Right, so my old PC I had a CD-ROM and a DVD-RW drive, and I wanna do the same with this new machine (Dell Optiplex GX270) which currently only has a DVD-ROM in it...

Anyway I just hd to open both machines up as I wanted to plug the HDD from the old one into the slave port of the new one to transfer over some files and data, and while they were open I made a discovery.

On the old machine the two drives are connected normally on an IDE ribbon and set to MASTER and SLAVE. Each drive has an audio cable connected to it which plug into the two audio ports on the mobo.

But on the new machine, there is only 1 audio port on the mobo;



shown in pic as #12 CD drive audio cable connector (CD_IN)

So how do I connect two drives up?

I looks like there is space for the second audio port on the mobo, but instead of there being the plastic connector there is just a blank space.

 

I just had a look in my other machine (Dell Dimension 2400, 2.66 Celeron, has a single DVD/CDRW drive installed in it from standard)

That has two 4-pin audio ports on the motherboard as I would expect, but there is no cable attached to the drive The only things plugged into it are the IDE ribbon and the power harness. No analog audio cable or S/PDIF cable

WTF is going on there......

 

Anyone? Where's xpackcapri gone

 

Just set them as Master and Slave and only use 1 audio cable.

Pretty sure that how my GX260 is setup at work.

 

Which drive for the audio cable? Master I pressume?

Also, how come my other Dell doesn't even have an audio cable, yet still transmitts CD audio from the drive to the speakers?

What I am worried about is mainly copying CD's from one drive to another (ie, original CD in the slave being copied onto CDR on the Master drive)

 

In the past I have set it on the master.

Copying CD's wont be an issue... only with the copyright

 

Shhhh

I am curious to see what will happen if I try to play a CD through a drive that does not have an audio cable connected to the drive and mobo.... Or if I rip a CD to the HDD on a drive that doesn't have an audio cable connected to the drive and mobo...

I can't understand how my other Dell manages this without an audio cable hooked in - does it do it down the IDE cable or something?

 

The audio cable is only there if you want to listen to cd's, you don't listen to 2 cd's at once do you

"Backing up the disc" does not require and audio cable

 

Dan - so how come I can put a CD in my other Dell (that has no audio cable attached to the drive and mobo) and it plays and I can hear it?

 

--

 

So, if I fit a DVD writer and don't hook up the audio cable it will still read, play, record and copy CD's fine with no audio loss right?

 

as per xpackcapri, if you are using a recent operating system like win2000 or XP you do not need to worry about the audio cable to the motherboard. The only reason the connectors are still there are for backward compatibility for older systems.

All new windows OS's process the CD in the same way it does for data.

 

Oh, and u'll be able to put u're audio CD in either drive and it will still play sound.

 

Kool, thanks guys! So I can just go ahead and buy a normal DVD writer drive then, fit it, let it install itself and just not have ANY audio cables attached to either drive then

 

yup

 

Top lads

 

Cool, just installed a DVD-RW drive, left the audio cable unplugged and it all seems to work fine Played a CD in both drives and sound was fine

Haven't tried a recording yet but will do that later

 

Recording's easy, I would reccommend using Nero Burning Rom as it's easy

 

You numpty! I know how to DO a recording (and I also use Nero) as I have done it hundreds of times! What I meant is I haven't done it on this PC, with the audio cables unplugged So I know it plays CD's fine, the last two tests to do to make sure it is all fine is rip a track in each drive, and then burn/copy a CD.

Once they all work - sorted

 

That will work fine If not, ring 666 and ask for the number of the beast

 

Burned off some discs last night - no errors other than one of the discs was scratched

Dan - "Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast - for it is not a human number. It's number is Six Hundred and Sixty-Six"