14th May 2008

Install CD Burner, Installing a CD Writer or DVD player/burner

Welcome to our guide to installing an optical drive.

Whether you are installing a new optical drive into your computer's case, or replacing an old device, the procedure is fairly straight forward.

This guide will take you through the process of installing a CD recorder or DVD player/recorder into your PC, step by step with the aid of photos.

We have included a list of the tools that will be required. If you need any advice for the installation, check out our tech support forum

If you haven't already purchased your CD Writer/DVD Writer, then see our guide to internal CD Writers and DVD Players

Before you follow this tutorial you must read and agree to the terms of our disclaimer.

To install your cd burner you will need:

Compatible CD Recorder or DVD drive (IDE).
4 securing screws (supplied with your CD Recorder / DVD Writer).
Cross-point (Philips) Screwdriver suitable for your PC case.
IDE Cable (if required).
Anti-Static Wrist-strap (if available).

Starting the Installation

note: Disconnect the power and remove your PC's cover, see our guide.

The first step (after removing the case covers) is to remove the "blank" plastic front from the position in which you want to install the cd writer (fig 1.1), if you have a CD-ROM drive installed then if possible leave a gap in-between the CD-ROM and the CD-WRITER, this will enable a sufficient amount of air to flow between the two drives.

If you have trouble removing the "blank" you can use a flat ended screwdriver to ease the blank out, taking care not to damage the case.

CD Writer Back Panel

Next draw your attention to the back panel of the CD Recorder.

Note the section we have pointed out in fig 1.2 above, this is the jumper selection that depicts what the drive will be in the IDE configuration, some CD Writers work best when they are the master, others work fine regardless, always consult the manufacturers instructions that came with your CD Writer.

There are 3 options, Cable Select, Slave, and Master.

Selection is done by means of a jumper, the option you choose will depend on your system set-up.

Master should be selected if this will be the only device on a single IDE cable, or, if it is the second device to be connected and the other device is set to slave.
Slave should be selected if this will be the second device on a singe IDE cable, for instance, if you do not already have a CD-ROM drive then you could attach the new device to the same IDE cable as your hard drive (where your hard drive will be the master).
Cable Select should be selected only when the devices are to be attached as the cable depicts, ie, the first connector (working away from the motherboard) is the slave and the last connector is the master device.

In fig 1.3 to the right you can see a standard IDE Cable, note there are 3 connections (notice the difference in distance between the connectors), connection A plugs into the motherboard and then the slave and master connections are used for IDE devices such as hard drives, CD-ROM Drives and CD Writers.

If you need to attach a second IDE cable refer to your motherboard's manual.

Insert the CD Writer / DVD Player

The next step is to gently slide the device into the empty bay (fig 1.4), making sure it is free of any obstruction.

Next take the screws that came with your CD Writer and secure the device so it is flush with the front of your case (fig 1.5), ensure to secure using all the screws supplied (normally 4).

Connecting the cables

The next step is to attach the IDE and power cables (fig 1.6)

The power cable (fig 1.7) will only fit one way, so you won't put it in the wrong way round, but as a guide the red wire should go to 5v.

The IDE cable will be marked down one side with a red or black strip, this denotes Pin 1, match this with the Pin 1 indicator on the back of the device, further, some IDE cables have a blank in one hole to stop you inserting it in incorrectly.

If you would like to attach an audio cable to the device follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Finishing the Installation

Double check all connections and make sure the device is set correctly as master or slave.

You may wish to test the device is correctly installed before replacing the covers, but it is advisable to replace the covers before reconnecting the mains.

When you reboot your machine the bios should automatically detect the new drive, and then when you get to the windows screen, go to My Computer and you should see your new drive there. The letter assigned to the drive will depend on your machine's configuration.

Next follow the manufacturer's instructions to install your CD Writer software, we will shortly be publishing a course for Nero^® burning software which you will find in the courses section.