HP Compaq Presario CQ61-303XX, Compaq Presario CQ61-305TX, Compaq Presario CQ61-306AX, Compaq Presario CQ61-306TX, Compaq Presario CQ61-307AU User Guide

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Drives

User Guide

Windows is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Second Edition: August 2009

First Edition: August 2009

Document Part Number: 539206-002

Product notice

This user guide describes features that are common to most models. Some features may not be available on your computer.

Table of contents

1 Handling drives

2 Using an optical drive

Identifying the installed optical drive ..................................................................................................... 2

Using optical discs ................................................................................................................................ 3

Selecting the right disc (CDs, DVDs, and BDs) .................................................................................... 4

CD-R discs ........................................................................................................................... 4

CD-RW discs ....................................................................................................................... 4

DVD±R discs ....................................................................................................................... 4

DVD±RW discs .................................................................................................................... 4

LightScribe DVD+R discs .................................................................................................... 5

Blu-ray Disc (BD) ................................................................................................................. 5

Playing a CD, DVD, or BD .................................................................................................................... 6

Configuring AutoPlay ............................................................................................................................ 7

Changing DVD region settings ............................................................................................................. 7

Observing the copyright warning .......................................................................................................... 8

Copying a CD, DVD, or BD .................................................................................................................. 8

Creating or “burning” a CD or DVD ...................................................................................................... 9

Removing a CD, DVD, or BD ............................................................................................................. 10

3 Using external drives

4 Improving hard drive performance

Using Disk Defragmenter ................................................................................................................... 12

Using Disk Cleanup ............................................................................................................................ 12

5 Replacing the hard drive in the hard drive bay

6 Troubleshooting

The optical disc tray does not open for removal of a CD, DVD, or BD ............................................... 16

The computer does not detect the optical drive ................................................................................. 17

A disc does not play ........................................................................................................................... 18

A disc does not play automatically ..................................................................................................... 18

The process of burning a disc does not begin, or it stops before completion .................................... 19

A DVD playing in Windows Media Player produces no sound or display ........................................... 19

A device driver must be reinstalled .................................................................................................... 19

Obtaining the latest Windows device drivers ..................................................................... 20

Obtaining the latest HP device drivers ............................................................................... 20

iii

Index ................................................................................................................................................................... 21

1 Handling drives

Drives are fragile computer components that must be handled with care. Refer to the following cautions before handling drives. Additional cautions are included with the procedures to which they apply.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of damage to the computer, damage to a drive, or loss of information,

observe these precautions:

Before you move a computer that is connected to an external hard drive, initiate Sleep and allow the screen to clear, or properly disconnect the external hard drive.

Before handling a drive, discharge static electricity by touching the unpainted metal surface of the drive.

Do not touch the connector pins on a removable drive or on the computer.

Handle a drive carefully; do not drop a drive or place items on it.

Before removing or inserting a drive, shut down the computer. If you are unsure whether the computer is off, in the Sleep state, or in Hibernation, turn the computer on and then shut it down through the operating system.

Do not use excessive force when inserting a drive into a drive bay.

Do not type on the keyboard or move the computer while the optical drive is writing to a disc. The write process is sensitive to vibration.

When the battery is the only source of power, be sure that the battery is sufficiently charged before writing to media.

Avoid exposing a drive to temperature or humidity extremes.

Avoid exposing a drive to liquids. Do not spray the drive with cleaning products.

Remove media from a drive before removing the drive from the drive bay, or traveling with, shipping, or storing a drive.

If a drive must be mailed, place the drive in a bubble-pack mailer or other suitable protective packaging and label the package “FRAGILE.”

Avoid exposing a drive to magnetic fields. Security devices with magnetic fields include airport walkthrough devices and security wands. The airport security devices that check carry-on luggage, such as conveyor belts, use X-rays instead of magnetism and will not damage a drive.

2 Using an optical drive

Your computer includes an optical drive that expands the functionality of the computer. Identify what kind of device is installed in your computer to see its capabilities. The optical drive allows you to read data discs, play music, and watch movies. If your computer includes a Blu-ray Disc ROM Drive, then you can also watch high-definition video from disc.

Identifying the installed optical drive

Select Start > Computer.

▲

You will see a list of all the devices installed in your computer, including your optical drive. You may have one of the following types of drives:

DVD±RW/R and CD-RW Combo Drive with Double-Layer (DL) support

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LightScribe DVD±RW/R and CD-RW Combo Drive with Double-Layer (DL) support

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Blu-ray Disc ROM Drive with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double-Layer (DL) support

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LightScribe Blu-ray Disc ROM Drive with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double-Layer (DL) support

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NOTE: Some of the drives listed above may not be supported by your computer.

2 Chapter 2 Using an optical drive

Using optical discs

An optical drive, such as a DVD-ROM drive, supports optical discs (CDs and DVDs). These discs store information, such as music, photos, and movies. DVDs have a higher storage capacity than CDs.

Your optical drive can read standard CD and DVD discs. If your optical drive is a Blu-ray Disc ROM Drive, it can also read Blu-ray discs.

NOTE: Some of the optical drives listed may not be supported by your computer. The listed drives are

not necessarily all of the supported optical drives.

Some optical drives can also write to optical discs as described in the following table.

Optical drive type Write to CD-RW Write to DVD±RW/R Write to DVD+RW DL Write label to

LightScribe CD or DVD±RW/R

DVD±RW and CD-RW SuperMulti DL Combo Drive with LightScribe

Blu-ray ROM with LightScribe DVD±R/RW SuperMulti DL Drive

Yes Yes Yes Yes

CAUTION: To prevent possible audio and video degradation, loss of information, or loss of audio or

video playback functionality, do not initiate Sleep or Hibernation while reading or writing to a CD or DVD.

Using optical discs 3

Selecting the right disc (CDs, DVDs, and BDs)

An optical drive supports optical discs (CDs, DVDs, and BDs). CDs, used to store digital data, are also used for commercial audio recordings and are convenient for your personal storage needs. DVDs and BDs are used primarily for movies, software, and data backup purposes. DVDs and BDs are the same form factor as CDs but have a much higher storage capacity.

NOTE: The optical drive on your computer may not support all the types of optical discs discussed in

this section.

CD-R discs

CD-R (write-once) discs are widely used for creating a permanent copy of data that can be shared as needed. Typical uses include the following:

Distributing large presentations

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Sharing scanned and digital photos, video clips, and written data

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Making your own music CDs

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Keeping permanent archives of computer files and scanned home records

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Offloading files from your hard drive to free up disk space

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After data is recorded, it cannot be erased or written over.

CD-RW discs

Use a CD-RW disc (a rewritable version of a CD) to store large projects that must be updated frequently. Typical uses include the following:

Developing and maintaining large documents and project files

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Transporting work files

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Making weekly backups of hard drive files

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Updating photos, video, audio, and data continuously

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DVD±R discs

Use blank DVD±R discs to permanently store large amounts of information. After data is recorded, it cannot be erased or written over.

DVD±RW discs

Use DVD±RW discs if you want to be able to erase or write over data that you saved earlier. This type of disc is ideal for testing audio or video recordings before you burn them to a CD or DVD that cannot be changed.

4 Chapter 2 Using an optical drive

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