What Affects System Performance

A-3

SPP mode allows the CD-Writer Plus drive to run at up to a 2x read speed and up to a 1x write speed if the other minimum system requirements are met.

EPP and ECP modes allow the CD-Writer Plus drive to run at up to a 6x read speed and a 2x write speed if the other minimum system requirements are met.

TIP: Check your computer’s specifications to see which kind of parallel port was installed. Sometimes a fast ECP/EPP port will be set up as a slow standard mode port at the factory. Check your computer’s manual to find out how to reset it to the faster speed. If that doesn’t work you can also install a faster parallel port.

■I/O and IRQ. The IRQ (interrupt request) and I/O (input/output) range are the computer resources used by the parallel port. The CD- Writer Plus drive requires a parallel port set to:

IRQ 7 with I/O base address 378, or

IRQ 5 with I/O base address 278

Most computers automatically assign these. But, depending on your configuration, you may run into conflicts with other devices. For example, another device (such as your sound card) may be assigned the same settings. If there is a conflict, it must be corrected before installing the drive.

To find out which device is in conflict:

In Windows 95/98, right-click on the My Computer icon, select Properties, select the Device Manager tab, double-click on the computer icon to see a list of which device is using each resource setting on your computer.

■For optimum performance, run SCANDISK.EXE and DEFRAG.EXE on your hard drive before using your CD-Writer Plus drive for the first time (see your Windows manual for more information). Then run them periodically after that. These programs improve access times to the hard drive, which will help improve system performance while writing to and reading from the CD-Writer Plus drive.

NOTE: Refer to your computer manual or contact your computer vendor if you have any questions about your computer’s configuration or capabilities.

Specifications

Technical A: Appendix