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PlexWriter 8/4/32 Operation Manual 

 45

Appendix B: Technical Support

Store Plextor’s email, web site, phone, and fax numbers in a convenient location.
Keep your drive’s serial number and a copy of your sales receipt handy as well.

If you experience a problem while installing or operating your PlexWriter drive,
please refer first to the relevant sections of this manual regarding setup and
installation (Chapters 1–3). If you do not uncover the solution there, please refer next
to the maintenance and troubleshooting chapter that begins on page 29. It contains
solutions to the most common types of problems fielded by our technical support
staff. You may also wish to refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
of our web site to assist you in troubleshooting the problem on your own.

NOTE

: We encourage you to go the Plextor web site (www.plextor.com) before

attempting to contact Technical Support. The answers to the most common questions
callers ask can be found quickly in the FAQ area. A link to the FAQ area can be found
on our home page.

If you have not been successful in your quest, our Technical Support Department
will help you solve problems that relate specifically to your PlexWriter drive. In
many cases, a problem that appears to be caused by your PlexWriter actually
originates in another part of your computer. In such instances, our technical support
staff will try to help you identify the part at fault and will refer you to the
manufacturer of that part for further assistance.

How to Contact Us

There are several ways for you to contact Plextor’s Technical Support Department:

 

Visit our web site (www.plextor.com) for answers to Frequently Asked
Questions.

 

Send us email at [email protected], or send a fax to the attention of the
Technical Support Department at 408-986-1010. Include your telephone number
and the hours during which you can be reached. Be as detailed as possible in
describing your problem. Please include system configuration, hardware and
software, as well as versions of drivers used.

 

Call 800-886-3935 and select the technical support extension.

Summary of Contents for PlexWriter 8/4/32

Page 1: ...te the confidence you have shown in us Our goal is to put you and keep you on the leading edge of CD technology To get you there we first have to help you install your PlexWriter drive properly and op...

Page 2: ...UTION Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those specified herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure The laser beam emitted from the optical pickup is invisib...

Page 3: ...Jumper on Your Internal PlexWriter Drive 9 Select an IDE Configuration 10 About Cable Select 12 Install the PlexWriter Drive 12 Record the Serial Number 12 Mount the PlexWriter Drive in the Computer...

Page 4: ...iting Discs 35 Troubleshooting for Macintosh Users 39 6 Frequently Asked Questions about Recording 41 Appendix A PlexWriter Specifications 43 Appendix B Technical Support 45 How to Contact Us 45 Befor...

Page 5: ...ort engineers who know their stuff What might seem like an uncooperative drive to you could very well be a 30 second fix to them But we will never know unless you contact us Meet Your PlexWriter 8 4 3...

Page 6: ...ble CDs Create a CD sneakernet to share information with colleagues just use software such as Adaptec DirectCD to Drag Drop files onto CD R or CD RW media then continue adding files and sharing the sa...

Page 7: ...l or replacement accessories Save Your Box Be sure to save the box after you have installed your PlexWriter drive The box and its packaging material were designed and drop tested to ensure your PlexWr...

Page 8: ...nt door Attached to tray drawer Headphone jack Stereo mini jack for headphones and powered speakers Volume control Controls volume of headphone jack Disc indicator Illuminated during power up or when...

Page 9: ...general leave these jumpers at their factory settings IDE interface connector Connects to IDE interface using 40 pin IDE flat ribbon cable Power connector Connects to your computer s power supply to p...

Page 10: ...your drive s surface Do not drop or jolt the drive Do not attempt to open the drive and service it yourself Removing the cover may expose you to harmful electrical voltages or the laser beam For your...

Page 11: ...power source QuickStart Installation For Experienced PC Users Only If you ve installed computer peripherals before you re in luck with the PlexWriter drive Use this QuickStart installation to get up a...

Page 12: ...the IDE cable is connected to a port on the computer s motherboard and the other end is connected to one or two peripheral devices such as a hard disk or CD ROM drive If there are two devices one is c...

Page 13: ...n is ON if the jumper is installed and OFF if the jumper is removed Figure 4 Factory Settings for Jumpers at the Rear of the Drive Changing to a Master Slave or Cable Select The Master Slave setting f...

Page 14: ...ct the PlexWriter as master device to the secondary IDE port Remove the CD ROM drive change it to slave and connect it to the secondary IDE port B Hard disk connected as master device and CD ROM drive...

Page 15: ...Section 2 Installing Your PlexWriter PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual 11 How to Install the PlexWriter A B C Figure 6 Typical IDE Configurations for Connecting the PlexWriter Drive...

Page 16: ...the Serial Number Record the serial number and TLA code of your drive on the inside front cover of this manual If your drive came preinstalled you can get this information using PlextorManager 2000 S...

Page 17: ...Do You Need a Power Cable In most computers you will find free power connectors in the computer ready for your use When you open the computer check the cable running from your power supply to your ha...

Page 18: ...9 Removing the Cover Panel from a Bay 4 Determine if you must install mounting rails on the sides of your drive To do so insert the drive into the open bay If the drive fits tightly with little or no...

Page 19: ...any cables Figure 10 Installing Mounting Rails if Needed 6 Plug a free connector on the IDE cable into the IDE connector on the rear panel of the drive before you insert the drive into your computer T...

Page 20: ...PlexWriter Drive CAUTION In the case of only one IDE device you must make certain that one end of the cable is always connected to the IDE connector on the motherboard The other end of the connector m...

Page 21: ...e Audio Connection Cable Required How to Connect It MPC audio source MPC compliant audio cable Connect to MPC audio source and to audio output connector at the rear of the PlexWriter Sound Blaster or...

Page 22: ...8432T drive icon or if it has a yellow diamond with an explanation point contact your PC or motherboard manufacturer to get the appropriate IDE controller driver On a PC with Windows NT 1 Turn the com...

Page 23: ...on then click on Device Manager tab You see a list of devices in your system 2 Double click the CD ROM icon and choose the PX W8432T drive by clicking on it once Then click on the Properties button an...

Page 24: ...Section 2 Installing Your PlexWriter 20 PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual This page intentionally left blank...

Page 25: ...our PlexWriter acts as a CD ROM Drive for purposes of installation and setup In some cases you will need to install additional software to make use of all of the features of the PlexWriter Using the P...

Page 26: ...ty of distinctive modules allow you to listen to record and even create your own playlists using a standard and digital audio file formats Rip the finest quality audio using digital audio extraction a...

Page 27: ...kit from Plextor lets you use your PlexWriter drive in exciting new ways Packet writing software This type of application lets you use your PlexWriter as an enormous floppy drive You can just Drag Dro...

Page 28: ...Section 3 Installing and Using Software 24 PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual This page intentionally left blank...

Page 29: ...rmware upgrades for your PlexWriter drive are available as downloads from the Plextor web site Please check the web site at www plextor com Tray Loading and Operation To load and unload the tray 1 Whi...

Page 30: ...not recommend placing self sticking CD R labels on the disc The weight of the label may unbalance the disc and cause write errors during recording or read errors during reading Cleaning Discs For pro...

Page 31: ...audio from your PlexWriter In order to listen to an audio CD connect an audio cable to the analog audio connector on the rear of the drive and connect the other end to your soundboard Please refer to...

Page 32: ...control on your task bar via a soundboard You can also mute the sound on your soundboard and listen to music through headphones or self powered speakers When using headphones or self powered speakers...

Page 33: ...ys update drives with latest available firmware Before troubleshooting a possible problem with your drive please make sure to visit our web site at www plextor com to check if you have the latest firm...

Page 34: ...lp find problems that develop in existing installations Start here if you re a PC user Mac users should start with page 39 and come back here if they don t find the answer Troubleshooting General Symp...

Page 35: ...different power cable to PlexWriter Symptoms PlexWriter does not respond lights or eject button Possible Cause 1 No power Solution 1 Ensure the power cable is connected securely to the PlexWriter s po...

Page 36: ...isc Possible Cause 3 Bad connection between the PlexWriter drive and the motherboard Solution 3 Inspect the IDE cable and drive for recessed broken or bent pins Inspect the IDE ribbon cable for any si...

Page 37: ...Cause 3 Session was left open on a CD R disc and does not have a Table of Contents Solution 3 Place this disc back into PlexWriter and use the same software originally used to write to it Then close...

Page 38: ...too low Need soundboard Need audio cable connection Soundboard not properly configured Solution Each soundboard has a different setting for each input source including one for CD Audio Run your soundb...

Page 39: ...at www plextor com Possible Cause 2 CD R or CD RW media is not supported Solution 2 Use CD R or CD RW media recommended by Plextor Supported media lists can also be found on the Plextor web site at w...

Page 40: ...4 Check jumpers for the PlexWriter drive and the other peripheral devices hard disk or CD ROM drive on the same IDE cable Ensure the jumper for one device is set to Master and the other to Slave Two d...

Page 41: ...ory capacity Possible Cause 4 PlexWriter and other IDE CD ROM drive are connected on the same cable Solution 4 When writing from another IDE device to the PlexWriter on the same bus using on the fly w...

Page 42: ...te CD is limited to 650 MB Solution 2 Use different CD R or CD RW media if the capacity is insufficient Possible Cause 3 The disc is written with on a CD R or CD RW drive from another vendor Solution...

Page 43: ...he Plextor web site at www plextor com Possible Cause 6 CD ROM drive used cannot read data fast enough to record at 8X Solution 6 Record to HDD first then to PlexWriter Troubleshooting for Macintosh U...

Page 44: ...Section 5 Maintenance and Troubleshooting 40 PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual This page intentionally left blank...

Page 45: ...o CD for personal use q Create specific format discs q Create disc for distribution to others q Share non editable presentations Why doesn t CD Copier work Some possible reasons are q Some CD ROM driv...

Page 46: ...Section 6 Frequently Asked Questions about Recording 42 PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual This page intentionally left blank...

Page 47: ...R 8X 4X 2X Taiyo Yuden TDK Ricoh Mitsui Chemical Kodak Fuji Photo Film Sony Imation Philips Maxell Mitsubishi Chemical CD R 1X Taiyo Yuden TDK Ricoh Mitsui Chemical Fuji Photo Film Sony Imation Philip...

Page 48: ...53D ATA ATAPI 4 Supports 59 commands including special commands for CD R Audio Output Stereo analog output Molex connector L G G R MPC3 standard Jumper Switches Master Slave Cable Select Environmental...

Page 49: ...s callers ask can be found quickly in the FAQ area A link to the FAQ area can be found on our home page If you have not been successful in your quest our Technical Support Department will help you sol...

Page 50: ...indows Mac or UNIX operating system you are using The brand name and model number of your computer e g Dell 466 NP Micron P66PCI Powerstation ALR Evolution V Apple Macintosh Performa 575 etc The type...

Page 51: ...are www cequadrat com Creative Labs 405 742 6600 405 742 6633 Soundboards www creativelabs com Creative Digital Research 408 255 0999 408 255 1011 Windows UNIX CD R software www cdr com Diamond 800 46...

Page 52: ...Intel http intel com ASUSTeK Computer http www asus com tw GIGA BYTE http www giga byte com ABIT http www abit usa com Aopen http www aopen usa com EPOX http www epox com SOYO Computers http www soyou...

Page 53: ...riting to 28 CD ROM media 25 CD RW reading from 28 CD RW media 25 cleaning disc 26 configuration CSEL 12 connection soundboard and 17 connector audio output 5 contacts 47 controls front panel 4 44 rea...

Page 54: ...autions 6 9 primary IDE port 8 Q QuickStart installation 7 R rails 14 15 reading a CD 1 rear panel controls 44 recognizing the drive in Windows 95 98 17 recognizing the drive in Windows NT 18 recordin...

Page 55: ...Index PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual 51 V volume control 4 27 W weight 44 writing frequently asked questions 41 writing a CD 1 writing discs troubleshooting 35 writing to CD R and CD RW 28...

Page 56: ...PlexWriter 8 4 32 Operation Manual 52 Notes...

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