problem installing a DVD-RW with an existing CD-RW

[Nathon Jones]

Hi,

I've got a HP Pavilion a110.uk PC, which comes with a CD-RW
(GCE-8400B).
The jumper on the back of this device is set to Csel.

I bought a DVD-RW and am trying to install it. I was advised to set
both
jumpers to Csel.

Anyway, in Device Manager, there are 2 devices listed - the CD-RW and
the
DVD-RW yet in My Computer they are both listed as CD Drive E: and CD
Drive
F:

I can't seem to copy files onto a blank CD in either drive, and it's
really
starting to confuse me now.

I've tried EVERY combination of jumper setting (M & S, S & M (oo-er!),
C &
S, C & M...and so on), but nothing seems to work. What is going on!

By the way, I telephoned HP support and they advised me to set both
devices to Slave...yup, that didn't work either!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Nath.

[Ben Myers]

Nath,

The fact that IDE/ATAPI devices and cabling adhere to not one, but two, cabling
standards adds confusion here.

First, remove the cable to which the devices are to be attached, and examine it
closely, holding it up to the light. What you are looking for is a tiny
miniscule break in one of the strands of wire in the cable. If there is a
break, the light will shine through, and the cable is the Cable Select type.
Cable Select is so named because the position of the device on the cable
dictates whether the device is master or slave.

For a Cable Select type of cable, both devices should have a jumper block placed
on the CS position. For the other type of cable, one device needs to be
jumpered as master and the other as slave. In other words, with a straight
continuous cable, the jumpers, not the cable, establish the master-slave
relation.

Name brand manufacturers like to use cable select cables because it simplifies
the process of assembling a computer. One end of the cable select cable is
intended to be attached to the motherboard. Which end connector (or even the
middle connector) of a straight cable is attached to the motherboard does not
matter.

Now that you have all this information, you will conclude that the HP support
person was clueless. Plug in all the devices according to the info above,
making sure that the (usually) red tinted edge of the cable is oriented toward
pin 1 (of the 40 pins) of every device header to which it is attached. Some
devices, motherboards, and cables are keyed, meaning that there is only one way
to attach the cable without forcing it and breaking something. Many are not.
Also, make sure that the 4-pin device power connectors are firmly plugged in.
Finally, power up the computer and enter its motherboard BIOS CMOS setup and
examine the IDE configuration information. If everything is attached properly,
the motherboard should be able to sense the devices, the system ought to boot up
and run, and Windows should show another device (the DVD-RW) when you click My
Computer. Like a CD-RW, a DVD-RW behaves like a CD-ROM read-only drive and
requires additional software to write DVDs... Ben Myers

On 19 Dec 2003 03:48:21 -0800, nathonjones@kirkmoor.com (Nathon Jones) wrote:
Hi,I've got a HP Pavilion a110.uk PC, which comes with a CD-RW(GCE-8400B).The jumper on the back of this device is set to Csel.I bought a DVD-RW and am trying to install it. I was advised to setbothjumpers to Csel.Anyway, in Device Manager, there are 2 devices listed - the CD-RW andtheDVD-RW yet in My Computer they are both listed as CD Drive E: and CDDriveF:I can't seem to copy files onto a blank CD in either drive, and it'sreallystarting to confuse me now.I've tried EVERY combination of jumper setting (M & S, S & M (oo-er!),C &S, C & M...and so on), but nothing seems to work. What is going on!By the way, I telephoned HP support and they advised me to set bothdevices to Slave...yup, that didn't work either!Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.Nath.