Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

Leave the CD or DVD drive in place and instead purchase an external optical

drive that attaches to a high-speed USB 2.0 or FireWire IEEE 1394 port. Expect

to pay between $75–$150 for a fully capable external drive. Chapter 16 tells

you more about USB and FireWire.

The unfortunate news is that you will have one more piece of equipment to

lug around (plus, in some designs, an AC adapter). But you only need to bring

out the optical device when you need to use it. You may not be able to use

the external drive on an airplane or in other situations where the laptop itself

is running on battery power.

On the plus side, the external drive may have some added features including

the ability to output directly to a television set without the need for the com-

puter. And the external drive may not draw down the laptop’s battery.

162 Part III: Laying Hands on the Major Parts

Mixing and matching dos and don’ts

Can you play an audio CD on a DVD player?

Probably. Nearly all DVD players are capable of

reading and playing audio CDs and accessing

information on a data CD. However, standard CD

players cannot read anything from a DVD — the

tracks are too close together and the data is

stored at a different depth. However, modern

laptops are now offered with combo drives that

include a CD-R or CD-RW and a DVD player or a

DVD recorder.

Can you use a CD-R with a DVD?It depends.

Some of the organic dyes used to record data on

a CD-R cannot be seen by the laser in a DVD. You

may have to experiment with different colors and

brands of CD-Rs to find compatibility. Some

modern combo CD/DVD devices employ multiple

lasers of different wavelengths so that they

can work with just about any kind of disc you

challenge them with. You may see features

called dual laseror dual opticsor a MultiRead

logo on a DVD; these devices promise a higher

degree of compatibility, but you’ll still need to

conduct your own tests.

Can you use a CD-RW with a DVD?Probably. The

metallic recording substrate used in CD-RWs are

easier for a DVD to read. Once again, though,

experiment to be assured of compatibility.

Can you record a CD-R or CD-RW from a DVD

recorder?If the recordable DVD is of recent

manufacture, the answer is probably. They can

either adjust their laser beam or have multiple

lasers of differing wavelengths for this purpose.

Older DVD recorders may be unable to down-

shift to work with CD-RWs and are even less

likely to be compatible with CD-Rs.