Windows 98 Installation & Configuration Handbook

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Installing and Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drives


by Serdar Yegulap

Setting Up Your CD-ROM for Network Use

CD-ROMs are most often used to provide files for a single workstation or server, but it's also common practice to serve out a CD-ROM for network use. A shared CD-ROM will allow other users in your workgroup to access your CD-ROM drive freely as if it were a drive installed on their own systems.

In order to share out a CD, you need to have File and Print Sharing installed on both your Windows 98 machine and whatever other machines will be sharing your CD-ROM. In addition, you both need to have the same network protocols installed as well. LANs traditionally use NetBEUI for file sharing, but TCP/IP also works. Generally, a shared CD-ROM drive will be designated to share out a particular CD-ROM disc, but the disc can be swapped out when no one is connected to the host system.

To enable File and Print Sharing, go to the section entitled "Configuring Network Properties" in Chapter 24, "Setting Up Windows 98 on a Peer-to-Peer Network."

Sharing Out the CD-ROM

Once you have File and Print Sharing enabled, follow these steps to share out a CD-ROM drive to other users on the network.

1. From the Desktop of the computer that has the CD-ROM, double-click the My Computer icon to open it. Note that if you have Active Desktop turned on, or are viewing your desktop and folders as Web pages, Windows 98 will open icons with a single click.

2.
Right-click the icon that represents the CD-ROM. Select Sharing. This brings up the Sharing tab of the CD-ROM's Properties sheet (see Figure 12.1).

FIG. 12.1 The CD-ROM Properties sheet.

3. Click the Shared As radio button to enable sharing.

4.
Click the Share Name text box and type a one-word name to describe the shared CD-ROM. This could be something as simple as the CD-ROM drive letter, which is what the Share Name box is set to by default.

5.
Select the Comment field by clicking it and type a descriptive comment for the shared CD-ROM. For instance, you may want to describe which computer that particular CD-ROM belongs to, or the contents of the CD-ROM drive.

6.
The Access Type radio button should be set to Read-Only if you want to allow anyone on the network to be able to read the CD-ROM. If you want to enable password protection for access to the CD-ROM (see Figure 12.2), click the Depends on Password radio button.

FIG. 12.2 Setting up sharing on the CD-ROM's Properties page.

7. To specify a password for the CD-ROM, click in the Read-Only Password box and type in a password. The password will only be echoed to the screen as a series of asterisks.

8.
Click OK or Apply to continue.

9.
If you have specified a password, you will be prompted to retype the password to confirm it. Retype the password and click OK to continue. If you don't give the right password, you'll be given a "Password you typed is incorrect" message and be asked to retype the password. You can back out by hitting Cancel, which will take you back to the Shared properties sheet.

10.
The shared CD-ROM will appear in My Computer with the "shared" symbol on it. This is usually a hand "offering" the CD-ROM to be shared (see Figure 12.3).

Removing a Share on a CD-ROM

Removing a share on a CD-ROM is simple enough. Right-click the CD-ROM icon in Explorer, select Sharing, and then click the Not Shared radio button in the Sharing tab of the Properties sheet.


CAUTION: Removing a share on a CD-ROM drive will delete all share names, comments, and passwords associated with that CD-ROM drive. If you place a new share on the drive, you will have to manually re-enter all of that information.

Sharing a CD-ROM can slow your system down enormously. If you are planning to serve the same files to many different computers at once, you may fare better by copying the contents of the CD-ROM to a shared hard drive, if you can spare the room.

Another important issue is copyright and licensing. Many software programs are licensed to be used by one user at a time only, and are not supposed to be accessed by multiple users through a share. Check your software's licensing agreement before sharing it out on a CD-ROM.


FIG. 12.3 The shared CD-ROM.

CD-ROM Features

CD-ROMs are generally designed to run without much maintenance or adjustment. However, there are options that can be changed which may enhance performance, especially for SCSI CD-ROMs.

CD-ROM Options

To view the options available for a CD-ROM device, open the System Properties sheet from the Control Panel. You can also do this by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties.

In the Device Manager, open up the subtree that contains your CD-ROM device, right-click the device, and select Properties. Choose the Settings tab (see Figure 12.4).

FIG. 12.4 The options available for a CD-ROM device.


NOTE:ot all the options may be available for all CD-ROM drives. Some IDE CD-ROMs do not support all the options that some SCSI CD-ROMs do, for instance.

The options available on the Settings page are the following:

Changing CD-ROM Drive Letters

A CD-ROM gets assigned a drive letter at boot time, depending on what other drives are in the system. If you are adding and removing other fixed or removable drives and want the CD-ROM drive letter to remain fixed--for instance, if you're using applications that require the CD-ROM be assigned a consistent drive letter--you can force a drive-letter assignment.

1. Open the System Properties sheet from either the Control Panel or by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties. In the Device Manager, open up the subtree that contains your CD-ROM device. (To expand a subtree, click the "+" symbols in the list next to the CD-ROM.) Right-click the device, and select Properties. Choose the Settings tab (see Figure 12.5).

FIG. 12.5 The settings for a CD-ROM device, with no drive letters assigned.

2. The Start Drive Letter and End Drive Letter drop-down lists at the bottom of the Properties sheet (see Figure 12.6) let you choose the first and last valid drive letters you want to allow the CD-ROM to be assigned at boot time. If you want to lock the CD-ROM to a particular drive letter, choose the same letter for both Start and End.

FIG. 12.6 Setting drive letters for a CD-ROM.

3. When you are done, click OK on the Properties sheet for the CD-ROM drive, and then click OK on the System Properties sheet. Reboot to make the changes take effect.

Troubleshooting CD-ROM Drives

CD-ROM drives are designed to need little maintenance or upkeep to work correctly. Like hard drives, they should work reliably once plugged in, configured, and turned on. A good number of the problems inherent in CD-ROM drives have been ironed out thanks to the introduction of CD-ROM drives with consistent, industry-standard interfaces, such as ATAPI/IDE or SCSI. Many of the original problems with CD-ROM drives stemmed from the proprietary interface cards that came with the drives. The hardware or drivers for some often conflicted with other hardware present in the system, or wasn't being loaded properly.

Many of the problems users have with CD-ROM drives can be traced to an incorrect configuration of the CD-ROM drive's interface, whether ATAPI/IDE or SCSI, and all of those possibilities should be exhausted before considering that the drive itself is damaged. Some of the common symptoms of CD-ROM trouble are the following:

Common CD-ROM Problems and Solutions

Many of the problems that arise with CD-ROMs are totally independent of the type of CD-ROM (SCSI, IDE, internal, external). Here is a list of some of the most common reasons for problems and some suggested solutions.


CAUTION: Cleaning discs should be used sparingly--more often if the user smokes or works in an environment with a great deal of dust. Too much cleaning can damage the lens irreparably.


TIP: Some cables aren't keyed and can be mistakenly connected backwards on the motherboard, controller card, or the CD-ROM. In such cases, the cable will have one of its edges marked in red to indicate which wire goes to pin 1 on both ends. Pin 1 is usually marked with a number or an arrow on both the motherboard and the drive.

Troubleshooting for ATAPI/IDE CD-ROMs

One of the biggest steps towards the acceptance of CD-ROMs as a standard-issue piece of PC equipment was the creation of the ATAPI standard, which allowed CD-ROMs to be plugged into the same controllers that normally handled high-capacity hard drives. This created opportunities for a great many problems as well as conveniences.

ATAPI/IDE CD-ROMs have a host of possible problems that can arise because of their particular design and construction. Following is a list of possible problems and recommended solutions.

Troubleshooting for SCSI CD-ROMs

SCSI CD-ROMs are a little more flexible than IDE CD-ROMs. They can be set up externally far more easily than IDE CD-ROMs, can be configured far more flexibly and in conjunction with many more devices than IDE CD-ROMs, and can theoretically support much higher transfer rates. That doesn't make them immune to trouble--if anything, it makes them susceptible to a whole slew of unique problems.

Here's a list of common troubleshooting checkpoints to go through if you encounter problems with SCSI CD-ROMs, plus some possible solutions.

Installing DVD-ROM Support in Windows 98

Windows 98 adds rudimentary DVD-ROM support "out of the box," meaning that it's possible to pop in a DVD-ROM drive and read data from discs. Installing the DVD-ROM drive itself follows the same pattern as installing a conventional CD-ROM. once connected to its host adapter, IDE or SCSI, Windows 98 detects it automatically and installs basic support for the DVD-ROM drive directly from its repository of drivers on the Windows 98 CD-ROM.


NOTE: The name of the device driver on the DVD-ROM should not be "CD-ROM"; if it is, the system has misdetected the device and a proper DVD-ROM driver should be installed, as detailed later.

DVD-ROM support for Windows 98 is divided into two separate classes of drivers: support for the drive itself, which is mostly automatic, and support for the audio/video decoder card that is frequently sold with the drive. (Buying a DVD-ROM drive alone does not give you the ability to play back DVD-based movies; the decoder card handles that job.)

The decoder board is installed in much the same manner as a sound or video capture board. Each board has its own peculiar setup procedure, provided by the manufacturer, but there are some common elements: the drive for the decoder card can be found in the "Sound, video and game controllers" branch of the Device Manager (see Figure 12.7), and from there it's possible to update the driver, change its settings, or remove it entirely.

FIG. 12.7 A DVD-ROM decoder board as listed in Device Manager.


NOTE: Unless you're specifically instructed to do so by your DVD-ROM drive's documentation, or if you are attempting to use the DVD-ROM in conjunction with a decoder card, don't try replacing the default DVD-ROM driver. The default driver is designed to support all the basic functions of a DVD-ROM drive built to specification.

Installing Support for DVD-ROM Decoder Boards in Windows 98

Once the drive itself has been installed in your computer, the next step is to install the DVD-ROM decoder board, if one has been provided with the drive. The board allows you to decode DVD-ROM discs that have multimedia on them--video, audio, or both--and play them back on your computer, or on a TV. Since the decoding is handled entirely in hardware, the load on the CPU is minimal, and the computer can be used for other, processor-intensive activities without degrading playback performance.

The components used in the decoder board to perform the image and sound decompression are the same ones used in commercial-quality DVD-ROM players, and afford the same kinds of features for titles that support them: multiple audio channels, subtitles, multiple camera angles, menuing, chapter stops, supplementary materials, and so on. Many decoder boards also support Dolby Digital 5.1 sound decoding, but this can only be played back through a stereo amplifier that supports discrete 5.1 sound.

Types of Decoder Boards

Decoder cards come in two basic varieties: pass-through and substitution. A pass-through decoder card takes the output from the system's existing graphics adapter, whatever it may be, and uses a "chroma-key" system to layer in the output from the DVD-ROM board. This is done by using a specific color on the display--usually a bright pink--as an indicator to the DVD-ROM decoder board where to layer in the video playback window. A cable from the video card plugs into the decoder board, and the monitor plugs into an outgoing port on the decoder board as well.

Pass-through boards have a number of advantages. If they malfunction, the main graphics system in the computer will still continue to work, because they don't replace the functionality of the graphics card, just add to it.

Pass-through boards can also be used in a slightly wider variety of computers. They are usually sold as ISA cards, not PCI, and therefore can be used in machines that do not have anything more sophisticated than a 16-bit ISA bus.

On the downside, the quality of the layered video is strongly dependent on the quality of the board's manufacture and its isolation potential, because the image is being converted to analog before being layered in and can pick up noise and distortions along the way.

A substitution card uses a decoder card that is also a graphics board, and substitutes for the existing graphics board in the computer. The graphics hardware and the decoder hardware work far more closely together, and the result is usually cleaner and of higher quality than a pass-through board. Also, a substitution card only takes one slot instead of two.

There are drawbacks to substitution boards. Because most of them are PCI, not ISA, they will not work in older systems at all. Also, their construction often prevents them from being used in Windows NT--not the most critical drawback for Windows 98 users, but people who are planning to upgrade or put a symmetrical install of Windows NT on the same computer should be aware of this, and make sure the hardware they will be using can support NT if they need it.

Decoder Board Installation Issues

There are some other basic issues with installing a DVD-ROM decoder board that should be observed:

Installing Plug and Play Decoder Boards

This is a basic set of instructions for installing Plug and Play compatible decoder boards under Windows 98.

1. Check the instructions and ensure that you have enough IRQs, memory addresses, and DMAs free. Plug and Play hardware generally does not have extremely rigid requirements, but will require that you have one of a set or IRQs free, such as 3,5,7,9 or 11. The Plug and Play subsystem cannot assign addresses already in use by non-Plug and Play hardware, or which has been reserved for other system functions. If the needed address or IRQ is being used by another piece of Plug and Play hardware, it will be reassigned.


TIP: One easy way to determine what IRQs are free is to open up the Device Manager, double-click the Computer icon in the hardware list, and then look at the View Resources tab. You can view available resources by IRQ, DMA, I/O port and memory address (see Figure 12.8).

FIG. 12.8 The resources list in Device Manager.

2. Install the decoder board in your system. Follow the product documentation for the details on this procedure. You may need to set a jumper on the board that tells the board to use Plug and Play standards for IRQ/memory address assignments. Also make sure that the video connections are set up correctly for a pass-through board. If you are using a non-pass-through board on a machine with integrated video, check to make sure that the integrated video subsystem does not need to be disabled through a jumper or BIOS setting. Some systems have a jumper or BIOS setting that reserves an IRQ for the on-board video system; disabling this allows the new video card to use the IRQ freely.

3.
Power up the system and observe the boot process carefully. Plug and Play-compatible systems will usually provide a quick list of Plug and Play devices at boot-time, along with the IRQs and memory addresses of them. PCI devices generally have far less trouble being assigned a proper IRQ and memory space than ISA devices.

4.
If the decoder board isn't being assigned an address or IRQ, you may need to reset the Plug and Play configurator. This is generally done through BIOS. Most BIOSes have a setting in the subpage of the BIOS that handles Plug and Play devices which reads "Reset Plug-and-Play settings" or "Reset device settings." When this is reset, the computer is forced to re-poll all Plug and Play devices and assign them fresh IRQs and memory addresses.

5.
Once the decoder board is successfully assigned an address and IRQ, Windows 98 should bring up a dialog box during the boot process that informs the user of the new device, and attempts to install a driver from either the Windows 98 CD-ROM or a provided disk. Insert the disk that contains the decoder card's drivers and type A:\ as the pathname for the needed drivers.

6.
You may need to reboot before the changes take effect. Check the Device Manager to make sure the decoder card's driver is loaded and running without problems. If the device loads properly but still does not work, you may need to contact the manufacturer for an updated or Windows 98-specific driver.

Installing Non-Plug and Play Decoder Boards

Non-Plug and Play decoder boards need to supervised far more closely during installation than Plug and Play boards. The following instructions are meant as a general guideline for installing non-Plug and Play decoders. Follow the documentation for your board for details not provided here.

1. Check the decoder card's documentation for which IRQs, DMAs, and memory addresses will be needed to install the card, and then verify that the same addresses and ports are free. As described earlier, in the section on installing Plug and Play decoder boards, you can use the Device Manager to verify what is and isn't in use in your system. You may need to reassign hardware to other locations in the meantime by changing the hardware's jumpers (if it's a plug-in board) or BIOS settings (if it's a piece of integrated hardware, like a COM: port).

2.
Set the board to the appropriate addresses and then power the system down and install the decoder board. Follow the board's documentation for properly connecting the speakers and video cabling.

3.
Power up the system. If during boot you get a "Configuration error" message or "Device conflict" message or something similar, continue booting the system, but pay attention to any additional error messages that may indicate with what the device may be conflicting. Also check the Device Manager for additional details. If the system doesn't boot at all, the decoder board is probably conflicting with something critical to the system--such as the timer or keyboard IRQ--and needs to be set to another memory address or IRQ.

4.
Go to the Add New Hardware Wizard, which is available through the Control Panel. Activate it and click Next to allow the wizard to search for Plug and Play devices. Your decoder card will probably not be found during this stage, but if it is, supply the appropriate drivers from the manufacturer's disks.

5.
The next stage of the wizard allows you to supply drives for non-Plug and Play devices. The fastest way to proceed is to supply the needed driver and let Windows automatically attempt to activate the driver. Click No, I Want To Select the Hardware From a List, and then click Next.

6.
Select Sound, Video and Game Controllers from the Hardware Types list, and then click Next.

7.
Click Have Disk and then supply a path to the disk that contains your drivers (usually A:\).

8.
Select the device you are installing from the Models list. If your disk has drivers for more than one piece of hardware, make sure you select the correct one down to the letter. Click OK. Windows 98 will then copy the driver from the disk and install it.

9.
Reboot to start the driver. Check the Device Manager to ensure that it's working correctly.


NOTE: These instructions also apply to boards being used in machines that don't have Plug and Play support, or for boards that have Plug and Play support disabled. Most ISA Plug and Play boards allow you to disable Plug and Play and hard-assign an address through jumpers or software.

DVD-ROM Playback and Device Issues

When you install the DVD-ROM decoder board in your computer, the installation software will also place one or more MCI (Media Control Interface) drivers into the Multimedia Devices list. You can see this list by double-clicking the Multimedia icon in the Control Panel and then selecting the Devices tab. If you expand the Media Control Devices subtree, you should see drivers that relate to your DVD-ROM playback hardware.

The exact types of driver vary, but generally there will be one driver for the DVD-ROM system itself and another driver to interface with the decoder card for MPEG decoding.

Adjusting DVD-ROM Device Settings

If you want to edit the driver's settings, there is generally a utility provided by the manufacturer for this, but you also can usually make changes to the driver's settings by selecting the driver from the Multimedia Devices list, clicking Properties, and then clicking Settings in the driver's property sheet. The adjustments you can make will vary enormously from one driver to another, but an example of what you may see can be seen in Figure 12.9. This example is taken from the Creative Labs DVD-ROM kit.

FIG. 12.9 Sample settings for the DVD-ROM decoder hardware.

DVD-ROM Issues

DVD-ROMs and conventional CD-ROMs are different in many ways, and some of those differences are worth mentioning here as "dos and don'ts."


NOTE: Many titles sold in Hong Kong or Japan are now being coded without region markers and will play anywhere. Some American titles are also regionless, but they are generally few and far between, and are usually sold by smaller independent companies that are trying to maximize profits. Generally, any title from a major company (especially a major movie company) will have region coding.


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