card.

8. Replace the outer case and move the computer back to its original location. Reconnect all of the cables.

9. Start up the computer and test the drive. The initial BIOS output should in some way indicate that the new drive was recognized. If the drive does not work, turn off the computer, check the connections, and try again. If the drive still does not work, contact the manufacturer.