CDRW dilemma!

kurmudgeon · March 30th, 2003, 03:44 PM

I am upgrading my mom's computer, and bought her an AOpen 52x CD-R/RW drive to replace her old Phillips 4X4X8X. Here's what happened when I replaced the drive:
I have changed the CDRW jumper to slave (matching the previous drive).
I checked the setup in DOS---it showed both drives by name, and in their proper places as master and/or slave.
I have changed everything back to the original settings and re-inserted the original CDRW drive. It worked.
I have reconnected the IDE cables making the CDRom the slave and the CDRW as the master (with jumpers matching). That did not work.
I had Nero 5.5.9 installed on the computer. I un-installed it and put the old Adaptec 5.0 program burner program on, in case it was a software issue. It too did not find a burner on the computer, although it acknowledged the existence of the drive itself.
The problem isn't with recognizing the drive. The drive is recognized by the computer. It is having either viable burner program recognize it as a WRITING drive. The programs can read info from it and record it into the Image Recorder (hard drive recorder), but regardless of the commands given, no program establishes the AOpen 52X CD-R/RW as a drive that can write a CD. The old burner (Phillips 4X4X8) works fine....annoyingly slow, but fine.
I'm annoyed---and I'm STUMPED! any ideas?

Peter M · March 30th, 2003, 04:01 PM

Probably the other drive on the same cable doesn't play nicely with the new one. IDE isn't as compatible as you thought.

thekingofpain · March 30th, 2003, 04:10 PM

Can you put the new drive on its own IDE cable and header, maybe just to try it?

kurmudgeon · March 30th, 2003, 05:01 PM

I just tried that; same reaction. It showed the drive, but the burner program still doesn't recognize any writer capabilities!
I was hoping that when I took the CD-Rom out of the equation, it would prove to be a compatibility issue, but that theory's now been shot...
Perhaps the darned drive is just defective...

griobhta · March 30th, 2003, 05:07 PM

Check the DMA settings best switched off to test.

Might try it as master on the secondary or even slave to the master. I have had a few drives that were kind picky about where they were connected.

g

cowboybooter · March 30th, 2003, 05:30 PM

Just a thought, is it compatible with the OS ?

A client of mine bought a USB CDR-W for his Win98 system, recognised the drive but no way it would write. I ( eventually ) stuck the thing on my Win2K Server box, and everything works beautifully!

CBB

kurmudgeon · March 30th, 2003, 05:51 PM

Well, the spec page for AOpen says that this drive is compatible with the OS, but maybe I should just take a hammer to it...!

kurmudgeon · March 30th, 2003, 05:54 PM

and griobhta, thank you---I checked the DMA, and connected it in every combo imaginable, including making it the only CD drive. But at least we're on the same page.

woodbutcher · March 30th, 2003, 06:18 PM

Did you install the latest updates from nero.
I hate to say it (flame time) but I dont like nero.
Then again i'm not a big fan of roxio either.
Diskjuggler, hands down.

BTW, have you tried setting one/both to CS?

WB

kurmudgeon · March 30th, 2003, 06:35 PM

hate to look stupid, but I'll admit my ignorance! What's CS stand for?
oh, and yes, the upgrades were installed.
Never tried Diskjuggler. I'll check it out on MY computer, where things actually work. The annoying thing is that Mom probably will never need this fast drive....she just wants it.