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Plextor CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW
Software Suite and Utilities
For Microsoft® Windows® 95, 98, NT, 2000
Plextor Manager Version 1.07
August 2000
Congratulations!
Plextor Manager 2000 is a remarkable suite of software utilities that help you get the
most from your Plextor drive. Plextor Manager 2000 puts more features at your
fingertips and makes them easier to use than ever before. This manual will show you
how to begin using Plextor Manager 2000 for greater productivity—and more fun!
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Table of Contents
1. Plextor Manager 2000 Applications ...............................................................1
System Requirements......................................................................................... 1
About Plextor Manager 2000 Modules..............................................................2
MVP 2000...................................................................................................... 2
Audio Capture 2000....................................................................................... 3
DiscDupe 2000............................................................................................... 4
Enhanced Drive Properties............................................................................. 4
AudioFS.........................................................................................................5
2. Installing and Starting Plextor Manager 2000.............................................. 7
Installing in Windows 95/98 and 2000/NT........................................................ 7
About Windows 2000/NT Installation............................................................... 8
The Plextor Icon................................................................................................. 8
Starting Plextor Manager 2000 Modules............................................................9
Changing Startup Behavior................................................................................ 9
Disabling Plextor Manager Launcher ............................................................ 9
Disabling the Plextor Manager Splash Screen............................................... 9
Uninstalling Plextor Manager 2000................................................................... 10
3. Running MVP 2000.......................................................................................... 11
MVP 2000 Application Controls........................................................................11
Selecting the Default Drives .............................................................................. 13
Playing an Audio CD with CD/DA Player.........................................................14
Playing Digital Files (Audio and Video)............................................................ 14
Viewing or Changing Media Types and File Formats....................................... 14
Graphic Display of Audio.................................................................................. 16
Recording Audio................................................................................................ 16
Recording Digital Music to CD-R or CD-RW............................................... 16
Choosing a Disc for Recording...................................................................... 16
Choosing the Preferred Recording Speed...................................................... 17
About File Types and Recording Speed......................................................... 17
Enabling BURN-Proof................................................................................... 17
Using Test Mode When Making an Audio CD.............................................. 19
Creating and Using a Playlist.............................................................................20
Playlist Controls............................................................................................. 20
Building a Playlist.......................................................................................... 21
Arranging your Playlist.................................................................................. 21
Saving a Playlist............................................................................................. 22
Opening a Playlist.......................................................................................... 22
Recording from a Playlist...............................................................................22
Using CDDB...................................................................................................... 23
What You Need for CDDB............................................................................ 23
Storing CD Information Locally.................................................................... 24
Retrieving and Viewing CDDB Information................................................. 24
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4. Running Audio Capture 2000 .........................................................................27
Audio Capture 2000 Application Controls......................................................... 27
Selecting a Drive................................................................................................ 28
Capturing Audio Tracks to Digital Audio Files.................................................28
Specifying Output Quality Level and File Format for Capture ...................... 30
Selecting Multiple Tracks ..............................................................................30
Setting Error Correction Level.......................................................................31
Enabling CDDB.................................................................................................32
Toggling Song Title as Filename ....................................................................... 33
5. Running DiscDupe 2000...................................................................................35
DiscDupe 2000 Application Controls ................................................................35
Choosing a Disc for Duplicating........................................................................36
Using Non-Plextor Drives as the Source............................................................36
Duplicating from CD to CD...............................................................................37
Duplicating When the PlexWriter Is Your Only Drive...................................... 37
Using DiscDupe 2000 Options...........................................................................38
Using a Temporary Image.............................................................................. 38
Using Images..................................................................................................38
Selecting the Speed ........................................................................................ 38
Emulate/Test ..................................................................................................39
Verifying the Copied Disc..............................................................................39
Using BURN-Proof........................................................................................39
Copying CD-Text Discs ..................................................................................... 40
Copying CD+G Discs ........................................................................................40
Saving a CD Image on Your Hard Disk............................................................. 40
How Duplication Occurs....................................................................................41
6. Using the Enhanced Drive Properties.............................................................43
How to View the Enhanced Drive Properties.....................................................43
About the Enhanced Properties..........................................................................43
Details Screen.................................................................................................43
Settings Screen............................................................................................... 45
Improving Video Game Performance............................................................46
Choosing Drive Speed....................................................................................46
Choosing Spindown Timeout.........................................................................47
7. Using AudioFS..................................................................................................49
Advantages of AudioFS.....................................................................................49
Enabling AudioFS .............................................................................................. 49
Using AudioFS for Audio Extraction................................................................. 50
Turning Off AudioFS ......................................................................................... 50
Using USB Speakers with Digital Audio........................................................... 50
Why Use Digital Audio?................................................................................51
What You Need for USB Digital Audio Sound ............................................. 51
Enabling USB Digital Audio Sound ..............................................................51
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Windows 95 Users and AudioFS WAV Files.................................................... 53
Windows 95 Sound Utilities .......................................................................... 53
Apparent Problems with Sound Recorder...................................................... 53
Changing the Default Player.......................................................................... 54
Appendix A: Contacting Plextor Technical Support ........................................ 55
How to Contact Us............................................................................................. 55
Before You E-mail/Log On/FAX/Call............................................................... 56
Appendix B: Software License............................................................................57
Index...................................................................................................................... 61
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1. Plextor Manager 2000 Applications
Just look at all you get with Plextor Manager 2000:
•
MVP 2000: A music/video player and recorder specifically designed to take
advantage of your Plext or drive’s audio capabilities, including support for MP3
(MPEG-1 Layer 3) and WMA (Windows Media Audio) files.
•
Audio Capture 2000: The one software tool you need to capture music tracks
from CD to hard disk as WAV files or to encode as WMA files.
•
AudioFS: View and manipulate CD - Audio f iles as WAV files.
•
DiscDupe 2000: Duplicate music, video, or data CDs with this one-touch
program.
•
Drive Properties: Enhanced control and more information about your drive and
media.
System Requirements
•
Hardware: Personal computer (not a Macintosh or UNIX machine)
•
Operating systems: Windows 95, 98, 2000 or NT
•
CPU: Pentium 200 MHz (minimum)
•
RAM: 64 MB
•
Sound Card: For audio playback
•
Graphics: Super VGA
•
IDE or SCSI Interface: Use a PCI bus mastering controller for best
performance.
•
CD Drive (reading): Plextor or other MMC-compliant drives can be used as a
source for reading. MMC-compliant drives must support the “CD-DA Stream Is
Accurate” feature to take advantage of all Plextor Manager 2000 functions.
NOTE
: Here’s the good news: Drives built by most manufacturers sin ce late 1998 are
“MMC-compliant.” (That is, they comply with the Multi-Media Command set.) And
most support the “CD-DA Stream Is Accurate” feature, too.
•
Plextor drive (writing): Only a Plextor CD-R or CD-RW drive can be used as
the destination for writing.
•
Internet Access: For connectivity to CDDB Audio Internet Database (Optional)
Supported Plextor drive models are:
•
CD-ROM drives: Models PX-4XCE, PX-8XCS, or later
•
CD-R/RW drives: Models PX-R412C, PX-R820T, PX-W4220T, or later
NOTE:
Plextor Manager 2000 does not support the Plextor MegaPleX jukebox.
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Section 1. Plextor Manager 2000 Applications
About Plextor Manager 2000 Modules
Here are the modules that make up the Plextor Manager 2000 suite.
MVP 2000
Music Video Producer 2000 is a full-featured Windows application for recording and
playing both music and video with your Plextor drive.
Features of MVP 2000 include:
•
Informative main display: Shows disc title, track, ti me, and other information.
During playback, double-click this display to s witc h t he time display from
counting up t o counting d own. You can also see program infor mation (song
name, title, artist, length, etc.) when digital music files such as MP 3 and WMA
contain it.
•
CD/DA or A/V player mode: Toggle between playing audio from a CD/DA
audio CD, or playing digital audio/video from a playlist or individual file.
•
Comprehensive playback controls: Includes standard track controls such as
play, record, fast forward, skip track forward or backward, etc. A handy
adjustment bar allows you t o move anywhere withi n a CD track.
•
Digital CD/DA playback: All audio CDs in CD/DA mode are played back
digitally through the IDE or SCSI bus for better sound quality.
•
Graphic display: View music as you play it.
•
Digital jukebox: Create your own mixed audio, MP3, WMA, or WAV format
playlists and CD audio tracks. Play them back sequentially or at random.
•
CDDB: When you play a disc, MVP 2000 can link via the Internet to CDDB, the
world's largest online database of audio CD information, and download the
album name, artist and song titles. Once information is downloaded, it is stored
on your computer and is displayed every time you play this disc. The CDDB
database has information on most commercially manufactured audio CDs.
•
Support for variety of digital formats: Play MP 3, WMA, WAV, CDA, or AVI
audio formats, or MPEG video format. Record MP3, WMA, and WAV files to
audio CD tracks. MVP 2000 automatically decodes these formats and records
them on CD, ready for playing on most home, car, computer, or portable audio
CD players.
•
Editing of disc information: With MVP 2000, you can create audio CD-Textenabled CDs—that is, CDs containing information such as the name of the
album, the artist, and the song. When you play the CD on a computer player or a
stereo CD player that is CD-Text-ready, you can see all this information
displayed as the song is played. You can also elect to include a two-second pause
or not to include a pause between individual tracks.
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Section 1. Plextor Manager 2000 Applications
Audio Capture 2000
Audio Capture 2000 lets you extract CD-Audio tracks right to your hard drive. The
extracted audio tracks are saved as WAV files, and are ready for playing in Windows
by MVP 2000 or any other digital audio player, and for encoding to formats such as
MP3, WMA, Real Audio, etc. These files can also be used with sound editing
software.
What’s more, support for Windows Media Audio (WMA) format has been included
in Audio Capture 2000. This means you can encode from your audio CD straight to
WMA format.
Features of Audio Capture 2000 include:
•
Comprehensive track information: A track selection screen gives you al l
necessary information about the source disc at a glance. Double-click to capture
an individual track or select several tracks at once.
•
Choice of sound quality: You can select the sound quality level of the tracks
you want to capture. Audio Capture 2000 supports sampling rates of 44 kHz, 22
kHz, or 11 kHz, 8-bit or 16-bit resolution, as well as CD (44-kHz sampling, 16bit stereo), stereo and monaural sound.
•
Encoding audio CD tracks directly to WMA format: You can encode your
audio CDs directly into WMA files. (WMA files allow you to digitize your music
while compressing the information more than 10 times, which means the file
takes up a lot less of your hard disk space.) This allows you to turn your audio
CD collection into a digital jukebox on your PC, and can give you access to
hundreds or thousands of songs. Audio Capture 2000 allows compression at bit
rates of 128 kbits and 64 kbits.
•
Error correction: You can adjust the error correction rate as needed to eliminate
pops, clicks, or hissing noises from the source disc. Error correction can be set
from 0 percent to 100 percent.
•
CDDB: Audio Capture 2000 can link via the Internet to CDDB, the world's
largest online database of audio CD information, and download the album name,
artist and song titles. Once information is downloaded, it is stor ed on your
computer, and all extracted or encoded files from that disc include this
information. For example, encoding to WAV files uses this i nformation to save
the encoded file with the track name as the filename; WMA files can use the
information as the filename, and save the artist, song, and album names inside the
WMA file. So if you play this WMA file in MVP 2000 or another player that
supports this feature, you see the name of the song, artist, and album during
playback. What’s more, this same information is used when creating a CD-Text
disc with MVP 2000. The CDDB database has information on most
commercially manufactured audio CDs.
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Section 1. Plextor Manager 2000 Applications
DiscDupe 2000
DiscDupe 2000 is a single-disc replication program. Simple to use, the feature-filled
interface provides numerous ways to copy discs and includes a disc verification
function to ensure your duplicate disc is identical to the master. You can copy most
kinds of discs.
Features of DiscDupe 2000 include:
•
Disc-to-disc duplication: You can copy a disc to a PlexWriter from a Plextor
drive or any MMC-compliant drive.
•
Disc-to-image and image-to-disc: Copy an entire CD as an image on your hard
drive. Store the image for future use and copy that image to a CD-R or CD-RW
disc as needed.
•
Single-drive disc duplication: If you have onl y a single P lexWriter drive,
DiscDupe 2000 can use it as both a source and a destination. DiscDupe 2000
writes an image from the PlexWriter to a temporary file on your hard drive, then
writes the image from the hard drive to your PlexWriter.
Enhanced Drive Properties
Plextor Manager 2000 adds features to the Properties menu; just right-click (that is,
click the right mouse button) on the Plextor drive’s icon, located in My Computer or
Windows Explorer, then select Properties. (Or, left-click on the Plextor icon in the
Taskbar, select Settings, and then choose the drive letter of the Plextor drive.)
Enhanced drive properties include:
•
Settings Tab: Enable/disable AudioFS, set spindown timeout, set drive read
speed, lock or unlock the eject button for security, and adjust sound balance and
volume settings, all from a convenient dialog box.
•
Details Tab: Shows you details abo ut your Plextor drive, including the model
number, serial number, the driver that’s loaded, the ASPI version, and other data.
Also provides information about the disc in the drive, such as disc format,
number of sessions, number of data and audio tracks, and more. With PlexWriter
drives you can also identify the CD-R and CD-RW media manufacturer and disc
type. When used with a PlexWriter CD-RW drive and CD-RW disc, an Erase
button lets you erase a previously recorded CD-RW disc in order to use it again.
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Section 1. Plextor Manager 2000 Applications
AudioFS
Enabled by default during Plextor Manager 2000 installation, AudioFS is currently
available only from Plextor and supports only Plextor drives. AudioFS makes tracks
on audio CDs (Red Book CD/DA format discs) appear automatically as WAV files
on Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 systems. This has a number of
advantages:
•
Allows easy drag and drop of audio tracks to your hard disk for simple and quick
audio extraction to WAV format.
•
Removes the need to use third-party software for audio extraction.
•
Eliminates the need to store large WAV files on your hard disk, because your
application can now access the tracks from the audio CD directly through
AudioFS.
•
Simplifies audio editing, encoding and creation or compilation of audio CDs.
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2. Installing and Starting Plextor Manager 2000
This section explains how to install and launch Plextor Manager 2000.
Installing in Windows 95/98 and 2000/NT
Most installations of Windows will automaticall y run (“autorun”) the installation
program as soon as you insert the Plextor CD into a drive. If autorun doesn’t work,
you can use Windows Explorer to start the manual procedure.
To use autorun to install Plextor Manager 2000 in Windows 95, Windows 98,
Windows 2000, or Windows NT:
1. You need to have a Plextor or any CD drive installed. Make sure the drive
operates correctly.
2. Insert the Plextor software CD into the drive. The CD should autor un, a nd you
soon see a Software Installation Program window.
3. In the installation program window, click on the Plextor Manager 2000 button to
launch the installation program.
4. Follow the installation program dialog. You can accept the defaults or customize
your installa tion, supplying your own information for directory na mes, locations,
etc.
5. You see an Associations window that prompts you whether or not to associate
various multimedia type files with Plextor Manager 2000. Click any or all check
boxes on to select which file types to associate with Plextor Manager. When you
associate a file with Plextor Manager, MVP 2000 becomes your default media
player for that file type. If you choose not to associate a file with Plextor
Manager, your previous player (such as Windo ws M edia Player ) will remain the
default one for playing that type of file.
6. When the dialog is complete, restart your computer to complete the installation.
To use Windows Explorer to manually install Plextor Manager 2000 in
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows NT:
1. You need to have a Plextor or any CD drive installed. Make sure the drive
operates correctly.
2. Insert the Plextor software CD into the drive.
3. In Windows, double-click on My Computer, then click the CD drive icon.
4. When the contents of the disc are displayed, open the Plextor folder.
5. In the Plextor folder, open the PM2K folder, then double-click on Setup.exe to
launch the installation program.
6. Follow the installation program dialog. You can accept the defaults or customize
your installa tion, supplying your own information for directory na mes, locations,
etc.
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Section 2. Installing and Starting Plextor Manager 2000
7. You see an Associations window that prompts you whether or not to associate
various multimedia type files with Plextor Manager 2000. Click any or all check
boxes on to select which file types to associate with Plextor Manager. When you
associate a file with Plextor Manager, MVP 2000 becomes your default media
player for that file type. If you choose not to associate a file with Plextor
Manager, your previous player (such as Windo ws M edia Player ) will remain the
default one for playing that type of file.
8. When the dialog is complete, restart your computer to complete the installation.
About Windows 2000/NT Installation
Plextor Manager 2000 installs Plextor’s own ASPI manager under Windows 2000 or
NT. Unlike Windows 98 and 95, Windows 2000/NT does not have its own ASPI
manager. With Plextor’s ASPI manager installed, you can take full advant age of
Plextor Manager 2000 extended features.
NOTE:
If an ASPI manager from another software package already exists on a
Windows 2000/NT system, Plextor Manager does not install its ASPI manager and
will use the one already installed.
The Plextor Icon
After installation of Plextor Manager 2000 and rebooting your computer, the Plextor
Manager 2000 icon appears on the Windows taskbar at the lower right of your
screen. This is supported in Windows 95, 98, 2000 and NT.
NOTE:
Plextor Manager 2000 will install and update CD drive icons for all Plextor
drives in your system. The change will not take effect until you reboot your system
after software installation. This feature is available only with Windows 98 and 2000,
and with systems running Windows 95 or NT if Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher has
been installed.
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Section 2. Installing and Starting Plextor Manager 2000
Starting Plextor Manager 2000 Modules
To start Plextor Manager 2000 modules:
•
Click the Plextor icon on the taskbar, then choose the module to run.
-or-
•
Click the Start button, then select Programs, then Plextor Manager 2000; finally,
select the module you want.
-or-
•
In My Computer or Windows Explorer, right-cli ck (that is, click the right mouse
button) on the Plextor drive icon, then choose one of the menu items added by
Plextor Manager 2000. These menu items include Copy CD, Extract Audio, or
Play. The me nu items depend on what ki nd of disc (aud i o or data) you have in
the Plextor drive.
Changing Startup Behavior
After you have installed Plextor Manager 2000, it is automatically launched when
you start your computer; and you see t he Plextor Ma nager spla sh screen befo re you
see the Windows desktop. If you prefer, you can turn off the launch of Plextor
Manager 2000, and also turn off the splash screen display.
Disabling Plextor Manager Launcher
By default, Windows loads the Plextor Manager launcher at start-up. You can
change this behavior in Plextor Manager’s Options window.
To set Windows to start without launching Plextor Manager:
1. Start MVP 2000.
2. On the MVP 2000 main window, click on the Options button. (It’s the one with
the check box—see page 11.) You see the Plextor Manager 2000 Settings
window.
3. Click the General tab to view general options.
4. Uncheck the box “Load Plextor Manager 2000 Launcher on system startup.”
5. Click the OK button to exit the options dialog box.
Disabling the Plextor Manager Splash Screen
An option in MVP 2000 allows you to disable the Plextor Manager splash screen.
To disable the Plextor Manager 2000 splash screen:
1. Start MVP 2000.
2. Click on the Options button.
3. Click on the General tab.
4. Uncheck the box “Display splash screen on system startup.”
5. Click the OK button to exit the options dialog box.
6. Exit MVP 2000.
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Section 2. Installing and Starting Plextor Manager 2000
Uninstalling Plextor Manager 2000
To uninstall Plextor Manager 2000:
1. On the Wi ndows Taskbar, right-cli ck (that is, click the rig ht mouse button) on the
Plextor icon and select OK to remove the icon.
2. From the Windows Start menu, select Settings | Control Panel. You see the
Windows Contro l Pa nel.
3. In the Control Panel, select Add/Re move Programs. You see the Install/Uninstall
dialog box.
4. In the list of programs in the dialog box, select Plextor Manager 2000, then click
Add/Remove and follow the prompts to remove Plextor Manager completely.
5. When prompted if the PLXPROP.DLL and PMHLP.DLL files should be
removed, select Yes.
6. Reboot the computer when prompted at the end of the uninstall procedure.
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3. Running MVP 2000
MVP 2000 (Music Video Producer 2000) lets you use your Plextor drives to play
music and video CDs. If you are using a PlexWriter drive, it even will let you record
an audio CD or a CD-Text audio CD from your playlist. Playlists can reside on any
storage media.
NOTE
: Non-Plextor MMC-compliant drives can also be used, but for playback only.
MVP 2000 Application Controls
Figure 1 gives a detailed view of the main MVP 2000 window.
Figure 1: MVP 2000 Controls
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
•
CD/DA–A/V Rocker Switch: Click to toggle playing audio from a CD/DA disc
or playing digital audio/video from a playlist or an individual file.
•
Open Files: Select digital audio/video files for playing.
•
Options: Open an option screen with other options for MVP 2000.
•
About: Click here to see the Plextor ID and web site.
•
Graphic Display: Click once to br i ng up a graphic d i splay scre en. Click one
more time to close the screen. Click inside the graphic display screen itself to
toggle the display type.
•
Adjust Volume: Drag up or down to control audio volume.
•
Minimize: Click to minimize this application.
•
Quit: Click to close the MVP 2000 window.
•
Playlist: Click to open the playlist screen. Click again to close the screen.
•
Main display window: Shows title, track, time, and other information.
During playback, click once on the time counter to switch the time display
from counting up to co unting down.
If you’re playing a digital music file such as WMA and MP3, single-click
with your left mouse button on the file or song name to see a file information
window with displays of the file or song name, title, and artist. This window
also shows important formatting information such as MPEG type and layer,
bit rate, sample rate, sound quality, and length in MM:SS and bytes.
•
Playback controls:
Record to CD-R or CD-RW: Click to start recording to CD-R or CD-RW
media.
Play: Click to begin playback of the active digital file, playlist or CD-Audio
track.
Pause: Click to pause playback.
Resumes from current location in file or on audio CD.
Stop: Click to stop playback.
Resumes from the beginning of this file or audio CD track.
Track/Item Back: Click to move to the previous CD track or digital file.
Skip Back: Click to move backward or “rewind” the CD-Audio track or
digital file.
Skip Forward: Click to move forward in this CD-Audio track or digital file.
Track/Item Forward: Click to move to the next CD-Audio track or digital
file.
Eject: Click to open the drive’s tray.
•
Adjust Position: Click and d rag to adjust playback position within the CD-Audio
track or digital file.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Selecting the Default Drives
Figure 2 illustrates how to select the default drives for p laying and writing.
Figure 2: Choosing the Default Drives
To select the default drives for MVP 2000:
1. On the MVP 2000 main window, click on the Options button. You see the
Plextor Manager 2000 Settings window.
2. Click the General tab to view general options.
3. In the upper drop-down list box, select the MMC-compliant drive (whether from
Plextor or not) to use as default CD player.
4. From the lower drop-down list box, select the PlexWriter as the default for
writing (recording) to CD-R or CD-RW media.
5. Click the OK button to close the options dialog box.
The default CD player drive can be any Plextor or generic MMC-compliant drive.
The default CD writer must be a PlexWriter drive from Plextor. The player and
writer can be the same PlexWriter drive.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Playing an Audio CD with CD/DA Player
To play an audio CD:
1. Insert the audio CD into a Plextor drive or an MMC-compliant non-Plextor drive.
2. In the MVP 2000 main window, flip the CD/DA–A/V rocker switch to the
CD/DA (upper) position.
3. Click the Play button.
Playing Digital Files (Audio and Video)
To play a digital audio or video file:
1. In the MVP 2000 main window, flip the CD/DA–A/V rocker switch to the A/V
(lower) position.
2. Click the Open Files button and select the file you want to play.
-orClick on the Playlist button (it looks like a jukebox) and load a playlist that you
previously saved.
3. Click the Play button.
Viewing or Changing Media T ypes and Fil e
Formats
MVP 2000 supports a number of media types and file formats for input and output.
During installation you can decide if the following media types and file formats
should be associated with MVP 2000 for playback: MP3, WAV, WMA, CDA, AVI,
and MPEG video. Audio CD discs (AudioCD format) are also associated with
MVP 2000. You can double-click on any of these types of files to play the file.
To view or change the media type or file format associations:
1. In the main MVP 2000 window, click the Options button. You see the Plextor
Manager 2000 Settings window with tabs for options.
2. Click the Associations tab. You see the Associations screen.
3. Check one or more boxes to enable the associations, or uncheck boxes to disable
them.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Figure 3: Specifying File Associations
Each association is independent of the others. The new set of associations is active
without having to reboot your PC. However, the icons for new associations do not
change until the next reboot.
NOTE
: Although we feel that you will not want to use similar programs after using
MVP 2000, you can, if desired, go back to another player of choice. During Plextor
Manager 2000 installation, we save information about your system when we make the
file associations. When you disable a specif ic as sociation in MVP 2000, we revert
back to the player that you had set as your default player before Plextor Manager
2000 was installed.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Graphic Display of Audio
To show a graphical display as a track is played:
1. Click the Graphic Display icon. As music or audio is played, you see a graphical
display representing the audio.
2. Click inside the graphic display screen to cha nge among several display types.
Recording Audio
You can use MVP 2000 to record MP3 files, WAV files, WMA files, or CDA tracks
directly to a blank CD media. MVP 2000 will automatically decode these formats
and record them on the fly as a standard audio CD (CD/DA, Red Book audio). These
audio CDs can be played on most home, car, computer, and portable CD players.
(Note that most portable and home CD players won’t play CD-RW discs.)
Recording Digital Music to CD-R or CD-RW
To record digital music to CD-R or CD-RW:
1. Place a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc in the PlexWriter.
2. In the main MVP 2000 window, set the CD/DA–A/V rocker switch to the A/V
(lower) position.
3. Click the Playlist icon and create a playlist of your selections. Use the
Add/Delete buttons to select any of a variety of supported music formats. Change
the order of your selections in the list by clicking and dragging.
4. Once your playlist is complete, click the Record to CD-R button in the
MVP 2000 window to record your compilation to the CD-R or CD-RW disc.
For more about playlists and how to use them, see page 20.
NOTE
: If you have CD writing software that auto starts when a blank disc is inserted,
please wait for the application to load. Then exit the software and start MVP 2000. A
good example of such an application is DirectCD from Adaptec.
Choosing a Disc for Recording
In choosing whether to record to CD-R or CD-RW media, remember this: Almost all
CD players will play CD-R discs, but at present, only a few newer CD/DVD players
can play CD-RW di sc s. Most home CD players won’t play CD-RW discs. (Your
PlexWriter, naturally, plays both types.)
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Choosing the Preferred Recording Speed
Upon installation, preferred recording speed is automatically set depending on the
capabilities of your PlexWriter. You can view or change this preferred recording
speed.
To view or change the preferred recording speed:
1. On the MVP 2000 main window, click on the Options button. You see the
Plextor Manager 2000 Settings window.
2. Click the General tab to view general options.
3. View or change the Preferred Recording Speed drop-down list.
The Preferred Recording Speed number refers to 8X, 12X, etc.
About File Types and Recording Speed
MVP 2000 runs a system performance test to determine the safest recording speed.
However, the actual speed of recording depends on many factors, including the
decoding speed and overall performance of your system. For this reason, the
recording speed may not always be set to your PlexWriter’s maximum possible
speed.
For example, WMA files are decoded at a slower speed than MP3 files, and MP3
files are decoded more slowly than WAV files. If the playlist contains different types
of files, overall decoding speed will vary. And your recording speed will be set to
lowest common denominator.
Plextor Manager 2000 tries to ensure accurate recording; for instance, if you specify
a Preferred Recording Speed that cannot be accomplished because of decoding speed
and system performance, Plextor Manager 2000 overrides your selection and sets the
recording speed based on a system performance test.
Enabling BURN-Proof
BURN-Proof is technology designed to guarantee a successful CD recording even if
you’re using your PC for other tasks durin g t he “burn.” If your selected writer is
Plextor’s 12/10/32 or a future Plextor drive that utilizes BURN-Proof technology
(and BURN-Proof is enabled), the Preferred Recording Speed you set remains as the
default, no matter what the results of Plextor Manager 2000’s system test.
To enable BURN-Proof:
1. On the MVP 2000 main window, click on the Options button. You see the
Plextor Manager 2000 Settings window.
2. Click the General tab to view general options.
3. Put a check mark in the Enable BURN-Proof box to turn BURN-Proof on.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Figure 4: Turning BURN-Proof On
In general, leave BURN-Proof on. I t lets you use yo ur computer for other ta sks while
you’re burning a CD, while giving the best chance for a successful recording.
NOTE: BURN-Proof is always enabled by default with drives that support this feature.
If your drive does not have BURN-Proof, this box will be grayed out and unavailable
to you. Plextor drives before the 12/10/32 don’t have BURN-Proof.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Using Test Mode When Making an Audio CD
Recording to a CD requires continuous data flow to the CD-R drive in ord e r to
successfully complete a write session. System and source drive performance are
sometimes limiting factors, and can determine whether or not you will have a
successful write session. Test mode in MVP 2000 allows you to determine before
writing whether or not your session will be successful.
To specify test mode before recording an audio CD:
1. Open MVP 2000.
2. On the main MVP 2000 window, click on the Options button. You see the
Plextor Manager 2000 Settings window with tabs for options.
3. Click the General tab to view general options.
4. In the Write Mode section, select “Test only” or select “Test & Write.”
You can choose to leave the selection at “Write only” if you are confident Test
mode is not needed.
5. Click on OK to exit the Settings window and return to MVP 2000.
You should us e Test mode a fter any configuration change (such as a new SCSI or
IDE device, new hard drive, new software, new SCSI controller, etc) in the system.
This will allow you to verify that the change has not affected CD writing capabilities.
You can use the Test mode to assess the state of your source drive or source CD disc,
too. For example, if your source drive contains a disc that is dirty or scratched and
you are not sure if you can successfully read it, use the “Test only” setting. This
mode will verify that the CD can read the disc at a speed sufficient to provide the
data to MVP 2000 in order to create the audio CD.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Creating and Using a Playlist
Creating a playlist is similar to programming a digital jukebox. Select music tracks,
regardless of file type, put them in any order, and then play back or record.
Playlist Controls
Figure 5 shows the main controls for the playlist screen in MVP 2000.
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Figure 5: Playlist Controls
Page 27
Section 3. Running MVP 2000
•
Scroll bars: Click to move up or down through the playlist.
•
Load Playlist: Click to select and load a playlist .PLL file.
•
Save Playlist: Click to save the current playlist as a .PLL file.
•
Edit Playlist Entry: Left-click to edit the selected playlist entry. To move an
entry from one position to another, click on the track then use the down arrow to
move the track into the correct position.
Right-click on this button to specify a playlist title and an ar tist name for this
playlist. The information is saved if you sa ve the l ist. This information is also
used as the disc and artist information in the Edit Disc Information window when
recording a CD-Text disc.
•
Clear Playlist: Click to clear all entries from the current playlist.
•
Add Item to Playlist: Click to ad d a digital audio or video file to the playlist.
•
Delete Playlist Entry: Click to delete the selected entry from the playlist.
•
Toggle Numbered/Random Order Playback: Click to toggle between random
and numbered order modes for playing the playlist. This button is red to indicate
when random order playback is active, black when in numbered order for
playback.
Building a Playlist
To build a playlist:
1. In the main MVP 2000 window, set the CD/DA–A/V rocker switch to the A/V
(lower) position. You see the Playlist button (it looks like a jukebox) enabled.
2. Click the Playlist button to open the playlist screen. You see a blank playlist.
3. Click the Add Item to Playlist button to browse and select a file you want to be
added.
-orOn the main MVP 2000 window, click Open Files and select a file to be added to
the playlist.
-orDrag and drop files to the open playlist screen.
-orDrag and drop files to the main display window.
4. Add other files as desired.
NOTE
: When you make your first selection, the file automatically starts to play. To
stop it, click the Stop button on the main MVP 2000 window.
Arranging your Playlist
To arrange order in playlist:
1. Click on a track, then drag it up or down the list to alter the order you want tracks
played back or recorded.
2. Repeat for additional tracks, until your playlist is set up the way you want it.
For long lists, click the gray horizontal scroll ba r s to allow viewing of all the files.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Saving a Playlist
To save a playlist:
1. Click the Save Playlist button on the pla ylist screen. You see a text box where
you can select a name and location for the playlist file.
2. In the text box, navigate to the desired folder and enter a filename for the playlist.
The file is saved with extension .PLL. If you entered a name for the playlist b y
editing the playlist title by right-clicking on the Edit Playlist Entry button, that
becomes the filename.
Opening a Playlist
To open a playlist:
1. In the main MVP 2000 window, set the CD/DA–A/V rocker switch to the A/V
(lower) position. You see the Playlist button enabled.
2. In the main MVP 2000 window, click the Playlist button. You see the playlist
screen.
3. In the playlist screen, click the Load Playlist button. You see a text box showing
playlist (.PLL) files.
4. Click the desired playlist (.PLL) file. The playlist is loaded and displayed on the
playlist screen.
Recording from a Playlist
To record a CD by using a playlist:
1. Place a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc in the PlexWriter.
2. In the main MVP 2000 window, set the CD/DA–A/V rocker switch to the A/V
(lower) position.
3. Load an existing playlist or create a new one as described on page 20.
4. Click the Record to CD-R button in the main MVP 2000 window. You see the
Edit Disc Information window with a list of tracks.
5. If you want to create a CD-Text disc, in the Edit Disc Information window
double-click on the field (Disc Title, Track Title, or Artist) to edit, type the new
desired information into that field. Hit the Enter key on the keyboard or click on
another field to complete each entry.
6. To insert a two-second gap between tracks, check the Gap box on. You can insert
a gap between all tracks, no tracks, or only selected tracks.
7. When all edits are completed:
Select Write CD-TEXT Disc to write a CD-Text audio CD.
-orSelect Normal Audio Disc to write a normal audio CD. In this case, all your edits
in this window are lost.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Figure 6: Editing CD-Text Disc Information
Using CDDB
CDDB, or “CD Database,” is an online database of audio CD information that you
access through the Internet. Because Plextor’s MVP 2000 application is CDDBenabled, it can provide information about the album, artist, and song names right on
the screen as your CD/DA audio CD plays.
Here’s how it works: When CDDB is enabled in MVP 2000 and your computer is
connected to the Internet, inserting a “new” audio CD (one you haven’t already used
with CDDB enabled on your computer) causes MVP 2000 to access CDDB for
information about that specific disc. CDDB has data on all kinds of music, even CDs
with multiple pressings. Accessing CDDB is a free service provided for your pr ivate
use.
NOTE:
CDDB supports only commercially available audio CDs. Information is
available for most audio CDs and is continuously updated.
What You Need for CDDB
In order t o view CDDB information, you need:
•
An active connection to the Internet.
•
MVP 2000 open and running.
•
A commercially available audio CD in your Plextor drive or non-Plextor MMCcompliant drive
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
Storing CD Information Locally
You only need the connection to the Internet the first time you play a particular disc.
After that, the CDDB information is saved in a small database o n your hard drive.
Then every time you put that CD in your system, the related information appears.
Retrieving and Viewing CDDB Information
To retrieve and view CDDB information:
1. Ensure that your computer has an active connection to the Internet.
2. Start MVP 2000.
3. In the MVP 2000 window, click Options. You see the Plextor Manager 2000
Settings window with tabs for options.
4. Click the CDDB tab. You see the CDDB text box.
Figure 7: Connecting to the CDDB Database
5. In the E-mail Address field, enter your e-mail add r ess.
6. Click the Use Escient CDDB box until it is checked (on).
7. If desired, click on the Get Server List arrow to obtain a list o f CDDB ser vers,
then select the location to connect to.
8. On the CDDB screen, click OK to connect to the CDDB server.
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Section 3. Running MVP 2000
9. Now insert the audio CD into your Plextor or a generic MMC-compliant drive.
(It must be the default playback drive.) You see another screen with a message
indicating you are connecting. MVP 2000 downloads the disc data for you and
shows it in the MVP 2000 display window. You see information such as the
album and artist name.
10. When you play the CD, you also see the song name scroll across the screen.
11. You can now eject the disc, insert another disc, and repeat steps 9 and 10 above.
12. When finished updating MVP 2000 with information about new discs, click on
the Options button again.
13. Click on the CDDB tab and uncheck the box Use Escient CDDB.
14. Click the OK button to exit the Settings window.
If desired, click the CDDB icon in the CDDB text box to connect to the CDDB home
page. Your Internet browser shows the home page, where you can get more
information about artists and albums.
NOTE
: CDDB information is stored on your PC in a small text file and is shared
between MVP 2000 and Audio Capture 2000. So once you link to CDDB to extract
disc information using either of these two applications, you do not need to do it again
for that disc. From that point, MVP 2000 and Audio Capture 2000 have access to the
information in the text file, even if you’re no longer connected to the master CDDB
database via the Internet.
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4. Running Audio Capture 2000
Audio Capture 2000 lets you extract audio tracks from an audio CD directly to your
hard drive. You can save them as digital WAV files or encode them in Windows
Media Audio (WMA) format. You can vary the sound quality, select multiple or
single tracks, and rename tracks as you are saving them. You can also perform error
correction to eliminate pops, clicks, and hissing.
Audio Capture 2000 Application Controls
Figure 8 shows the main controls for the Audio Capture 2000 application.
Figure 8: Audio Capture 2000 Controls
•
About: Click to view information about this applicatio n.
•
Track Selection Window: View track infor mation, or click a track to select it for
capture.
•
Scroll Bar: Click and drag the button to scroll through the list of titles or tracks
on the disc.
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Section 4. Running Audio Capture 2000
•
Select Source Drive: Click and choose a source drive from which to capture
audio.
•
Set Level of Error Correction: Click and drag to select error correction level.
(Not supported by non-Plextor drives.)
•
Capture Track(s): Click t o begin capture or encoding.
•
Set CDDB Options: Set options for CDDB, the online “CD Datab ase” of audio
CD information.
•
Set Output Quality Level: Click to choose audio quality for extraction to WAV
format or for encoding to WMA format.
•
Minimize: Click to minimize this application.
•
Quit: Click to exit this application.
Selecting a Drive
The Select Source Drive drop-down box displays all Plextor drives in your system
and allows you to select the drive from which to extract audio tracks.
To select a drive:
1. Start Audio Capture 2000.
2. In the main Audio Capture 2000 window, click the Select Source Drive dropdown list box and select a drive.
Capturing Audio Tracks to Digital Audio Files
To capture audio tracks from an audio CD to your hard drive:
1. Start Audio Capture 2000.
2. Click the Select Source Drive drop-down list box and select a source drive from
which to capture audio.
3. Insert an audio CD into the drive. In the Track Selection Window you see
information about the tracks on the CD. (If CDDB is enabled, you see even more
information, such as song names instead of track numbers.) The Length column
shows how long the track plays (in minutes and seconds) and also the file size
necessary to save that track as a WAV or WMA file to your hard disk.
4. Click the Set Output Quality Level dr op-down list box and select the level of
quality for the audio file. Level of audio quality determines the file size. Default
quality is always 44-kHz, 16-bit, stereo sound, but you can change this to reduce
file size, if desired.
5. If using a Plextor drive as a source, you can click and drag the Set Level of Error
Correction bar to set error correction. (By default, error correction is set to 100
percent, ensuring the highest-quality results.)
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Section 4. Running Audio Capture 2000
6. In the Track Selection Window, click on a track to select it. You can double-click
any track to start capture; or you can click it once, then click the Capture Track(s)
button to start capture. You can use the Ctrl and Shift keys to select multiple
tracks, as detailed on page 30.
When a single track is selected you can specify the destination location and
filename for saving the track. If you are connected to the CDDB database, or if
information for your disc was already obtained, the default filena me will be
“song name.wav. ” If you prefer, you can give the file a different name before
starting the capture.
7. Click the Capture Tracks button. You see a dialog box letting you browse for a
folder to hold the captured tracks.
8. Click OK to capture the tracks. While the capture is occurring, you see a window
showing the capture status.
Figure 9: Display Keeps You Aware of Capture Status
NOTE
: When using a Plextor drive as a reader in Audio Capture 2000, the default
maximum read speed will be same as specified in Drive Properties | Settings | Read
Speed. For best performance in Audio Capture 2000, ensure that maximum read
speed is specified. For more details, see “Choosing Drive Speed” on page 46.
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Section 4. Running Audio Capture 2000
Specifying Output Quality Level and File Format for
Capture
You can save audio tracks to your hard drive as WAV files or as Windows audio
(WMA) files.
To save audio tracks as WAV files:
The default for audio capture is WAV files and high quality; so if you recor d with
Audio Capture 2000’s defaults, files are saved with the .WAV extension and with
44-kHz, 16-bit stereo quality.
To change the output audio quality level or file format:
•
Select the Set Output Quality Level drop-down list and click on your selection to
choose a level of output audio quality. With this list you can:
Change to a different quality of WAV audio (such as 44-kHz, 8-bit
monaural).
-or-
Change to WMA format. (Choose WM Audio 128k or WM Audio 64k.)
You can choose from many different levels of audio quality for WAV or WMA file
types. In general, the higher the quality, the greater the time required for capture, and
the greater the file size. As you select different levels of audio quality, note the
change to file size shown under Length in the Track Selection Window.
To allow playback of WMA files using MVP 2000:
At installation, if Windows audio (WMA) was not associated with MVP 2000 for
playback you can still enable it after the installation. To allow playback of WMA
files using MVP 2000:
1. Open MVP 2000 by clicking Plextor icon on the taskbar, then choosing MVP
2000.
2. In the main MVP 2000 window, click the Options button. You see the Plextor
Manager 2000 Settings window with tabs for options.
3. Click the Associations tab. You see the Associations screen.
4. Check the WMA box on to enable the association.
The association takes effect immediately, without rebooting your computer. You can
now play WMA files through MVP 2000. (However, icon associations are available
only after rebooting.)
Selecting Multiple Tracks
To select multiple tracks:
•
Hold down the Control key while clicking on tracks in the Track Selection
Window to select one track at a time; or hold down the Shift key to select several
tracks in a row.
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Section 4. Running Audio Capture 2000
The tracks are saved as “song name.wav” or “song name.wma” if CDDB or CD-Text
information is available for your disc. If it is not, the tracks will be saved as, for
example, “trackxx.wav” (where xx is the trac k number). See page 33 for information
on changing the filename.
Setting Error Correction Level
To set the level of error correction during audio capture:
•
Click and drag the Set Level of Error Correction bar.
Plextor drives are renowned for their ability to read audio at high speeds as if it were
data. Most of our newer model CD-ROM drives can extract audio at a maximum
speed of 24X, and our PlexWriter drives can extract at a maximum speed of 20X. In
most cases, the quality of the extracted audio files (WAV or WMA) is excellent,
with no pops, clicks, or hissing noise.
However, if the source disc has scratches, fingerprints, or is badly manufactured, the
drive may encounter read errors because of the poor quality of the disc. Such read
errors could result in noisy or imperfect extracted audio files. By changing the error
correction setting in Audio Capture 2000, you can ensure high-quality audio in your
WAV or WMA files. You can set error correction anywhere from 0 percent (no
correction) to 100 percent. By default, error correction is set to 100 percent, ensuring
the highest-quality results.
NOTE
: Error correction is available only for Plextor drives.
It may not be possible to accomplish perfect audio extraction from discs with large
imperfections. However, with Audio Capture 2000 and Plextor drives you have the
best possible chance to achieve perfect extraction or encoding.
Error correction affects extraction/encoding speed as follows:
•
When error correction is set to 0 percent, the drive almost never slows down and
will always extract audio at the highest possible speed for best performance.
•
When error correction is set higher, the drive and the software ensure good
quality; however, the techniques they use to achieve this quality cause the
extraction to take a longer time to complete.
HINT:
We suggest you leave error correction set at 100 percent. This provides the
highest-quality audio capture under all conditions. If you are certain your CD-R or CDRW disc is good, experiment with lower levels of error correction to achieve higher
extraction speeds. If you experience pops, clicks, or hissing noise, return the error
correction setting to 100 percent.
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Section 4. Running Audio Capture 2000
Enabling CDDB
You can enable CDDB and have access to a database listing artists, tracks, and titles
of commercial CD-ROMs.
To retrieve and view CDDB information as you capture audio:
1. Ensure that your computer has an active connection to the Internet.
2. Start Audio Capture 2000.
3. In the Audio Capture 2000 window, click the Set CDDB Options button. You see
the CDDB text box.
Figure 10: Setting CDDB Options in Audio Capture 2000
4. In the E-mail Address field, enter your e-mail add r ess.
5. Click the Use Escient CDDB box until it is checked (on).
6. If desired, click on the Get Server List arrow to obtain a list o f CDDB ser vers,
then select the location to connect to.
7. On the CDDB screen, click OK to connect to the CDDB server. You see the
Audio Capture 2000 main window again.
8. Now insert the audio CD into your Plextor drive or into a non-Plextor MMCcompliant drive.
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Section 4. Running Audio Capture 2000
9. Click the Capture Tracks button to start Audio Capture 2000. Plextor Manager
downloads the disc data for you and shows it in the Audio Capture 2000 display
window. You see information such as the album and artist name.
If desired, click the CDDB icon in the CDDB text box to connect to the CDDB home
page. Your Internet browser shows the home page, where you can get more
information about artists and albums.
NOTE
: CDDB information is stored on your PC in a small text file and is shared
between MVP 2000 and Audio Capture 2000. So once you link to CDDB to extract
disc information using either of these two applications, you do not need to do it again
for that disc. From that point, MVP 2000 and Audio Capture 2000 have access to the
information in the text file, even if you’re no longer connected to the master CDDB
database via the Internet.
Toggling Song Title as Filename
By default, Audio Capture 2000 displays the song title, if it is available from CDText (on the CD itself) or the CDDB database. Audio Capture 2000 also saves the
audio file with the song title as the filename.
You can choose to turn off this feature, replacing it with a more generic choice of
filenames as track numbers.
To turn off the use of song titles as filenames:
1. In the Audio Capture 2000 window, click the Set CDDB Options button. You see
the CDDB text box for Audio Capture 2000.
2. In the CDDB text box, note the check box that reads “Use track name as filename
(trackxx.wav if disabled).” Click this check box off to disable it.
3. Click OK to exit the CDDB text box and return to Audio Capture 2000.
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5. Running DiscDupe 2000
DiscDupe 2000 is single CD duplication software. It creates a duplicate copy from a
source disc that you provide. You can use any MMC-compliant CD-ROM, CD-R, or
CD-RW drive (including Plextor drives, of course) as the source, and use a
PlexWriter as the destination drive. You can even use a single PlexWriter as both
source and destination.
DiscDupe 2000 Application Controls
Figure 11 shows the main controls for DiscDupe 2000.
Figure 11: DiscDupe 2000 Controls
•
About: Click to see information about this ap plication.
•
Source drop-down list: Click to select the source drive for the disc copy.
•
Select Operation:
CD to CD: Copies from one CD to another. If only one PlexWriter exists,
the Use Temp Image option is automatically checked.
CD to Image: Copies from a CD to an image on the hard disk.
Image to CD: Copies an image from the hard disk to a CD.
•
Destination drop-down list : Click to select the destination drive for the disc
copy.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
•
Options panel:
Use Temp Image: When duplicating, disc image is read from the source
disc to a temporary file on your hard drive. It is then written to the
PlexWriter.
Verify Disc: Reads data from the duplicate CD and compares it to the
original disc. This feature supports data CDs only, not audio discs.
Emulate/Test Mode: Performs all functions as for an actual duplication, but
the PlexWriter’s laser is not turned on and nothing is actuall y written to the
disc.
BURN-Proof: This uses BURN-Proof technology, which is designed to
guarantee a successful CD recording even if you’re using your PC for other
tasks during the “burn.” If your selected writer is Plextor’s 12/10/32 or a
future Plextor drive that utilizes BURN-Pr oof technology (and BURN-Proof
is enabled), the Preferred Recording Speed you set remains as the default.
•
Speed Select drop-down list: Click to choose the speed of writing.(Default
maximum read speed is specified in Drive Properties | Settings | Read Speed. For
more details, see “Choosing Drive Speed” on page 46.)
•
Start Copy: Click to begin copyi ng a disc.
•
Minimize: Click to minimize this application.
•
Quit: Click to quit this application.
Choosing a Disc for Duplicating
In choosing whether to duplicate to CD-R or CD-RW media, remember this: Almost
all CD players will play CD-R discs, but at present, only a few newer CD/DVD
players can play CD-RW discs. Most home or car CD players won’t play CD-RW
discs. (Your PlexWriter, naturally, plays both types.)
Using Non-Plextor Drives as the Source
With DiscDupe 2000, you can use any MMC-compliant CD-ROM, CD-R, or CDRW drive (including Plextor drives, of course) as the source, and use a PlexWriter as
the destination drive.
If you use a non-Plextor drive as the source, DiscDupe 2000 checks to see whether
the non-Plextor drive supports the “CD-DA Str eam Is Accurate” function. This
feature is what allows software to know whether the drive is capable of reading
Audio data accurately. If a non-Plextor drive responds that it is not capable of
reading data accurately, DiscDupe 2000 will not support this drive when copying an
Audio CD. However, you can still use your PlexWriter as a source and destination
drive. Drives built by most manufacturers since late 1998 support this function.
If you’re unsure about your drive, just go ahead and try it with DiscDupe 2000.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
Duplicating from CD to CD
To duplicate a CD disc:
1. In DiscDupe 2000, use the drop-down lists to select a source and destination
drive. The source can be any MMC-compliant drive, while the destination drive
must be a PlexWriter CD-R or CD-RW drive.
2. Insert the source disc in the source drive. This can be an audio CD or a data CD.
3. Insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc in the destination drive.
4. Click the CD to CD selection to enable it.
5. Click the Start Copy icon.
If the source is not a Plextor drive, DiscDupe 2000 ensures the drive supports the
“CD-DA Stream Is Accurate” function before allowing you to duplicate an audio
disc. If the non-Plextor drive does not respond to this MMC-compliant command, a
DiscDupe 2000 message notifies you that this drive cannot be used as a source to
back up your audio CD. In such cases, use your PlexWriter as a source and
destination if no other Plextor drives are present on your system.
Duplicating When the PlexWriter Is Your Only Drive
To duplicate a CD when the PlexWriter is the only drive in the system:
1. Make sure you have enough free space on your hard disk.
NOTE
: You may need as much as approximately 700 MB of free space on your hard
disk in order to create the CD image. Most CDs contain 650 MB of data per 74-minute
disc. Newer 80-minute discs contain 700 MB of data.
2. Insert the source CD in the PlexWriter drive.
3. Click the CD to CD selection to enable it. The Use Temp Image option is
automatically set on.
4. Click the Start Copy icon. DiscDupe 2000 creates a temporary image of the CD
on your hard disk.
5. When the image has been created, remove the source CD from the PlexWriter
and insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc, then proceed as directed by the onscreen prompts. A copy of the source disc is made to the destination disc.
NOTE
: When using a Plextor drive as a reader in DiscDupe 2000, the default
maximum read speed will be same as specified in Drive Properties | Settings | Read
Speed. For best performance in Audio Capture 2000, ensure that maximum read
speed is specified. For more details, see “Choosing Drive Speed” on page 46.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
Using DiscDupe 2000 Options
This section explains how to use DiscDupe 2000 options.
Using a Temporary Image
Use Temp Image allows you to save a temporary image file on your hard disk and
then write the image to your PlexWriter. The file is automatically deleted when the
duplication is completed.
You should use a temporary image file for a CD-to-CD copy if the source disc is
damaged or scratched. Use Temp Image is the safest way to copy a CD, but requires
extra time if the source disc is poor quality. Depending on the size of the source disc,
you may need up to approximately 700 MB of free space on your hard drive.
Use Temp Image also lets you use a single PlexWriter both as source and destination
drive.
Using Images
The CD to Image option creates an image of the source CD disc in a user-specified
location on your hard disk. This image is only useful for later writing to a PlexWriter
in DiscDupe 2000.
Images are particularly useful when several copies of a disc are needed or if another
duplicate of this disc will be needed at a later time. It is also extremely helpful if you
do not have a blank disc available.
The Image to CD option copies the image of your CD from your hard drive to the
PlexWriter drive.
Selecting the Speed
When speed is set to Auto, DiscDupe 2000 tests the source disc for lowest read
speed at a given point on a disc. (Read speed is affected by fingerprints, poor disc
manufacturing, scratches, etc.. It is also affected if DMA mode is not enabled on
your PC for your ATAPI CD drive.) By using the lowest encountered read speed,
DiscDupe 2000 can determine the maximum data write speed to ensure a successful
copy, trying to reduce the chance of encountering a buffer underrun. The software
will always try to find the lowest read speed and set the write speed accordingly.
If you are using extremely poor quality CD-R discs as a destination, or if the Auto
speed setting failed and created a bad copy, you may need to use a manual setting for
Speed. The 1X speed setting will give the best chance to make a clean copy, but will
take the most time.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
If you are not successful recording from CD to CD (even at 1X speed) try the Use
Temp Space option or Image File option. Either of these options creates an image
file on your hard disk and then writes that image file to a PlexWriter. This will give
you the best chance to duplicate a disc successfully.
Emulate/Test
If you select Emulate/Test Mode, the software and your PlexWriter perform all the
functions for an actual duplication, except the PlexWriter’s laser is not turned on,
and nothing is actually written to the disc.
Use Emulate/Test mode after any configuration change (new SCSI or EIDE device,
new hard drive, new software, new SCSI controller, etc.) in the system. This will
allow you to verify that the change has not affected CD writing capabilities.
Emulate/Test mode may also be used with a dirty or scratched CD to see if it can be
successfully read. Emulate/Test mode allows you to verify that the CD can be read at
a speed fast enough for duplication.
Verifying the Copied Disc
The Verify Disc option reads the data from your duplicate CD and compares it to the
original disc. (Verify Disc is for data CDs onl y; audio CD verification is not
currently supported.)
Using BURN-Proof
BURN-Proof is a technology designed to guarantee a successful CD recording even
if you’re using your PC for other tasks during the “burn.” BURN-Pro of compensates
for any slow data streams to the recorder and eliminates buffer underrun errors that
can occur if data isn’t provided to the recorder fast enough.
Turning BURN-Proof on in DiscDupe 2000 enables BURN-Proof use only with
Plextor drives that include this technology, such as the 12/10/32. If you don’t check
the BURN-Proof box, the drive operates as any other Plextor drive.
In general, leave BURN-Proof on. I t lets you use yo ur computer for other ta sks while
you’re burning a CD, while giving the best chance for a successful recording.
NOTE: BURN-Proof is always enabled by default with drives that support this feature.
If your drive does not have BURN-Proof, this choice will be grayed out and
unavailable to you. Plextor drives before the 12/10/32 don’t have BURN-Proof.
For more details on BURN-Proof, please see your PlexWriter’s user’s manual.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
Copying CD-Text Discs
CD-Text discs can be copied using DiscDupe 2000. Plextor 40X CD-ROM drives
and all PlexWriter models starting with the PX-R412C or newer can be used as a
source drive for reading.
If you have a non-Plextor MMC-compliant drive, remember that some of these
drives do not support reading CD-Text discs, and therefore cannot be used as source
drives for duplication. Please refer to your drive’s specifications to confirm whether
CD-Text is supported. Also, check Plextor’s web site to make sure that your
PlexWriter supports CD-Text writing.
Please refer to your PlexWriter drive’s documentation to confirm if it supports
writing CD-Text format.
Copying CD+G Discs
CD+G (CD + graphics, used for karaoke) discs can be copied using DiscDupe 2000.
However, you ca n’t do CD+G writing in Image-to-CD mode. It works only in CDto-CD mode, and only with supported drives.
If you have a non-Plextor drive—even one that is MM C-compliant—remember that
some of these drives cannot read CD+G discs, and therefore cannot be used as source
drives for duplication. Please refer to your drive’s specifications to confirm whether
CD+G is supported for reading and writing.
Saving a CD Image on Your Hard Disk
You can make an image of a CD and save it on your computer’s hard disk, then use
that image to make a CD-R or CD-RW.
1. Make sure you have enough free space for the CD image on your hard disk.
NOTE
: You may need as much as approximately 700 MB of free space on your hard
disk in order to create the CD image. Most CDs contain 650 MB of data per 74-minute
disc. Newer 80-minute discs contain 700 MB of data.
2. Insert the source CD in the PlexWriter drive.
3. On the DiscDupe 2000 main window, click the CD to Image selection to enable
it. The Use Temp Image option is automatically set on.
4. Click the Start Copy icon. DiscDupe 2000 creates a temporary image of the CD
on your hard disk.
5. When the image has been created, remove the source CD from the PlexWriter
and insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
6. On the DiscDupe 2000 main window, click the Image to CD selection to enable
it.
7. Click the Start Copy icon. DiscDupe 2000 copies the image to the destination
disc.
How Duplication Occurs
All CDs made with DiscDupe 2000 use the Session-At-Once mode for duplication.
Session-At-Once mode copies CDs without turning the PlexWriter’s laser off
between tracks. (That is, the laser is turned on at the beginning of the disc and does
not turn off until the end of the session is reached.) This mode is best for creating
identical, bit-for-bit duplicates.
Session-At-Once is similar to Disc-At-Once, but it allows you to create accurate, bitfor-bit duplicates of multi-session CDs.
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Section 5. Running DiscDupe 2000
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6. Using the Enhanced Drive Properties
When you install Plextor Manager 2000 in Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT, the
installation makes some changes to the appearance of the drive icons shown in My
Computer or Windows Explorer. During the installation options are added to the
right-clic k me nu for your Pl ex to r dr ive .
How to View the Enhanced Drive Properties
To view the enhanced drive properties added by Plextor Manager 2000:
1. In Windows, select My Computer; or select Windows Explorer.
2. In My Computer or Explorer, navigate until you see the drive icon for your
Plextor drive.
3. Right-click (that is, click the right mouse button) on the Plextor drive icon. You
see a drop-down list that includes choices for the Plextor Manager 2000
applications. The new choices depend on the type of disc (audio or data) inserted
in the drive. The choices include:
Play/Play with MVP 2000: Launches MVP 2000 to play audio discs.
Copy CD: Launches DiscDupe 2000 to copy audio or data discs.
Extract Audio: Launches Audio Capture 2000 to capture audio discs.
Properties: Additional dialog boxes with enhanced prop erties for the Plextor
drive.
4. Select any of the applications; or select Properties to view the Properties dialog
box.
You can also select Properties by a left mouse click on the Plextor icon on the
Windows Taskbar. Then you can select the Settings option and the drive letter of the
Plextor drive whose drive properties you want to view.
About the Enhanced Properties
The enhanced properties provide information about your Plextor drive and allow
greater control of drive operation.
Details Screen
The Details screen provides a wealth of information about your Plextor drive, your
system configuration, and your disc. You can view information on:
•
Adapter (SCSI or IDE)
•
Drive model number
•
Drive firmware version
•
Drive buffer size
•
Drive serial number
•
ASPI version
•
Current settings of the drive.
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Section 6. Using the Enhanced Drive Properties
If a disc is in the drive, the Details screen also provides disc information:
•
Format of the disc
•
Number of tracks on the disc
•
Type of tracks (data or audio)
•
Number of sessions
•
CDDB identifier that tells the CD database on the Internet what information to
provide for display in MVP 2000
•
Media manufacturer (with PlexWriters only)
•
Type of media (with PlexWriters only)
•
Write speed rating for CD-RW media (with CD-RW PlexWriter drives and CDRW media only)
•
CD-RW Erase button (with CD-RW PlexWriter drives and CD-RW media only)
Figure 12: Details Screen
•
Erase: Erases data from a previously recorded CD-RW disc.
•
Refresh: Refreshes information about the current disc and drive properties.
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Section 6. Using the Enhanced Drive Properties
Settings Screen
The Settings screen extends your control over your Plextor d r ive and lets you change
many of the operational parameters for the drive.
•
AudioFS: Turns AudioFS on (default) or off. See the next chapter for
Figure 13: Drive Settings Screen
information on AudioFS.
•
Prevent Low Speed Reading: Prevents a high-speed drive (Plextor CD-ROM
drives 20x and higher) from reading at low speeds. This feature enables better
playback of video games that are poorly manufactured. See below for an
explanation of how to use this feature.
•
Lock: Locks the drive, preventing use of the Plextor drive’s front-panel eject
button.
•
Unlock: Unlocks the drive, allowing use of the Plextor drive’s front-panel eject
button.
•
Drive Speed: Click to choose a read speed for the drive.
•
Spindown Timeout: Click to choose how long the drive will continue to spin the
disc before stopping when not playing or recording.
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Section 6. Using the Enhanced Drive Properties
•
Volume slider: Click and drag to set music volu me.
•
Balance slider: Click and drag to change stereo balance between left and right
channels.
•
Left channel output: Click to toggle between left and right.
•
Right channel output: Click to toggle between right and left.
•
Restore Defaults: Click to restore drive default settings.
NOTE:
All audio controls actually affect the drive, not the sound board.
Improving Video Game Performance
The Prevent Low Speed Reading feature is useful if a video game played from a CDROM seems choppy. To use this feature:
To use Prevent Low Speed Reading to improve video game performance:
1. Exit the video game.
2. In Windows, select My Computer; or select Windows Explorer.
3. In My Computer or Explorer, navigate until you see the drive icon for the Plextor
drive containing the video game disc.
4. Right-click (that is, click the right mouse button) on the Plextor drive icon and
select Properties to view the Properties dialog box.
5. In the Properties dialog box, click the Prevent Low Speed Reading check box to
on.
6. Start the game again.
7. After you are done playing the game, turn off the Prevent Low Speed Reading
check box to disable this feature and return to normal mode of operation.
Choosing Drive Speed
The Drive Speed drop-down list shows all supported reading speeds for the currently
enabled drive. The default setting is always the drive’s maximum reading speed.
For a number of reasons, attempting to use the drive’s maximum speed with a poorly
manufactured disc or discs with many scratches or fingerprints may actually cause
read performance to be poorer. (That is, slower reading.) In some cases, it may even
be impossible to read such discs. By selecting a slower reading speed in the dropdown list, you may improve the drive’s overall reading performance.
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Section 6. Using the Enhanced Drive Properties
Choosing Spindown Timeout
Spindown timeout is the time the drive’s spindle motor (the motor that rotates the
disc) still spins after it has finished reading or writing. This is relevant to reading
performance of the drive, not writing.
While the drive is spinning, you get almost instantaneous access to the drive.
However, if you try to access data on a disc after the drive has spun down, the data
will not be read right away; instead, you will have to wait a few seconds while the
drive spins up the disc to an appropriate RPM before it can start to read the data.
Default spindown timeout for the drive is 2 minutes. You can use the Spindown
Timeout drop-down list to change this time for better performance in your particular
application. For example:
•
If you use the drive frequently and want to save motor life, you can set the
spindown time lower.
•
If you are doing infrequent searches on a disc (database searches) and do not
want a delayed response—that is, you do not want to wait for the drive to spin up
every time you request data—you can set the spindown timeout to infinite.
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7. Using AudioFS
AudioFS makes all tracks on audio CDs (Red Book CD/DA format discs) appear as
WAV files on Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 systems. This allows
easy drag and drop of audio tracks to your hard drive for simple and quick audio
extraction.
Advantages of AudioFS
AudioFS has several advantages:
•
AudioFS saves time by accessing tracks from the audio CD directly as WAV
files.
•
If you are encoding to compression formats such as MP3, WMA, Real Audio,
Liquid Audio, etc., AudioFS eliminates the need for third-party software to first
extract audio tracks to your hard disk as WAV files.
•
Because a CD’s audio tracks now appear as WAV files to your operating system
and applications, AudioFS eliminates the need for hard disk storage space to
store those large WAV files.
•
AudioFS makes the creation or compilation of audio CDs very easy.
Enabling AudioFS
NOTE:
AudioFS is enabled by default during the Plextor Manager 2000 installation.
You only need to use this procedure to manually enable AudioFS if you have
previously disabled it.
To enable AudioFS:
1. In Windows, select My Computer; or select Windows Explorer.
2. In My Computer or Explorer, navigate until you see the drive icon for the Plextor
drive for which you want to enable AudioFS.
3. Right-click on the Plextor drive icon. You see a drop-down menu that includes
choices for Plextor Manager 2000.
4. Select Properties to view the enhanced Drive Properties.
5. In the Properties screen, click on the Settings tab.
6. In the Settings screen, ensure the AudioFS check box is checked on to enable
AudioFS.
7. Click the OK button to save your changes and exit the Pr operties screen.
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Section 7. Using AudioFS
If an audio CD is in the drive when you change AudioFS from enabled to disabled or
vice versa, the drive ejects the CD. In tray model drives, the tray with the CD is
automatically re-inserted on its own. In caddy model drives, you must insert the
caddy with the CD back into the drive. Ejecting the CD is necessary in order to
update the file system when switching from and to AudioFS.
Using AudioFS for Audio Extraction
To use AudioFS:
1. Ensure AudioFS is enabled.
2. Place an audio CD in the Plextor drive. The Volume Label for the audio CD is
AudioFS.
3. Using My Computer or Windows Explorer, open or explore the disc. You see a
list of WAV files (instead of the CDA file extensions normally seen when
exploring an audio CD).
4. You can now drag and drop the audio WAV files into a folder on your hard drive.
Turning Off AudioFS
To disable AudioFS:
1. Go to My Computer and right-click the drive icon that shows an AudioFS
volume label.
-orIn Windows Explorer, right-click the drive icon that shows an AudioFS volume
label.
You see a drop-down menu.
2. From the drop-down menu, choose Properties. You see the Drive Properties
screen.
3. Click on the Settings tab.
4. Uncheck the AudioFS check box to turn it off.
Using USB Speakers with Digital Audio
Support for USB (Universal Serial Bus) speakers for Digital Audio is a unique
feature Plextor Manager 2000 offers for Plextor’s SCSI drives. (Windows 98 already
supports this feature for ATAPI MMC-compliant drives, but not SCSI CD drives.
Windows 2000 supports this feature for all ATAPI and SCSI MMC-compliant
drives.)
With this feature, any Windows 98 or 2000 system equipped with USB speakers, a
Plextor drive, and Plextor Manager 2000 can be used to play audio CDs digitally.
The data is sent from the Plextor drive directly over the SCSI or ATAPI bus and
through a USB port to your USB speakers.
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Section 7. Using AudioFS
NOTE:
drives can stream digital audio directly to USB speakers in Windows 98. This makes
Plextor products the only SCSI devices that support this feature. (Plextor ATAPI
drives support it, too.) Windows 2000 supports this feature for both SCSI and ATAPI,
drives.
At this time, no other SCSI CD-based drive and very few ATAPI CD-ROM
Why Use Digital Audio?
Your drive normally transmits an analog signal from the audio output to the sound
board. This can be limiting if you have more than one drive. You don’t want to open
your computer and re-connect the analog signal wire to another drive just to play a
CD. Furthermore, there is a limit to the number of devices that can be connected to a
sound board using analog connections.
Plextor Manager 2000 and Plextor drives allow you to play digital audio on
Windows 98 and Windows 2000 systems equipped with USB speakers. With this
combination of hardware and software, music from a CD is now played digitally
over the SCSI or ATAPI bus straight to your USB speakers. This provides you with
digital sound, which has a much better quality than that from the analog speakers
normally used with sound boards. Digital audio also allows for multiple drives to be
used as source drives, and has fewer restrictions caused by cabling.
What You Need for USB Digital Audio Sound
Discs that are supported by the Plextor Manager 2000 USB feature include:
•
Standard CD/DA audio music CDs
•
Enhanced music CDs such as CD Extra
•
Multimedia game CDs that have audio tracks on them
To take advantage of USB digital audio, you need the following:
•
Personal computer with USB support
•
Windows 98 or Windows 2000 installed on the PC
•
USB speakers installed on your system
•
Plextor Manager 2000 installed on your system
•
A Plextor drive installed on your system. These are the Plextor drives you can
use:
All Plextor CD-ROM drives starting with 4.5x, 8x, or higher
All Plextor CD-R and CD-RW drives startin g with 4x or higher
Enabling USB Digital Audio Sound
To enable USB digital audio:
For Windows 98 users:
1. From the Start menu select Settings, then select Control Panel and click the
Multimedia icon. You see the Multimedia Properties screen.
2. In the Properties dialog box, select the CD Music tab and turn on Enable Digital
Audio.
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Section 7. Using AudioFS
NOTE
: If Enable Digital Audio is grayed out, then Audio FS is not properly loaded or
your USB speakers are not properly configured. See the instructions below.
3. Also in the Properties dialog box, specify the drive letter of your Plextor drive to
be the default for music playback.
4. Click OK to exit the Multimedia Properties scr een and enab le USB digital audio.
For Windows 2000 users:
1. Right-mouse click on the My Computer icon and select Properties.
2. In the Properties dialog box, click on the Hardware tab.
3. Click on the Device Manager button.
4. Expand the line title DVD/CD-ROM Drives by clicking on the + sign.
5. Find your Plextor drive from the list of devices and double-click on it.
6. Click on the Properties tab.
7. On the lower portion of the Drive Properties, enable support for Digital Audio by
clicking on the check box.
8. Click on the OK button.
9. If a dialog box comes up with a warning sign that a drive may not be on the list
of supported devices and that digital audio playback may have poor quality,
select Yes to accept it anyway and to proceed.
To ensure that AudioFS is properly loaded on your system:
1. Make sure that latest version of Plextor Manager 2000 is installed on your
system. (Click the Plextor Manager icon in the taskbar, then choose About to see
the version.)
2. If you have Windows 98 , make sure the fi l e AUDIOFS.VXD exists on your
system. (Look in c:\windows\system\iosubsys.)
-orIf you have Windows 2000, make sure the file AFS2K.SYS exists on your
system. (Look in c:\winnt\system32\drivers.)
-orIf you have Wi ndows NT 4.0, make sure the file AFS.SYS exists on your system.
(Look in c:\winnt\system32\drivers.)
3. Make sure you are using a Plextor drive as a source drive.
4. Make sure that AudioFS is enabled for this drive in Drive Properties | Settings.
5. Insert an audio CD into your Plextor drive. All the tracks on this di sc should
appear as WAV files, and not as CDA tracks.
To ensure that your USB speakers are properly installed:
•
Make sure the there are no resource conflicts for this device in System
Properties/Device Manager, and that the device is properly recognized.
•
Make sure that all connections are properly made between your USB speakers
and the motherboard USB port.
•
Make sure this USB port is enabled on your motherboard.
•
Refer to documentation from Microsoft, the motherboard manufacturer, and the
USB speaker manufacturer for more help.
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Section 7. Using AudioFS
Windows 95 Users and AudioFS WAV Files
When Plextor Manager 2000 was installed, it automatically made MVP 2000 the
default player for most multimedia files.
However, if you disabled WAV file association in MVP 2000 then there may be a
chance that you are using another player for WAV file playback.
•
If you are using the default Sound Player installed by Windows 95, please read
further.
•
If you are using another player, you can skip this se ction.
Windows 95 Sound Utilities
Windows 95 has several utilities that use WAV sound files. For example:
•
You play back WAV files with Media Player (MPLAYER.EXE).
•
You can play, edit and record WAV files with Sound Recorder (Sndrec32.exe).
Apparent Problems with Sound Recorder
Plextor's AudioFS creates WAV files from regular audio discs (CD/DA Red Book
only) on the fly. The typical WAV file size from a song on a CD is about 40 MB.
This causes the appearance of a problem with Sound Recorder.
Here’s why: If Sound Recorder is set as the default player in Windows 95, it
launches when you click on a WAV file. However, it does not start to play until the
entire WAV file is loaded into memory (in most computers, it is cached as a swap
file on the hard drive), which can take quite a long time. In fact, it may appear that
Sound Record er is not working!
To eliminate this inconvenience, we recommend you switch the default player of
WAV files from Sound Recorder to MVP 2000; or you can select Media Player as
your default player. Either of these utilities will play back a WAV file directly fro m
the CD drive without having to cache it.
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Section 7. Using AudioFS
Changing the Default Player
The following procedures explain how to select MVP 2000 or Media Player as your
default player in Windows 95.
To switch the default WAV player to MVP 2000:
1. Start MVP 2000 by clicking on Start, then selecting Programs, then Plextor
Manager 2000, then MVP 2000.
2. In MVP 2000, click on Options.
3. Click on the tab labeled Associations.
4. Make sure the WAV check box is selected.
5. Click on OK.
6. Exit MVP 2000.
NOTE
: You may need to restart your computer before this change takes effect.
To switch the default WAV player to Media Player:
1. Go to My Computer or Windows Explorer.
2. From the Taskbar choose View.
3. In the View menu, choose Option.
4. On the Option screen, choose the File Type tab.
5. Scroll the Registered File Types until you find the Wave Sound icon.
6. Double-click the Wave Sound icon, or select it and chose Edit.
7. In the Edit File Type dialog box, double-click on Play Entry, or click on Play
Entry and select Edit.
8. In the new edit screen that pops up, change the line.
Change the line from c:\windows\sndrec32.exe
Change the line to c:\windows\mplayer.exe
CAUTION
9. Click OK.
10. Click Close on the next two selections to complete the change.
At this point, you are ready to double-click on any WAV file on your computer
(specifically those created by AudioFS). Your default player will play them
automatically.
: Do NOT modify the command line parameters in this screen.
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Appendix A: Contacting Plextor 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 this application, please
refer first to the sections of the manual regarding setup and installatio n. Yo u may
also wish to refer to PlexHelper or 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.
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 and
Plextor software. In many cases, a problem that appears to be caused by your
software or PlexWriter actually originates in another part of your computer. In such
instances, our technical support staff will try to help you identify the part (e.g., SCSI
interface board) 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 support@plextor.com, 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 proble m. It is helpful if you also send us information about yo ur
computer, such as hard wa re configuration, versi ons and names of drivers, e tc.
•
Call 1-800-886-3935. (If you are outside the U.S., call 1-408-980-1838.) Select
option 2, the technical support extension.)
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Appendix A: Contacting Plextor Technical Support
Before You E-mail/Log On/FAX/Call
Please gather as much of the following information as possible before contacting us.
•
The serial number and TLA number of your Plextor CD-ROM drive or
PlexWriter. Your serial number can be found both on the warranty card that
accompanied the drive and on a label on the drive itself. The TLA number
appears both on the drive label and on a sticker at the rear of internal drives. Or
you can also find it using Plextor M anager’s Drive Properties | Details screen (if
you were successful in your installation of Plextor Manager 2000 and the drive).
•
The version of Plextor Manager 2000 you are using.
•
The latest version of firmware you loaded onto the drive, if applicable.
•
If you are using a SCSI interface, the name and model number of your SCSI
interface board (e.g., Adaptec AHA-2940, Advansys ABP-930UA).
•
If you are using a SCSI interface, the version of the software device drivers, if
any, that came with your SCSI interface board. (This typically is found on the
label of the floppy disk or CD-ROM that contains the device drivers.)
•
If you are using an ATAPI (EIDE) interface, the name and model of the ATAPI
controller, if available. (The controller is on the computer’s motherboard. Its
name and model number may be available in the computer’s documentation, or it
may be visible on the screen during boot-up.)
•
The version of the Windows 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, Performa 575, etc.).
•
The type of VGA, Super VGA, or other graphics card you use.
•
Brand name and model number of any other peripherals you have installed or
connected to your computer (e.g., CD-ROM, scanner, fax board, network board).
56
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
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Appendix B: Software License
PLEXTOR SOFTWARE LICENSE
AGREEMENT
PLEASE READ THIS LICENSE CAREFULLY BEFORE OPENING THIS
PACKAGE. PLEXTOR IS WILLING TO LICENSE THE ENCLOSED
SOFTWARE TO YOU ONLY UPON THE CONDITION THAT YOU ACCEPT
ALL OF THE TERMS CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT. BY OPENING
THIS PACKAGE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS
AGREEMENT AND UNDERSTAND IT AND YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY
ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS
AND CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE DO NOT OPEN THIS PACKAGE AND
PROMPTLY RETURN IT UNOPENED TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU
OBTAINED IT FOR A FULL REFUND FOR THE VALUE OF THE SOFTWARE.
The enclosed computer program(s) (“Software”) is licensed, not sold, to you by
Plextor (“Plextor”) for use only under the terms of this License, and Plextor reserves
any right not expressly granted to you. As Licensee, you own the media upon which
the software is fixed, but Plextor retains title and ownership of the Software recorded
on the original media and all subsequent copies of the Software regardless of the
form or media in which or on which the original and other copies may exist. This
License is not a sale of the Software or any copy.
In return for acquiring a license to use the Software and related documentation, you
agree to the following terms and conditions:
1. License. This Agreement grants you, the Licensee, a License to:
a) Use one copy of the Software on a single computer at a time. To “use” the
Software means that the Software is either loaded in the tempor ar y memor y (i.e.,
RAM) of a computer or installed on the permanent memory of a computer (i.e.,
hard disk, CD ROM, etc.). You may install the Software on a common storage
devise which is accessible by multiple computers, provided that if more
computers have access to the common storage device than the number of licensed
copies of the Software, you must have some software mechanism which locksout any concurrent users in excess of the number of licensed copies of the
Software (an additional license is not needed for the one copy of Software
installed on the common storage device accessed by multiple co mputers);
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual 57
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Appendix B: Software License
b) Make one copy of the Software in machine readable form solely for back-up
purposes, provided you reproduce Plextor’s copyright notice and any proprietary
legends.
2. Restrictions.
a) The Software contains trade secrets and in order to protect them you may not
decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or otherwise reduce the Software to a
human-perceivable form. YOU MAY NOT MODIFY, ADAPT, TRANSLATE,
RENT, LEASE, LOAN RESELL FOR PROFIT, DISTRIBUTE, NETWORK
OR CREATE DERIVATIVE WORKS BASED UPON THE SOFTW ARE OR
ANY PART THEREOF.
b) YOU MAY NOT USE THE SOFTWARE TO MAKE UNAUTHORIZED
COPIES OF ANY COMPUTER PROGRAM OR OTHER WORKS. You shall
defend, indemnify and hold Plextor harmless from any loss, damage, claim or
liability incurred by Plextor as a result of any unauthorized copies o f third-party
computer programs or other works made by you with the Software.”
3. Termination. This license is effective until ter minated . This License will
terminate immediately without notice from Plextor or judicial resolution if you
fail to comply with any provision of this License. Upon such termination, you
must destroy the Software, all accompanying written materials and all copies
thereof, and sections 4, 5, 6 and 10 of this Agreement will survive any
termination.
4. Limited Warranty: Plextor warrants only that the disk(s) upon which the
Software is recorded will be free from defects in material or workmanship under
normal use and service for a period of thirty (30) days from your date of
purchase. PLEXTOR DOES NOT AND CANNOT WARRANT THE
PERFORMANCE OR RESULTS YOU MAY OBTAIN BY USING THE
SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION. EXCEPT FOR THE FOREGOING
LIMITED WARRANTY, PLEXTOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, AS TO NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS,
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some
states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or limitatio ns on how long
an implied warranty must last, so the above limitations may not apply to you.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights
which vary from state to state.
58
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
Page 65
Appendix B: Software License
5. Limitation of Liability: I N NO EVENT WILL PLEXTOR BE LIABLE TO
YOU FOR ANY SPECIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS,
LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTALS OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, EVEN IF PLEXTOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY
OTHER PARTY. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of special,
incidental, or consequential damages, so the above limitation may not apply to
you.
6. Limitation of Remedies. Plextor’s entire liability and your exclusive remedy
shall be:
a) The replacement of any disk not meeting Plextor’s limited warranty which is
returned to Plextor; or
b) If Plextor or its distributor is unable to deliver replacement media which is
free of defects in materials or workmanship, you may terminate this Agreement
by returning the Software and your money will be refunded.
7. Export. You acknowledge that the laws and regulations of the United States
restrict the export and re-export of the Software. You agree that you will not
export or re-export the Software in any form without the appropr iate United
States and foreign government approval.
8. U.S. Government Restricted Rights Legend for Units of the DoD. Use,
duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to r e strictions as set forth
in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software
clause at 252.227-7013. Plextor Corp., 4255 Burton Drive, Santa Clara, CA
95054.
9. U.S. Government Restricted Rights Legend for Civilian Agencies. Use,
reproduction or disclosure is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraphs
(a) through (d) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights clause
at 52.227-19 and the limitations set forth in this standard commercial agreement
for this software. Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of the
United States.
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
59
Page 66
Appendix B: Software License
10. General. This Agreement shall be governed by California law except as to
copyright matters which are covered by Federal law. This Agreement is deemed
entered into at Santa Clara, California by both parties. Should any provision of
this Agreement be declared unenforceable in any jurisdiction, then such provision
shall be deemed to be severable from this Agreement a nd shall not affect the
remainder hereof. All rights in the Software not specifically granted i n this
Agreement are reserved by Plextor.
Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement, you may cont act Plextor
by writing to Plextor Corp., 4255 Burton Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054.
60
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
Page 67
A
Index
auto start software · 16
autorun installation · 7
AVI file format · 14
add item to playlist button · 21
adjust position slider · 12
adjust volume ba r, MVP 2000 · 12
application controls
Audio Capture 2000 · 27
DiscDupe 2000 · 35
MVP 2000 · 11
ASPI manager
Windows NT · 8
associations
file format · 14
audio
capture status · 29
capturing · 28
digital · 50, 51
error correction during capture · 31
graphic display · 16
recording · 16
requirements for digital · 51
USB speakers · 50
Audio Capture 2000 · 3, 27
application controls · 27
capture status · 29
capturing audio tracks · 28
CDDB · 32
selecting a source dri ve · 28
starting · 9
audio file, playing · 14
audio tracks
format · 30
output quality level · 30
selecting · 30
AudioCD format · 14
AudioFS · 5, 49
advantages · 49
control · 45
default · 49
enabling · 49
turning off · 50
using for extraction · 50
WAV files and · 49
Windows 95 and · 53
B
balance slider · 46
BURN-Proof
availability in Plextor drives · 18, 39
enabling in DiscDupe 2000 · 36 , 39
enabling in MVP 2000 · 17
C
capture tracks button · 28
capturing audio · 28
CD
duplicating · 37
saving image to hard disk · 40
space for copying · 37, 40
verifying copy · 39
CD to CD copy · 35
CD to image copy · 35, 38
CD/DA player
playing audio CD · 14
CD/DA—A/V rocker switch · 12
CD+G disc, copying · 40
CDA file format · 14
CDA track · 16
CD-DA Stream Is Accurate · 1
CDDB · 23, 32
connecting to · 24
home page · 2 5, 33
requirements · 23
storing information · 24
text file on PC · 25, 33
viewing information · 24
viewing information during capture ·
32
CD-R disc
requirements for playing · 16, 36
CD-RW
erasing · 44
CD-RW disc
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual 61
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Index
requirements for playing · 16, 36
CD-Text
copying disc · 40
creating · 22
information recorded · 21
choosing preferred recording speed · 17
clear playlist button · 21
contacting Plextor · 55
D
default
AudioFS · 49
drives · 13
player · 54
delete playlist entry button · 21
destination drop-down list · 35
Details screen · 43
digital audio · 51
enabling · 51
requirements · 51
digital audio or video file, playing · 14
digital music · 16
disc
choosing · 1 6, 36
Disc-At-Once · 41
DiscDupe 2000 · 4, 35
application controls · 35
BURN-Proof · 36, 39
drive requirements · 36
duplicating with a single drive · 37
duplication process · 41
duplication, CD to CD · 37
saving a CD image · 40
starting · 9
using options · 38
display window · 12
drive
duplicating with a single PlexWriter ·
37
enhanced properties · 43
non-Plextor and DiscDupe 2000 · 36
refreshing the enhanced properties · 44
selecting source for audio capture · 28
drive speed control · 29, 37, 45, 46
drives supported · 1
duplication · 41
CD to CD · 37
single drive · 37
E
edit disc information window · 22
edit playlist entry button · 21
eject button · 12
emulate/test · 39
emulate/test mode button · 36
enhanced drive propertie s · 4, 43
about · 43
refreshing · 44
viewing · 43
erase button · 44
error correction · 3, 31
control · 28
recording speed and · 31
extraction
error correction and · 31
using AudioFS · 50
F
file format
PLL · 22
specifying for capture · 30
supported formats · 14
file information window · 12
filename
song title as · 33
files, selecting audio and video · 12
G
graphic display screen · 12, 16
I
icon
CD · 8
drive · 43
Plextor · 8
image · 38
temporary · 38
image to CD copy · 35
image, saving to hard disk · 40
installation
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Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
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Index
autorun · 7
manual · 7
Plextor Manager 2000 · 7
K
karaoke disc, copying · 40
L
launcher · 9
left channel output control · 46
license · 57
load playlist button · 21
lock control · 45
M
manual installation · 7
media player · 53
default · 15
Media Player · 53
switching WAV player default to · 54
MegaPleX jukebox · 1
MMC · 1
MP3 file format · 14
recording · 16
MPEG video file format · 14
MPLAYER.EXE · 53
MVP 2000 · 2, 11
application controls · 11
BURN-Proof · 17
CDDB · 23
default drives · 13
graphic audio display · 16
playing a digital or video file · 14
playing audio CD · 14
playlist · 20
recording audio · 16
recording digital music · 16
starting · 9
switching WAV player default to · 54
test mode · 19
O
open files, MVP 2000 · 12
options
DiscDupe 2000 · 38
MVP 2000 · 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 24,
30
output quality level
audio tracks · 30
control · 28
P
pause button · 12
play button · 12
playback controls · 12
player
changing default · 54
default · 15
playing an audio CD · 14
playlist
arranging · 21
building · 21
controls · 20
creating and using · 20
opening · 22
recording from · 22
saving · 22
playlist button · 12
Plextor icon · 8
Plextor, contacting · 55
PLL files · 22
preferred recording speed
choosing · 17
prevent low speed reading control · 45, 46
properties
enhanced · 43
enhanced drive · 4
viewing enhanced · 43
R
record to CD-R or CD-RW button · 12
recording
audio · 16
digital music · 16
space required · 37, 40
using a playlist · 22
Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
63
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Index
recording speed · 17
refresh button · 44
restore defaults control · 46
right channel output control · 46
S
save playlist button · 21
scroll bar
Audio Capture 2000 · 27
MVP 2000 playlist · 21
select source drive con t ro l · 28
Session-At-Once · 41
set CDDB options button
Audio Capture 2000 · 28
set level of error correction
control · 28
set output quality level
control · 28
Settings screen · 45
skip back button · 12
skip forward button · 12
Sndrec32.exe · 53
software license · 57
song title
filename as · 33
track number as · 33
sound quality · 3
Sound Recorder · 53
apparent problem s with · 53
source drop-down list · 35
speed
recording · 17
selecting · 38
setting for read · 29, 37, 45, 46
speed select drop-down list · 36
spindown timeout control · 45, 47
splash screen · 9
disabling · 9
start copy button · 36
starting Plextor Manager 2000 module s ·
9
startup, changing behavior · 9
status of audio capture · 29
stop button · 12
system requirements · 1
T
technical support · 55
temporary image · 38
test mode · 19
time counter · 12
track selection window · 27
track/item back button · 12
track/item forward button · 12
U
uninstalling · 10
unlock control · 45
USB speakers · 50
use temp image button · 36
V
verify disc · 39
verify disc button · 36
verifying a copy · 39
video file, playing · 14
video game performance, improving · 46
volume slider, settings screen · 46
W
WAV file
default for playback · 53
drag and drop · 50
typical size · 53
WAV file format · 14
recording · 16
specifying for capture · 30
Windows 2000/NT
installation · 8
installation in · 7
Windows 95
installation in · 7
sound utilities · 53
WAV files and · 53
Windows 98, installation in · 7
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Plextor Manager 2000 User’s Manual
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Index
Windows audio format · 30
WMA file format
specifying for capture · 30
specifying for playback with MVP
2000 · 30
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Notes
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