Installing a cd-rom, cdrw, or dvd drive is quite similar to installing a hard
drive. Make sure you have a place to put it and cables to connect to it. If
you do, you should decide what type of drive would best suite you. Most
computers a run normal cd-rom drive. A good type of drive would be a 52x speed.
These drives are fast and can accomidate most people quite well. If you’re
interested in copying music, files, or anything else you’d like to copy, you may
want a cd burner. When you buy a cd burner it is important to know if it is
going to be your primary or secondary cd-rom. If it’s a secondary, it doesn’t
hurt to have a lower reading speed. If it’s your primary, stick with a faster
speed. Some people may even want dvd drives. These are very handy for watching
dvd movies. These drives may cost a little bit more. Most speeds of dvd drives
read dvds quite well. So, this tends to mean that many dvd drives have slower
reading speeds. This can be a problem for people using this as their primary
cd-rom.
To install the drive, simply mount the cd-rom and connect the IDE cable and
power cable. Make sure that you have the jumpers set to correspond with your
other IDE devices. With most new operating systems like Windows XP, your
operating system should automatically detect it upon booting and install it for
you. This makes installation of cd-roms quite easy.
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1-Jumper Settings
2-40 Pin IDE connector
3-Molex Power Connector