SATA is a newer technology not available on your 2400. You need PATA
(also known as IDE).
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xanth [mailto:xanth@att.net]
> Posted At: Thursday, August 21, 2008 6:00 AM
> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
> Conversation: dvd rw question
> Subject: dvd rw question
>
> I have an older Dimension 2400 pc, and would like to get a dvd rw.
>
> The company I am interested in is Lite-on with the lightscribe bu they
> make
> to versions a SATA or PATA.
> Whats the differnece and is there 1 I need?
>
> http://us.liteonit.com/us/index.php?...sk=blogcategor
> y&id=26&Itemid=67
>
> Also can I keep my DVD player and swap out my cdrw for the new dvd rw
> so I
> can copy DVD's?
>
> TIA,
> Dave-
>
> I have an older Dimension 2400 pc, and would like to get a dvd
> rw.
> The company I am interested in is Lite-on with the lightscribe
> bu they make to versions a SATA or PATA.
You need the PATA version of the drive. I have a Lite-On DVD±RW
installed in a Dimension 2400 and it works fine.
> Also can I keep my DVD player and swap out my cdrw for the
> new dvd rw so I can copy DVDs?
Yes, you can, but this may not be an optimal setup on the Dimension
2400. Both drives will have to share one IDE channel, and this means
that if one drive can't supply the other with data fast enough while
you are copying, you may get a coaster instead of a usable disc.
You will also have to set one drive as the "master" and another as the
"slave". It does not matter which, although I usually make the newer
and more capable drive the master on my systems.
As a rule, I find trying to do a direct DVD-DVD copy to be futile all too often.
Maybe it's me, but I'd far rather use the CD/DVD burner option to copy the image
first to a hard drive, thence to the blank media. The typical Dimension 2400 is
not screamer of a system with processor power to burn, so the OP would likewise
have greater success burning by copying the image to the hard drive first. This
is even more important when burning DVDs which need a faster sustained transfer
rate than CDs.
Dell uses cable select (CS) cables in all of its systems. If both drives are
jumpered to CS, the drive at the end of the cable is the master. In the 2400
and most other Dell models, the master in a two-drive setup is the topmost drive
at the far end of the cable. I suggest sticking to the CS jumpering, which is
now more or less the industry standard among large OEMs, and it is less
confusing and less error prone.
On a related note, CDBurnerXP has a new version which adds CD/DVD copying to an
otherwise pretty good package. CDBurnerXP, unlike the commercial EZ CD-Creator,
Roxio, Sonic, Nero et al, is not tied in any way at all to either a motherboard
BIOS (like your Dell OEM versions) or a very specific list of drives (drive
maker OEM versions and some commercial releases). So there are no hidden
pitfalls when one decides to replace an optical burner. I now use either
CDBurnerXP or ImgBurn for all my optical burning. I can't decide which one I
like better, but neither has ever failed me. CDBurnerXP has a slightly more
polished interface and menus... Ben Myers
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:31:31 -0700 (PDT), "William R. Walsh"
<wm_walsh@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Hi!
>
>> I have an older Dimension 2400 pc, and would like to get a dvd
>> rw.
>> The company I am interested in is Lite-on with the lightscribe
>> bu they make to versions a SATA or PATA.
>
>You need the PATA version of the drive. I have a Lite-On DVD±RW
>installed in a Dimension 2400 and it works fine.
>
>> Also can I keep my DVD player and swap out my cdrw for the
>> new dvd rw so I can copy DVDs?
>
>Yes, you can, but this may not be an optimal setup on the Dimension
>2400. Both drives will have to share one IDE channel, and this means
>that if one drive can't supply the other with data fast enough while
>you are copying, you may get a coaster instead of a usable disc.
>
>You will also have to set one drive as the "master" and another as the
>"slave". It does not matter which, although I usually make the newer
>and more capable drive the master on my systems.
>
>William
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:48:58 -0400, Ben Myers
<ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote:
>As a rule, I find trying to do a direct DVD-DVD copy to be futile all too often.
>Maybe it's me, but I'd far rather use the CD/DVD burner option to copy the image
>first to a hard drive, thence to the blank media. The typical Dimension 2400 is
>not screamer of a system with processor power to burn, so the OP would likewise
>have greater success burning by copying the image to the hard drive first. This
>is even more important when burning DVDs which need a faster sustained transfer
>rate than CDs.
>
Are you talking about using a virtual burner (kinda lazy to reread
your post right now)? I didn't think about that earlier but maybe
that's the way to do some of what he wanted and then transfer it to
whatever medium he wants. I used to use a virtual burner and it was
pretty handy.
"Virtual burner" may be what some CD/DVD burning packages call it.
Nearly every CD burning package with the capability to copy CDs/DVDs allows one
to do either direct device-to-device burning or copying by saving the image
first onto the hard disk. To do direct device-to-device burning, one needs two
devices, a reader and a writer (burner). If one has only a single CD/DVD burner
or a system that is simply slug-slow, then there is a check-box to create a
CD/DVD image on hard disk, then burn that image to blank media. For example,
Nero, which I once used, has this sort check-box, pre-checked on a system with
only a single optical drive. Nero then copies the CD or DVD to disk, then
ejects the coaster being copied and asks you to insert a blank coaster, which
hopefully becomes filled with meaningful information... Ben Myers
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:48:14 -0500, RnR <rnrtexas@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:48:58 -0400, Ben Myers
><ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote:
>
>>As a rule, I find trying to do a direct DVD-DVD copy to be futile all too often.
>>Maybe it's me, but I'd far rather use the CD/DVD burner option to copy the image
>>first to a hard drive, thence to the blank media. The typical Dimension 2400 is
>>not screamer of a system with processor power to burn, so the OP would likewise
>>have greater success burning by copying the image to the hard drive first. This
>>is even more important when burning DVDs which need a faster sustained transfer
>>rate than CDs.
>>
>
>Are you talking about using a virtual burner (kinda lazy to reread
>your post right now)? I didn't think about that earlier but maybe
>that's the way to do some of what he wanted and then transfer it to
>whatever medium he wants. I used to use a virtual burner and it was
>pretty handy.
You will also need to activate the secondary IDE port in the BIOS;
press F2 on startup and change it to auto-detect after you plug in the
power & data cables. You shouldn't have any problem installing an IDE
DVD-RW in this system. You don't need any drivers; the OS should find
the device automatically.
Dan
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:59:33 GMT, "xanth" <xanth@att.net> wrote:
>I have an older Dimension 2400 pc, and would like to get a dvd rw.
>
>The company I am interested in is Lite-on with the lightscribe bu they make
>to versions a SATA or PATA.
>Whats the differnece and is there 1 I need?
>
>http://us.liteonit.com/us/index.php?...d=26&Itemid=67
>
>Also can I keep my DVD player and swap out my cdrw for the new dvd rw so I
>can copy DVD's?
>
>TIA,
>Dave-
>
>
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:31:31 -0700 (PDT), William R. Walsh wrote:
> Yes, you can, but this may not be an optimal setup on the Dimension
> 2400. Both drives will have to share one IDE channel, and this means
> that if one drive can't supply the other with data fast enough while
> you are copying, you may get a coaster instead of a usable disc.
Not necessarily true. I have a non-Dell system with an ASUS DVD drive and
a Sony DVD-RW. They are both on the secondary IDE port with no problems
copying from the DVD drive to DVD-RW drive. I do it all the time.
Are you doing a direct drive-to-drive copy or does your CD/DVD burning software
first copy the image to hard drive, thence to the Sony DVD-RW? Without a really
speedy computer (especially a dual core or better) and a lot of system memory, a
drive-to-drive copy can produce coasters. The good quality CD/DVD burning
software also gives the option of setting the CD or DVD burning speed, anywhere
from 1x to the max burning speed supported by the drive. For drive-to-drive, I
find I have to throttle back the burning speed.
It's problematic to generalize either way: successful burn or coaster. Too
many variables involved... Ben Myers
On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 20:46:17 -0400, Patty <patty@iainttellin.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:31:31 -0700 (PDT), William R. Walsh wrote:
>
>> Yes, you can, but this may not be an optimal setup on the Dimension
>> 2400. Both drives will have to share one IDE channel, and this means
>> that if one drive can't supply the other with data fast enough while
>> you are copying, you may get a coaster instead of a usable disc.
>
>Not necessarily true. I have a non-Dell system with an ASUS DVD drive and
>a Sony DVD-RW. They are both on the secondary IDE port with no problems
>copying from the DVD drive to DVD-RW drive. I do it all the time.
>
>Patty
One further point. The Dimension 2400 is not known for blinding speed, as many
of them were shipped with Celeron CPUs and not a lot of memory. Given that the
OP's system is a 2400, William Walsh's note of caution is reasonable.
.... Ben Myers
On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 20:46:17 -0400, Patty <patty@iainttellin.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:31:31 -0700 (PDT), William R. Walsh wrote:
>
>> Yes, you can, but this may not be an optimal setup on the Dimension
>> 2400. Both drives will have to share one IDE channel, and this means
>> that if one drive can't supply the other with data fast enough while
>> you are copying, you may get a coaster instead of a usable disc.
>
>Not necessarily true. I have a non-Dell system with an ASUS DVD drive and
>a Sony DVD-RW. They are both on the secondary IDE port with no problems
>copying from the DVD drive to DVD-RW drive. I do it all the time.
>
>Patty
dvd rw question 
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