My DVD burning drive is a +format through DELL and I wanted to know if there is a way to convert it or alter it so that it can burn both + and - disks. Sorry if I sound like a total D-bag, but I bought these blank DVDs that are DVD-R and my drive is a DVD+R drive. Hoping that they aren't a total waste.
It'd have to be an oldie-like 4-5+ years old to be single format. You could get a new dual format/dual layer dvd-rw drive through newegg.com for under $30. If you got room in the tower,use the old dvd-rw drive as the reader and the new burner to do just that-burn only.
i was checking the dell site about your pc & there is at least half dozen different manufacturers of dvd burners for your system. get a new burner.
Newegg.com But check to see if you have a SATA or PATA (IDE) drive, look at the cable in the drive itself. A quick guide here Guide and this thread is a mind-numbing study of number crunching scan analysis of different burners and media. Be warned not for the faint of heart though, too much info. http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/540688
has only ide connectors. Technical Specifications link. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/specs.htm motherboard layout link. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/techov.htm#1105465 Adding or Replacing a CD or DVD Drive link. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/drives.htm#1107290
I'd go with one of these ~ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16827106229,N82E16827118022&page=2&bop=And
I'm not up on the latest quality drives that are out there. That pioneer that loco linked should easily handle the dash format.
Personally, I suggest carrying a good external USB2 drive. Internal laptop DVD burner are notoriously finicky, especially the junk made by LG. I carry around either Pioneer or Sony/Samsung external -- two of the best drives currently made.
The Litey and LG are the booktypers,so they should highly favor plus format-at least if someone wants to take full advantage of the bitset advantage of the booktypers and plus format,especially for +RW and +RDL. My stockpile of Q's will suffice me for a very long time. Pioneer is the way to go if someone wants to burn up their stock pile of dash format. Sony? They don't make their own drives -in the past,so harder telling what you've actually got. Externally: Go with the pioneer and slap it into an external enclosure. Newegg should have them as well.. It'll probably be cheaper than a usb drive and the quality of the usb drive is a lot lower than the internal drives. Good Luck and Burn On.
These days, sometimes you don't even need an enclosure. I've had some success with those IDE>USB2 or SATA>USB2 converter wires, run about $10-15 each. The only downside is the pointy corners of the internal drive like to tear apart your laptop/travel bag. Geeks.com has some great deals on external drives. Refurb, but not a bad price. I bought a Pioneer 112 for $25 at Christmas, works fine. It had some stickers on it, but some elbow grease and rubbing alcohol fixed it.
Okay Loco, you twisted my arm, just ordered the Sony to replace an aging Litey drive, starting to slow down on the ejection ability. Not sure why but after 18 months the Lite-On drives seem to have difficulty ejecting a disk??
lordsmurf, where do you get the laptop idea from as HO84's pc is a tower not laptop? i've had no problems with lg & been using them about 7+ yrs.
