CD-ROM technology offers two characteristics that make it exceptionally well-suited for multimedia systems (Figure 56-1). First, CDs can reliably hold more than 600MB of information - perfect for storage-hungry MIDI or WAV sound files, graphic images, and video files. Second, CD-ROM drives can transfer data to the system at a rate fast enough to support full-motion video. If you do not have a CD-ROM in your PC yet, chances are that you'll be installing one soon. This article shows you the characteristics to look for in CD-ROM drives, and what is required for multimedia operation. You will also learn how to install typical CD-ROM hardware and software, and deal with typical CD-ROM installation problems.

Before we discuss the CD-ROM drive, you must understand the concepts of the CD itself. In terms of technology, the computer CD is not very different from the selection of audio CDs that you've probably got in your living room. A CD is little more than a plastic disk. One surface of the disk (the surface opposite of the silk-screened label) contains digital data encoded in the form of microscopic pits and lands that are wound in a continuous spiral pattern from disk edge to disk spindle. Each turn of pits and lands is less than 2 microns (2 millionths of a meter) apart - if the spiral data could be unwound and held out straight, it would stretch for almost 3 miles!

In reality, the data recorded on audio and computer CDs is very similar - both contain digital information - you can even play an audio CD in many computer CD-ROM drives. However, you need a utility to interpret the audio CD information because the audio CD data format is not in a form that is directly usable by the computer such as executable files, image files, or database files. You can not use computer CDs in audio CD players because audio CD players lack the sophisticated data error correcting circuitry that is so vital in computer data handling. After all, if the audio CD misses a few bits here and there, your ears will never know the difference. If your computer misses so much as a single bit, however, your system may crash, or your vital data may be irretrievably destroyed.

Digital information on your CDs is read by rotating the CD and tracking a reading head along the spiral data path of pits and lands - very similar in form to the way record players used to work. Instead of a diamond stylus, a laser beam is used to detect the pits and lands. Since the laser's light reflects differently off the pits versus the lands, the CD-ROM drive can tell where the pits and lands are by looking at the laser's reflection from the CD surface. The 'pit-and-land' information can then be decoded into individual bits by the drive's internal circuitry.

The extracted binary information then represents executable programs, data or image files, sound files, or video files in some established format that your multimedia application can work with. You can read the contents of a CD-ROM disk in a directory just as you would read the directory of a floppy disk or hard drive - the CD-ROM drive is even assigned a drive letter (i.e. D:, E:, or F:) just like other drives in your system. In order to be useful for multimedia applications, your CD-ROM drive must meet two important performance criteria; data transfer rate and seek time.

The data transfer rate (DTR) of your CD-ROM drive is the rate at which information from the CD is read into your computer. Original (single-speed) drives provided a DTR of only 150KB per second. This worked, but could not transfer enough data to handle full-motion video. Double-speed CD-ROM drives can approach 300KB per second while using no more than 40% of your CPU's processing capacity (30% or less is even better). The amount of CPU capacity is important because the CPU also has to run the rest of the computer and continue to execute the current program(s) while the CD's data is being transferred. If the CPU has to give all of its attention to getting data from your CD-ROM, the system will run very sluggishly or hesitantly. For this reason, a computer with a fast CPU such as a 386 is required, and a 486 is preferred.

The seek time (ST) of your CD-ROM drive is the amount of time needed to locate the necessary data file or program on the CD. The maximum acceptable time is 1 second (for single-speed drives), but most inexpensive double-speed CD-ROM drives can accomplish a seek in 0.5 seconds (500 ms or milliseconds). Drives with 300 ms seek times are available. Seek time is important because even the fastest computer must stop and wait for the CD-ROM to locate the needed information before it can be accessed. Half a second sounds fast, but the delays add up, and can become very annoying over long periods of use. The total time needed to access data is the seek time plus the data transfer time. Faster is definitely better here.

Generally speaking, the installation of a CD-ROM drive involves the drive unit itself, an adapter board, and a connecting cable. Many CD-ROM drives are added to "multimedia kits" such as the Diamond Multimedia Kit shown in Figure 56-2. The following information is intended to explain some general guidelines and objectives for you to keep in mind - the precise 'bolt-by-bolt' procedure will certainly vary slightly from computer to computer.

As with most "construction" projects, advance planning is important to ensuring a smooth, trouble-free PC upgrade. Most problem upgrades occur because of limitations or incompatibilities between the current PC configuration and the CD-ROM or adapter that passed unnoticed (until it was too late and the PC was in pieces). Try the following guidelines when selecting a new CD-ROM:

As with all new peripheral installations, you must turn off and unplug the computer. This may sound ridiculously obvious, but you would be amazed by the number of inexperienced users who injure themselves or damage their expensive system by leaving the computer power on. You should also make it a point to use static controls (i.e. wrist strap and anti-static bags) to prevent damage to the new equipment. Next, you must get into the computer. Remove the top cover to your machine. This procedure will depend on the number and location of housing screws in your particular system.

If your CD-ROM drive is an internal version, you will have to locate an empty drive bay in your computer (Figure 56-3). Since you will need to access the drive regularly, it should be mounted in an empty bay located either above or below your existing floppy drive(s). If there are no empty flush drive bays available, you may have to free a bay by relocating a non-accessible drive (such as a hard drive) to a rear bay located deep in your machine. If there is simply no room to be had anywhere, you will have to decide between removing an existing drive or rethinking your approach and exchanging the internal CD-ROM for an external CD-ROM drive. Assuming that you have the space available, you will have to slide the drive into the bay (along existing or newly installed rails) and bolt it into place. If your drive is external, your problem is simplified to just finding space near the computer's cabinet, and plugging the external power adapter between an available power outlet and your drive. Remember that external drives do not receive power from your system.

Once the physical drive is installed, you will need to install the drive's adapter card. An adapter card is a small, plug-in expansion board that allows the drive to interface with your computer's main busses - this establishes the drive's physical and electronic connection to your system. Before installation, you may need to configure your adapter board by altering jumper or dip switch settings to select an appropriate I/O address, interrupt request line (IRQ), or direct memory access (DMA) channel. Since all adapter boards are designed and laid out differently, refer to the documentation enclosed with your adapter board for more detailed configuration procedures. When you decide on resource settings for the adapter board, note the IRQ, I/O, and DMA, and driver names on a sheet of paper, and tape the paper to the inside of the computer cover. You can also use the PC Configuration Form in Appendix F.

Typically, adapter card installation involves choosing an available expansion slot in your computer, removing the narrow metal cover plate for that slot, sliding the board gently into the expansion connector until it is seated completely (Figure 56-4). Be EXTREMELY careful when installing any adapter board! Careless or excessive force could damage the adapter, or even damage your system's motherboard. Use the screw removed with the metal cover plate to secure the new adapter board into place, and keep the blank metal plate aside for future use.

While many CD-ROM drives make use of proprietary or non-standard interface schemes, the small computer system interface (SCSI) is rapidly growing in popularity. For our practical purposes here, SCSI is little more than a bus extending from an SCSI host controller card plugged into your computer's motherboard. The CD-ROM (or other SCSI-compatible device) can plug into this peripheral bus. As you will see in Chapter 48, the advantage of SCSI is that it is a system-level bus. In other words, the intelligence of the bus is placed in each device - not in the host controller. Using this approach, new and more sophisticated devices can be added to a computer system without concern for the host, so no additional hardware would be needed. A common language composed of about a dozen or so commands can be used to move data back and forth to the peripheral. Only a new device driver would need to be written for a new peripheral.

Each device on the SCSI bus requires its own unique ID number so that the host controller can identify the desired peripheral. The original SCSI implementation used an 8 bit data bus, so only up to 8 devices can be used. The wide SCSI-2 implementation can be configured to include 16 or 32 data lines, so even more devices could be added. The ID is generally determined by setting a series of dip switches in the peripheral itself. CD-ROMs are part of the SCSI-2 description, and are often assigned a SCSI ID of 6. Connection to the SCSI bus is accomplished using a single 50 conductor cable (wide SCSI uses a 68-pin cable). Note that there are two general implementations for the 50-pin cable; single-ended and differential. The single-ended SCSI cable is used for short distances in relatively low-noise environments, while the differential is suitable for carrying signals over longer distances.

As with conventional adapter installations, the host computer should be turned off and unplugged before being opened to receive the drive. Under no circumstances should you attempt to install host adapters or drive cables while the computer is running. Not only is a serious shock hazard present for your customers, but the hardware will likely be destroyed. The SCSI host adapter board must be installed in an expansion slot on the host system's motherboard (if it has not been done already). Most SCSI host controllers come with their own installation and setup instructions, but there are several common guidelines to remember. First, an address location, interrupt number, and DMA channel will have to selected for the board. This is typically accomplished by setting one or more jumpers or dip switches. The board should be inserted evenly and completely into its expansion slot, then screwed securely into place by its board bracket.

Carefully unpack the CD-ROM drive from its packing materials and locate the drive's ID selector jumpers or dip switches. The selectors are usually located on the rear of the drive next to the SCSI cable connector. There may also be a parity selector as well. Parity is a means of error checking, but it is usually disabled at the factory, since the use of parity is not standard among SCSI devices. If all SCSI devices in the system support parity, it can be enabled for all devices - otherwise, it must be disabled for all devices. The drive's ID may be set to some low number such as 1 (often a factory default). Since low ID numbers have higher priority on the SCSI bus, low numbers are ideal for slower devices such as CD-ROMs. Making the slower device a higher priority prevents faster peripherals from hogging the bus. Keep in mind that bootable SCSI hard drives are assigned an ID of 0, and a second SCSI hard drive is typically set to ID 1. As a result, you should set the CD-ROM between 2 and 6 (start with the lowest available ID in the SCSI chain). You need not worry about such things as address, interrupt, or DMA for the drive, because those are hardware-level concerns assumed by the host controller board.

If the drive is internal, you should mount it into an available drive bay and secure it into place. If the drive is external, locate it in a convenient place near the host computer. Connect the power cable to the drive (but do not apply power yet) and attach any ground straps that may be required. Attach the SCSI bus cable from the host controller board to the drive. If the CD-ROM is the last internal device in the sequence, attach any terminator module to the SCSI bus cable. If the drive is external, you may have to remove the cable's terminator module. Remember that even though this is a SCSI installation, you will need to load device drivers.

There will be a ribbon cable to connect the drive and adapter card. This is the signal (or data) cable. Gently install the cable, and be very careful to keep the proper pin orientation. Otherwise, you may wind up reversing one end of the signal cable. Signal reversal is rarely damaging to the drive, but it can prevent the drive from working. Many connectors today are 'keyed' to prevent accidental reversal. Keep in mind that only digital information is passed along the data cable. Audio, however, must be passed to the sound board through a small, shielded audio cable. Many multimedia kits supply this audio cable which plugs directly into the sound board - which often doubles as the CD-ROM adapter.

Finally, connect an available power cable from the system into the drive. Most internal CD-ROM drives use the same power cable configuration as hard and floppy drives. You should be able to locate an extra drive power cable (a 4 pin Molex-type connector) and attach it to your drive. Power cables are keyed, so accidentally reversing the power is impossible. If all 4-pin power connectors from your supply are in use with other drives, you can use a "Y" power cable with an existing power cable to "tap" an extra connector for the CD-ROM drive. If your CD-ROM adapter card offers amplified speaker outputs, you may connect your external speakers as this point. Figures 56-5 and 56-6 illustrate the cabling between a drive and adapter.

In addition to hardware installation, you will have to install at least two pieces of software before you can make use of the CD-ROM drive. Locate the device driver disk supplied with the CD-ROM drive. Insert the disk in your floppy drive, change to that drive, then start the installation program supplied on the disk (see the disk label for the appropriate setup name). Follow the setup program's instructions to install the required device drivers and perform any additional system configuration as requested.

Typically, the installation diskette will copy two files to your system. MSCDEX.EXE (Microsoft CD Extension) is a required device driver for all CD-ROM installations so that the drive will work with DOS. MSCDEX.EXE assigns the drive letter to the CD-ROM and allows your computer to treat the CD-ROM drive just like any other drive in the system. There will also be at least one device driver (usually a file with a .SYS extension) that is drive-specific, and controls the flow of information between the drive and adapter board.

After the necessary device drivers are installed, the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files will usually be altered to call the new device drivers automatically during system startup. The device-specific CD-ROM device driver will typically be added to your CONFIG.SYS file, while the MSCDEX.EXE device driver will be added to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The exact location and command line switches that are installed with your device drivers will depend on your system itself and the particular CD-ROM being installed. Once installation is complete, you can use the commands type autoexec.bat or type config.sys to view the new file contents.

After installation is finished, reboot the system so that the new drivers can be loaded and the new system configuration will take hold. You should now have access to your new CD-ROM drive. Install a CD, switch to the drive (i.e. D: [Enter]), and type DIR [Enter] to view the CD's file directory.

When using the CD-ROM through Windows, you will also need to install an MCI (Multimedia Control Interface) driver in the Drivers dialog box under the Windows Control Panel. This will allow Windows to play CD audio. After the driver(s) are installed, you will have to exit Windows and re-start it in order for the new drivers to take effect. If you will not be playing audio, you can generally omit the driver - the CD-ROM will still be accessible under Windows, but no audio will be available.

In spite of the best efforts and all of the documentation on hand, there will be occasions where the installation of a new CD-ROM is fraught with problems. Any incorrect or omitted step in hardware or software installation can spell trouble. The following section shows you some of the more common problems that can arise during CD-ROM installation, and gives you the information needed to resolve those problems.

Stacker and DoubleSpace are very powerful and effective utilities for increasing the effective space on your hard drive. However, adding compression to a system AFTER the CD-ROM is installed may cause some problems for the drive. Fortunately, the problem can be corrected fairly easily. You see, a compressor creates a new logical drive on the existing hard drive. Therefore, a new drive letter will be required. If your original hard drive is C: the compressor will often assign D: as the new drive. If the CD-ROM is already assigned to D:, however, there will be a conflict problem. If you are in the process of installing a compressor and have the chance to enter a new drive letter, use a letter other than the CD-ROM (or any other drive in your system). If the compressor installed with its defaults and absconded with your CD-ROM's drive letter, you can alter the CD-ROM drive letter with the command line switches of the low-level driver and MSCDEX - often with MSCDEX alone. Refer to Chapter 16 for a listing of MSCDEX command line switches. Keep in mind that you may also need to alter the LASTDRIVE setting in your startup files.

Symptom 1: The computer does not initialize. This symptom assumes that you have proper power connected to the computer, and that the power switch is on. If the system's power light comes on but there is no system activity (or the system begins its memory test and initialization, but freezes or hangs up), there may be a problem with your new CD-ROM adapter board. Turn off all power to the system, open the computer, and check again to see that the adapter board (and all available expansion boards) are inserted properly and completely. Also double-check the board's configuration to be sure that its base I/O address, IRQ line, or DMA channel do not conflict with other devices that may be present in your system. You may have to remove the adapter board to check its configuration settings. Finally, double-check the data cable running between the drive and adapter board. If one end of the cable is reversed, the confused flow of data may be enough to freeze some computer designs - it really depends on your adapter board and computer - but it is always worth a second look.

If you are unable to resolve the problem with the new CD-ROM installed, try disabling the CD-ROM by removing the adapter board and data cable. You may leave the actual CD-ROM drive in its drive bay, but you should also disconnect the drive's power cable. If the system then initializes normally (although you will see errors when the system tries to load the CD-ROM device drivers), you will know the problem lies in your CD-ROM installation. Try a new adapter board.

Symptom 2: The computer fails to recognize the CD-ROM drive. The typical causes of this problem relate to the device drivers that must be loaded to support your CD-ROM - one or more device drivers may not be loading properly. If a driver fails to load or loads improperly, the CD-ROM drive will not operate properly (if at all). Check that the Microsoft MSCDEX.EXE device driver is installed in your system, and that it is located in the path called out in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If the driver is in a different path, adjust the calling line in AUTOEXEC.BAT. If the driver is not found, copy the driver to the location called out in AUTOEXEC.BAT, or re-install the CD-ROM device driver software from scratch. If you make any changes, be sure to reboot your computer to effect the change.

Next, check that the manufacturer's drive-specific device driver (usually with a .SYS extension) is installed in the system, and that it is located in the path called out in your CONFIG.SYS file. If the driver is in a different path, adjust the calling line in CONFIG.SYS. If the driver is not found, copy the driver to the location called out in CONFIG.SYS, or re-install the CD-ROM device driver software from scratch. If you make any changes, be sure to reboot your computer to effect the change. When dealing with CD-ROM drivers, the command line switches for both drivers MUST match in order to address the drive properly. Check the command line switches for the low-level CD-ROM driver and MSCDEX.

There may also be a problem with your CD-ROM adapter board. Turn off all power to the system, open the computer, and check again to see that the adapter board (and all available expansion boards) are inserted properly and completely. Double-check the board's configuration to be sure that its base I/O address, IRQ line, or DMA channel do not conflict with other devices that may be present in your system. You may have to remove the adapter board to check its configuration settings.

Symptom 3: The CD-ROM drive will not read a CD correctly. As a sanity check, make sure that a CD is indeed inserted in the CD-ROM drive in its proper orientation (usually silk-screen side up). Also make sure that the CD in the drive is the right kind of disk. For example, an audio CD can not be accessed for programs and data files like a computer-compatible CD. Try accessing the disk a number of times before giving up. Try removing and reinserting the disk several times as well - inexpensive drives do not always center the disk very well.

Once you know the disk is appropriate and installed correctly, the problem may be in the adapter board or the data cable. there may be a problem with your new CD-ROM adapter board. Turn off all power to the system, open the computer, and check again to see that the adapter board (and all available expansion boards) are inserted properly and completely. Double-check the data cable running between the drive and adapter board. If the cable is loose, or one end of the cable is reversed, data will not flow properly from drive to adapter. Double-check the board's configuration to be sure that its base address, interrupt line, or DMA channel do not conflict with other devices that may be present in your system. You may have to remove the adapter board to check its configuration settings.

Symptom 4: The drive is recognized, but no audio is produced. Remember that a CD-ROM adapter is generally a data-only device - the analog signals produced by CD audio must be routed to a sound board. If the CD-ROM adapter doubles as a sound board, there will likely be an audio amplifier available. To hear the audio, you must connect one or more speakers (and sometimes an amplifier as well) to the audio output plug(s) on the adapter board (often known as the line output). The CD audio, as well as sound files, will be mixed and played through the sound board. Adjust the sound board's volume control to achieve an adequate output. You could also plug in at the drive's headphone jack. Adjust the CD-ROM headphone volume control for an adequate output. If your amplifier/speakers are not producing sound from the line output, try using headphones in the drive's headphone jack. If there is sound from the headphones but none from the adapter board, the adapter board may be faulty, or the cable carrying the audio signal to the adapter board may be disconnected or faulty. If the audio is absent under Windows, check that the necessary Windows MCI driver(s) are installed under the Windows Control Panel.

If CD-ROM hardware and software are both installed properly, you should see several boot messages during system initialization. These are some typical messages for an NEC system:

NECCD: NEC CDROM Driver version 2.20a (low-level CD-ROM driver)

SCSI Host Adapter Detected at Address [address]h (SCSI adapter driver)

Device [device ID] Read only optical device (Removable Media)

MSCDEX version 2.20 (DOS MSCDEX driver)

Copyright [copyright date]

Drive [drive letter]:=Drive:NECCD unit [SCSI ID#]

If these messages are displayed during system initialization, you should be able to access the CD-ROM just as you would any floppy or hard drive. Insert a CD-ROM disk into the drive, then switch to the drive by typing the letter of the drive from the DOS prompt (i.e. d: <ENTER>). If you type dir <Enter> for a directory, you should see a complete directory listing of the CD-ROM disk. A successful directory listing will suggest that the CD-ROM is installed properly and ready for service. If the CD-ROM does not function properly during an application program, there may be other problems with the disk or drive.

Symptom 1: You see the following message when attempting to list a directory: Not ready reading drive [drive letter]:. There is a communication problem between the SCSI host controller and the CD-ROM drive caused by an undesirable SCSI address for the CD-ROM or excessive bus speed. Your first step should be to power down the computer and check that the drive is connected properly to the SCSI host controller. Also make sure that the CD-ROM is inserted into the drive with the right side facing up. If problems continue, change the drive's switch settings to select a new SCSI device number. Reboot the computer and try the directory listing again. If the error message persists, you might need to try several different SCSI device ID numbers. If a new SCSI number does not correct the trouble, the bus speed of the computer may be at fault. Bus speed should generally not exceed 8 MHz, so take the computer out of its "turbo" or high-speed mode and try the directory again.

Symptom 2: You see the following message when attempting to list a directory: CDROM not High Sierra or ISO 9660 format. This error code (or if your bundled software's SCSI test program fails to detect a host adapter) suggests a memory conflict in your system - more than one device is attempting to use the same memory address(es). Conflicts are typically caused by expanded memory managers (i.e. EMM386, QEMM, 386MAX, and so on). Check your CONFIG.SYS file for the presence of a valid memory manager. You should see a device driver line such as:

Try adding parameters to your memory managers that will exclude the addresses used by your SCSI host adapter. You need to know the active addresses of the SCSI host adapter card from the settings of its configuration switches. Each setting should define a range of addresses (i.e. CC00 to CDFF, C800 to C9FF, DC00 to DDFF, D800 to D9FF, and so on). Refer to the documentation for your SCSI host adapter for more information. Once you know the address range of your adapter, add exclusion parameters to your CONFIG.SYS file:

device=c:\qemm\qemm386.sys [parameters] exclude=aaaa-bbbb

device=c:\dos\emm386.exe [parameters] x=aaaa-bbbb

(where aaaa and bbbb are hexadecimal addresses). Reboot the computer and try the CD-ROM again. Other possible sources of conflict exist in the use of memory shadowing or disk caching which are enabled through your system CMOS setup program. Access your CMOS setup and set all "disk caching", "BIOS shadow", "Shadow RAM", "Video BIOS Shadow", or any "shadow" options to the DISABLE condition. Reboot the computer and try the CD-ROM again.

Last-ditch sources of conflict can occur in the various computer peripherals (such as your 16 bit video card, modem card, scanner card, and so on). If your SCSI host adapter address range overlaps the address(es) of any other board, your system can encounter problems. Check the address settings of each installed peripheral and move that peripheral's address out of range of the SCSI controller and modify the address (if necessary) in the peripheral's setup or configuration program. As a check, you may wish to simply remove the peripheral to see if the problem goes away. Once you make a change, reboot the computer and try the CD-ROM again.

Symptom 3: You see the following message during initialization: No SCSI host adapter(s) detected. Your system can not find the SCSI host controller board. This may be due to faulty I/O, IRQ, or DMA settings on the host controller itself, or a memory conflict in hardware or software. Begin your investigation by powering down the computer and checking the host controller's resource settings. Use your documentation for the host controller and carefully verify each jumper or dip switch setting. A missing or improperly configured jumper can render the controller inoperative. Reset the controller board if necessary, then reboot the computer.

If the problem persists (or if you can not find faulty controller settings), you may be encountering trouble due to memory conflicts. Possible sources of conflict exist in the use of memory shadowing or disk caching which are enabled through your system CMOS setup program. Access your CMOS setup and set all "disk caching", "BIOS shadow", "Shadow RAM", "Video BIOS Shadow", or any "shadow" options to the DISABLE condition. Reboot the computer and try the CD-ROM again.

Sources of conflict can also occur in various computer peripherals (i.e. your video card, modem card, scanner card, and so on). If your SCSI host adapter address range overlaps the address(es) of any other board, your system can encounter problems. Check the address settings of each installed peripheral and move that peripheral's address out of range of the SCSI controller and modify the address (if necessary) in the peripheral's setup or configuration program. As a check, you may wish to simply remove the peripheral to see if the problem goes away. Once you make a change, reboot the computer and try the CD-ROM again. Finally, if the system simply refuses to acknowledge the SCSI controller, you may wish to try replacing the SCSI host controller.

Symptom 4: You see the following message during initialization: No xxxCD functions in use. First, make sure the CD-ROM is powered on before the computer starts to initialize. The CD drive must be available to the SCSI host controller in order for the CD-ROM device driver MSCDEX to be loaded into memory. If the CD-ROM drive is turned on as expected and the MSCDEX driver will not load, check to see that the device driver is listed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file similarly to that shown below:

C:\SCSI\MSCDEX /D:xxxCD /M:10 /L:[drive letter]

or:

C:\CDMENU\MSCDEX /D:xxxCD /M:10 /L:[drive letter]

If your AUTOEXEC.BAT file is set up as expected, check to be sure that the CD device driver (MSCDEX in this case) is actually present in the desired sub-directory. If the driver is missing (even if it is present in the wrong sub-directory), the driver will not load. Copy the driver to the appropriate sub-directory, or change the path specification to the driver in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. It is also generally recommended that your calling line appear first in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If the problem persists, try moving the calling line to the first line. Reboot the computer and try the drive again.

…

Now that you’ve got a handle on the essentials of DVD, we can get to the fun part - a complete installation of the Creative Labs PC-DVD package (retail $500). The kit came complete with a Matsushita EIDE DVD-ROM drive, MPEG-2 Decoder board, video loop-back cable, CD audio cable, Line Input audio cable, and IDE (40-pin) data cable. The actual installation process took under an hour, but your installation may take longer depending on how much hardware you re-arrange.

NOTE: Before you attempt any new drive installation on your PC, be sure to perform a complete system backup of your entire system first, and keep a bootable floppy diskette handy in case of emergencies.

Before you start any DVD installation, you’ll need to meet some basic requirements. DVD installation requires a 90MHz Pentium PC with at least 16MB of RAM running Windows 95. At least 4MB of hard drive space will be needed for DVD drivers and application software, and your system’s motherboard must have at least one PCI bus slot available for the MPEG-2 decoder board. Finally, there should be one open external drive bay available for the DVD-ROM drive itself.

There are two other issues that you need to consider before starting the installation. Consider your existing CD-ROM drive (there’s almost certainly one in your system). Ideally, you’d like to remove the CD-ROM and install the DVD-ROM in its place. However, you may want to keep the CD-ROM in place if; (1) you use CDs (such as Photo CDs) that you know the DVD-ROM drive will not support, or (2) if you want to continue using DOS-based CDs. The DVD software and drivers do not support DOS, so you would loose all CD capability under DOS by removing the CD-ROM (that’s one point that the DVD documentation leaves out).

Consider your DVD drive’s interface. SCSI drives are rather straightforward since you can simply set the drive ID, then connect the drive directly to the SCSI cable (you may need to re-terminate the SCSI cable). EIDE drives are a bit trickier - most PCs today offer two IDE ports - a primary EIDE port which can support two EIDE devices, and a secondary IDE port that can also support two devices. If you can, install the EIDE DVD-ROM as the "slave" device on the EIDE port (along side your hard drive). However, if you have two EIDE hard drives in the system, you should make the DVD drive the "master" device on the secondary IDE port. You may recall that older CD-ROM drives could present problems when used with hard drives, but DVD-drives use more current interfaces, and should not interfere with an existing hard drive’s operation.

The hardware process basically consisted of four steps; install the drive, cable the drive, install the decoder board, and cable the decoder board. Once the hardware is in place, you can then install the drivers and application software. If you’ve ever installed "multimedia kits" of CD-ROM drives and sound cards, then installing a DVD-ROM kit should be a snap.

NOTE: When working inside your PC, remember to keep the system turned off and unplugged. You should use a properly grounded anti-static wrist strap to remove any electrostatic charges from your body, but you should at least touch the PC’s metal chassis regularly during the installation process.

Install the drive. Mount the DVD-ROM drive in an open drive bay, and secure it into place with four screws. As with all drives, be sure not to over-tighten the screws - this could warp the drive just slightly and throw it out of alignment. Also check the jumpers on the rear of the drive. If the drive is SCSI, set the jumpers for the proper SCSI ID. For EIDE drives, set the drive as either "master" or "slave". If you plan to run the drive along side a hard drive, set the DVD drive as "slave". If you plan to run the DVD drive on its own controller port, set the DVD drive as "master".

Cable the drive. There are typically three cables that need to be connected to the DVD-ROM drive; a drive power cable, a data cable, and a CD audio cable. You can use any 4-pin drive power cable, but do not use a power cable from a "Y-splitter". Splitting your power this way can sometimes cause erratic drive behavior. For "slave" drive configurations, you can connect the existing 40-pin signal cable to the data connector on the back of the drive (one end of the cable connects to the drive controller, one end connects to the hard drive, and the third unused connector attaches to the DVD drive. For "master" drive configurations, you can use the 40-pin cable that came with the DVD package. Finally, connect the CD audio cable between the DVD drive and the CD audio connector on your sound board. If you plan on leaving your existing CD-ROM in place, and playing any CD audio from the CD-ROM drive, don’t connect the DVD drive’s CD audio connector.

NOTE: Remember to align pin 1 on the signal cable with pin 1 on the DVD drive. You can tell pin 1 on a ribbon cable by the red or blue stripe that runs along the cable.

Install the decoder board. Once the drive is in place, your next step is to install the MPEG-2 decoder board. You do not need to configure the decoder board first - rather than jumpers, the decoder is configured through software. Find an unused PCI bus slot, and mount the board - you may need to remove one of those little metal plates from the expansion slot opening first. You can use the little screw from that metal plate to secure the decoder board into place. Make sure that the board sits evenly and completely in its bus slot, and NEVER force an expansion board.

Cable the decoder board. The last step is to interconnect the MPEG-2 decoder board with the other devices in your system. In general, there are three connections that you have to make. Disconnect the monitor from your video board, and attach it to the decoder’s Monitor connector. Use the loop-back cable to attach the video signal from your video board to the decoder’s Video Input connector. Then use the sound cable to connect the decoder’s Audio Output to the Line Input jack of your sound board.

One thing to note about the MPEG-2 decoder board is its lack of jumpers. The decoder packaged with the Creative Labs PC-DVD kit is configured exclusively through software - this simplifies the hardware installation process, and reduces the chances of hardware conflicts due to incorrectly set jumpers. The software installation process involves three phases; installing the decoder drivers, installing the DVD-ROM drivers, and installing the DVD applications.

The first time you reboot your PC after the hardware installation, Windows 95 will automatically detect the new hardware. It won’t identify the hardware exactly, but it will identify the hardware as a "PCI Multimedia Device". Insert the driver diskette into your floppy drive, and elect to install the driver from "the diskette provided by the manufacturer". Windows 95 will install the decoder board drivers, and configure the board. When Windows 95 asks you to restart the system, choose NO.

The next step is to install the DVD-ROM drivers. Choose Start, then Run, then type A:/SETUP. Click OK. The setup routine will install the drivers for your DVD drive, and configure it appropriately. When the installation is complete, Windows 95 will ask you again to restart the computer. This time, remove the driver diskette and select OK to restart the computer. The next time Windows 95 starts, your DVD drive and decoder board should be active.

The last step is to install any DVD applications (such as a DVD control panel or DVD-Video player). The applications will usually be on a separate floppy disk. Insert the floppy disk, Click Start, then Run, then type A:/SETUP. Then all you need to do is follow the instructions.

NOTE: This section describes the installation of one DVD kit - your own software installation requirements may be different. Always read through your installation instructions thoroughly.

DVD works best using a resolution of at least 800x600, and a "High Color" (16-bit or 65K color) mode. If your video card will support even higher resolutions or color depths, feel free to use them. Use your Display icon under your Control Panel to adjust the video configuration as needed.

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adapter -- the expansion board that plugs into the motherboard and interfaces the CD-ROM to the PC.

data transfer rate -- the rate at which data is transferred between the CD-ROM and computer.

seek time -- the amount of time required for a CD-ROM drive to locate a needed file.

MPC (multimedia personal computer) -- an established set of minimum hardware requirements needed to adequately support multimedia software running on a PC.

multimedia kit -- a package containing all of the major components needed to configure a PC for multimedia (i.e. the CD-ROM drive, adapter board, sound board, cables, and software).

1. What are the important considerations to keep in mind when planning for a CD-ROM upgrade?

2. What are some differences between the hardware requirements for a CD-ROM installation using a proprietary interface versus a SCSI interface.

3. How many non-SCSI installation problems and solutions can you name?

4. How many SCSI installation problems and solutions can you name?