Disassembling and reassembling the internal components of a computer’s CPU is not particularly difficult; however, many non-professional users often feel apprehensive about handling such sophisticated “computer” devices.
This article provides a guide on how to disassemble, install, and upgrade a CD-ROM drive, which is one of the most commonly replaced and upgraded components, including CD, CD Rewriter, DVD, and DVD Rewriter drives that you might transfer from one machine to another or lend to friends more easily.
The first step is always to unplug the power supply and turn the case (computer shell) upside down. If you are installing a CD-ROM drive and it is not placed on a horizontal bar, you will need to remove both side panels of the case. The CD drive is secured with two screws on each side; if you don’t use them, the CD drive may vibrate significantly if not adequately secured. We will disconnect all the plugs from the connector at the back of the CD drive (see the pictures for connection details) and remove the four screws.
In reality, both CD and CD burn drives (CD Rewriter) have the same shape as DVD and DVD burn drives. It is nearly impossible to distinguish between them except for the label on the front of the drive. These drives are typically installed or removed from the front of the case, as the CD tray is accessed from the front. If there are multiple bays in use, it is fine to place the drive in any of them; the lower bays are often more convenient due to a lower center of gravity and shorter cable lengths. Don’t forget to disconnect the power cable, IDE, or audio cable from the back of the CD drive. Sometimes, the power cable can be quite snug, making it difficult to remove.
Both the CD and DVD drives, along with their equivalent burners, are parallel IDE drives. There are also more expensive SCSI drives suitable for specific applications, typically in array configurations, but we will not be discussing those here. Parallel IDE drives are equipped with Master/Slave jumpers that allow the IDE controller to specify two separate drives on a single channel. The drive describes three jumper settings: Master, Slave, and Cable Select. The easiest way to ensure that a newly installed CD burner is correctly identified is to place it next to the old CD drive to check that the jumper settings match.
The CD burner is then installed into the case and secured with four screws. If you are doing this with the case standing upright, make sure that the CD drive is properly supported from below as you push it inside, since some very cheap cases have open frames, which means the drive could fall from your hands and damage the motherboard. As the front of the CD burner will be facing the front of the case, ensure that it is flush with the front panel of the case before tightening the four screws.
Now we will guide you on how to connect the CD burner, noting that it is identical to connecting a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or DVD burner. The first cable you need to connect when installing a CD drive (which is at the very bottom and hardest to access) is the audio cable for playing music, which connects to the sound card. If you skip this step, everything will still function normally, including sound in games, but you will not be able to hear music from CDs.
The 40-wire cable may fit snugly into the connector on the CD burner, or you may need to push it to secure it. The red wire on the side of the cable should connect to “Pin 1” of the connector, and if the drive does not have a label, this red wire will plug next to the power connector.
If the CD burner you just installed is still not recognized by the computer, check that all the cables are securely connected and ensure that the driver (device control software) does not conflict with other devices. I hope you find it easier to operate after reading my article.
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