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 can be found at $300 and up.

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

Click here for a list of links to SCSI 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 have the option to change new drive's SCSI ID using jumpers on the back of the drive, assign it an ID that you know is not in use by another device.

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

5. Locate a free power cable with the appropriate connector and plug it into the new drive. Plug an unused SCSI 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 (if applicable).

6. 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.

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

8. Start up the computer. Windows should recognize the new optical drive and attempt to install the drivers for it. It may prompt you to insert the Windows 9x CD or the CD or floppy disk that came with the optical drive.

9. Click on the Start button, move the cursor to Settings, and click on Control Panel. Double click on the System icon. Click on the Device Manager tab, then expand the CDROM category. There should now be an entry for your newly installed optical drive. If there is no entry, or if the entry has a yellow circle with an exclamation mark next to it, your optical drive is not configured properly or there is a hardware conflict of some sort. Consult the manual that came with your drive and/or use the Windows Troubleshooting Guide to resolve the problem. To access the Troubleshooting Guide, click on the Start button, then click on Help. Troubleshooting should be listed in the table of contents.

10. Install any software that came bundled with the drive.