new cd drive needs drivers?

[tarantulatarama]

Hey all,

My dear cd-rw slot drive, a matsushita cw-8121-B, has finally exhausted my patience, and it's time to get a new one. (The loading mechanism often doesn't work, and it's noisy when reading, and usually doesn't work at all.) It's dear to me because it's a really cool device - if they could be made reliable then I would advocate them for universal distribution.

Anyway - the point of my post - it seems that Panasonic have discontinued these . Does anyone know where I can get one? I am trying to avoid paying triple to have it repaired by the laptop manufacturer (time computers, a bit of a joke in the UK).

I would settle for a tray loader, which would need new drivers (I assume?). Could I look forward to any compatibility issues?

Thanks for any insight you might offer.

 

[Him]

No way man, cd rom drivers never need drivers. The only thing you will need is a program to burn if you are using a cdrw (which you are) likie Nero. And in XP you dont even need a program, as Windows has built in CD writing support.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Most CD and DVD drives now are fully supported in XP due to the recent standards, anything new you have picked up will be fully compatable.

For a CD-RW drive, tray's are much cheaper and common and a much better idea for cheap PC drives. If you want to go the cheap route go with LG, cheap and good.

 

[Him]

Yeah dude, none really use slot load anymore. They werent the best drives to begin with, always had their problems. A major one being as cd's would get scratched when you put them in (dirt would get trapped in the felt that the CD slides through).

Like C said, trays are cheaper. They are also more reliable. Dont get a no name drive just to save a few bucks, you will prolly regret it. LG are good, and you can get Sony's pretty cheap now too.

 

[tarantulatarama]

Well, that's a pretty good, instant response! After casting my net around the far east for like-for-like components, I found one right under my nose in one of my favourite stores:

http://rswww.com/cgi-bin/bv/browse/Module.jsp?cacheID=uknetscape

good brand (i think?), good price (probably) and I have an account there already. Another satisfied customer (he says, still having to fit it, and endure the ignominy of joining the ranks of the tray-loaders. No offence you guys - I am one of you now!)

Many thnaks for hlep.

 

[tarantulatarama]

hello

One more question - My primary purpose for a new cd drive is so that I can return my laptop to factory settings, wiping the slate clean and starting again. The manufacturer has supplied a 'reload' cd.

Windows xp has drivers for most/all cd drives. My thought is that when booting from a disc, it is performed before windows loads. Is this still ok? Does DOS have drivers for all cd drives too?

tx

 

[Him]

You are all set. All new BIOS's support ATAPI devices (your cd rom) and will give it the basic drivers to get it to work. When you load Windows, the more advanced features will work.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Yeah dude, none really use slot load anymore. They werent the best drives to begin with, always had their problems. A major one being as cd's would get scratched when you put them in (dirt would get trapped in the felt that the CD slides through).

Like C said, trays are cheaper. They are also more reliable. Dont get a no name drive just to save a few bucks, you will prolly regret it. LG are good, and you can get Sony's pretty cheap now too.

Slot drives rock IMO, all the super high end drives are using slot

But not everyone has the use for a 200$ slot CD drive or a 150$ tray CD Drive

 

[Him]

Yeah, they are a cool idea, but they break easily. From whjat i have found, anyway. But they do look cool, makes things look cool.