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Tune-up: How to install a DVD or CD burner
Tune-up: How to install a DVD or CD burner
By Mitt Jones
(February 10, 2004)
(February 10, 2004)
 All you'll need to spruce up your system with a new optical drive is a Phillips screwdriver and an open 5.25-inch external bay in your computer. |
With most PCs, you should have no trouble adding a CD or DVD burner even if your system already contains an optical drive or two. As long as you have an open drive bay and an available drive connector, your new burner should coexist amicably with your other drives.
This Tune-up will walk you through the steps of adding a CD or DVD burner to your current system. Depending on your PC's vintage, the steps may be slightly different. For our example, we added a Plextor PX-708A internal DVD burner to both a mature Dell Dimension 4500 and a brand-spanking-new iBuyPower Value Pro XP to cover both eventualities. Both already had CD-RW drives installed. The steps below pertain to Windows XP, but the procedure should be similar with other recent Windows versions.
Mitt Jones is a contributor to Computer Shopper magazine.
Tune-up is featured monthly in Computer Shopper magazine; this feature originally appeared in the February 2004 issue.
Tune-up is featured monthly in Computer Shopper magazine; this feature originally appeared in the February 2004 issue.
