Compaq X09 - Configure CDRW/DVDS and DVD Writer

[Guest]

Hi... Looking for some guidance.

I purchased a Compaq X09 gaming system to use primarily for CAD work at the
beginning of this year. After I set the system up, I discovered that I
couldn't use both optical drives to write data. I contacted Compaq's online
support, and after two days, and a lot of online time, I was informed that XP
wouldn't support two drives configured to write data under Windows XP. Is
this a true statement?

I now have time to try to correct the problem (if that is possible). I have
read posts on this thread which would lead me to believe that I should be
able to configure the system to work properly.

The following is information which may be pertinent:

The HP DVD writer is set up through BIOS as the Secondary IDE Master. The
following is information provided in the BIOS setup: Device: ATAPI CD-ROM; HP
DVD Writer 300c; LBA Mode: Supported; PIO Mode: 4; Async DMA: Multiword DMA
2; Ultra DMA: Ultra DMA 2; Type: Auto; and PIO Mode: Auto.

The Samsung CDRW/DVDS is set up through BIOS as the Secondary IDE Slave. The
following is information provided in the BIOS setup: Device: ATAPI CD-ROM;
Samsung CDRW/DVD SM-348B; LBA Mode: Supported; PIO Mode: 4; Async DMA:
Multiword DMA 2; Ultra DMA: Ultra DMA 2; Type: Auto; and PIO Mode: Auto.

I have tried configuring both drives as writable drives through Windows
Explorer; but, when I reboot, things seem to change quite a bit. For example,
one of the drives won't be displayed, and the drive letter assignments change.

Thanks in advance for any help that might be provided.

 

[Nathan McNulty]

Windows will only natively allow you to write to one Writer at a time.
You can select which one is used by checking the Record Tab in the
Properties of that drive. If you want to write to both drives, you need
to use a program like Nero which allows you to use either (but you still
have to choose which one).

 

[Guest]

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for your reply. I find it peculiar that Compaq would include two
writeable drivess in the box, when only one can be used at any given moment.

Can you tell me more about your Nero comment? Are you saying that I would
still need to select the recordable drive in the properties tab, and then
select that drive in the program? Or is there some other feature that you are
referring to?

Thanks

Jeff

 

[Thomas Wendell]

You don't need to go the properties settings with Nero. It has its own place
where to choose which drive you want to burn with. (And you can change that
per burn, ie. first with one drive and immediately followed by a burn on the
other drive...


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Tumppi
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[Nathan McNulty]

This is what I meant. In the Nero application, you choose the recording
device

Also, you may be able to use both if you were to open two instances of
Nero and choose a seperate burner per each instance. You may run into
quite a few problems doing this though.

 

[Thomas Wendell]

Yes, XP will prevent you from checking the tab in the property box for both
drives that enables their writing capability,
You check one, it unchecks the other.

Nero, instead, uses it's own schemes for working, so the best would be to
disable the IMAPI COM service and use InCD to format or erase CD-RWs to use
them as big diskettes, and "Nero Burning ROM" for burning to CD-Rs


--
Tumppi
Reply to group
=================================================
Most learned on nntp://news.mircosoft.com
Helsinki, Finland (remove _NOSPAM)
(translations from FI/SE not always accurate)
=================================================

 

[Nathan McNulty]

There are two reasons that were explained to me as to why Windows does this:

1) Windows is not able to select which writer is to be used on its own.
When you send files to CD and burn a CD, it cannot choose the
appropraite burner without the user selecting which one.

2) They limited it because writing to 2 CD Writers on the same IDE Cable
could cause problems with transfering data. Basically they wanted to
reduce the number of possible errors that a user could run into.

Do remember that the built in writing engine is licensed from Roxio, but
is older technology.