Installing A DVD Burner Into My Computer

Many new Computers come as standard with DVD Recorders nowadays, but not all do.

If your Computer does not have a DVD Recorder then how can you go about adding one ?

Well actually it’s pretty easy, and also quite cheap. Well it’s cheap and easy if you have a Desktop Computer, it may be impossible or slightly more if you have a Laptop.

First you need to track down a DVD Writer for your Computer, now there are two standards of DVD, + & - both of these work slightly differently.

Nobody wants to be in another Betamax situation! But fortunately you don’t have to, because most Writers are DVD +/-, which means they can use either Media. Defiantly buy one that is Compatible with both standards, we don’t know what will happen in the Future.

There are also two main types of DVD Disc DVD-5, which is the easiest to get hold of, this is a Single Layer Disc, and DVD-9 this is a Dual Layer Disc.

The majority of Films and Games you buy on DVD will use DVD-9 Discs. Dual Layer Recorders are quite cheap in fact most of them are Dual Layer as Standard. However the Dual Layer Discs are still quite expensive.

Now if your PC is Standard then you will want to buy an IDE Drive, this will simply plug into the cable already installed in your Computer. Order your Drive and wait for it to come.

Depending on the Design of your Desktop Computers case you have 2 options, you can remove the CD/DVD ROM drive, or add the new Drive below the existing one.

We strongly recommend keeping the existing DVD-ROM Drive, because then it’s very easy to Copy straight from a DVD:

1. Open your Computers Case.
2. Pop out the plastic blanking plate on your Computers case.
3. Remove the metal cover from the actual Metal Computer case (behind the plastic front).
4. Set the DVD Writer to slave using the jumper settings.
5. Slide your new DVD Drive into place.
6. Attach the IDE cable and Power cables. These can only be fitted one way around, note the blanked off Pin on the IDE cable, and the notch on the connector. Connect it to the same cable as your other DVD Drive.
7. Slide the DVD Writer fully into place and insert the supplied Screws.
8. Close your Computers case.

The DVD writer will probably be automatically detected and installed, if required show Windows where the Drivers are stored. Once you’ve installed your DVD drive it’s time to Test it out by Writing something to DVD!

As mentioned before if you have a Laptop, then it may be possible for you to upgrade the Drive, however it also may not. Laptops use a much slimmer DVD Drive, if you can remove the DVD Drive from the Computer, then chances are you can get an Upgrade.

If however the DVD is fixed inside the Computer, then a Professional would need to be consulted as to whether it’s possible. It should be possible to do somehow if you’re skilled enough yourself, then you could even try. Have a look on the Internet to see if anyone has tried to do it before, or join one of the many Tecnical Forums, where people help each other with different Tecnical Issues about the Computer.

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