Plextor PX-B310U User manual

BD-ROM, DVD±R DL (DOUBLE LAYER/DUAL LAYER),
DVD±R/RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW DRIVE
December 2008
INSTALLATION AND USERS
MANUAL
Model PX-B310U External USB Drive
Model PX-B310SA Internal SATA Drive

Plextor reserves the right to make improvements in the products
described in this manual at any time without prior notice.
Plextor makes no representation or warranties with respect to the
contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Plextor
reserves the right to revise this manual and to make changes in its
content without obligation to notify any person or organization of such
revision or change.
This manual is copyrighted, all rights reserved. It may not be copied,
photocopied, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or
machine-readable form without Plextor’s prior permission.
Manual copyright ©2008 Plextor
First edition, December 2008.
Licenses and Trademarks
Plextor and the Plextor logo are registered trademarks of Shinano Kenshi.
All other licenses and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Record Your Serial Number
For future reference, record the serial number in the space provided
below.

PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual iii
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION STATEMENT
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
CAUTION: Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
CANADIAN DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS
STATEMENT
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department
of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme a la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
LASER INFORMATION
These products have been designed and manufactured according to IEC 60825-1 on the
Safety of Laser products. This product comes under “Class 1 Laser Products.”
CAUTION: Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other
than those specified herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
A Laser Caution Label is attached on the top of the internal drive model.
The laser beam emitted from the optical pickup is visible and invisible. Accordingly:
•Do not open the optical pickup housing.
•Obtain service only from Plextor-authorized personnel.
CAUTION: To disconnect the internal DVD/CD drive from an electrical current, pull
out the computer’s power plug.

PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual iv
Table of Contents
Record Your Serial Number.............................................................ii!
Table of Contents.............................................................................. iv!
1. Getting Started............................................................................... 1!
About this Manual ........................................................................... 1!
Meet Your Plextor DVD Rewriter................................................... 2!
What the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA Do.................................. 2!
Features of the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA .............................. 3!
Minimum Configuration to Use the PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA .. 5!
What You Can Do with the PX-B310U or PX-B310SA............. 6!
About Software................................................................................ 6!
Precautions....................................................................................... 8!
Where to Go From Here .................................................................. 9!
2. Installing the PX-B310U External USB Drive .......................... 10!
PX-B310U Drive Features and Controls ....................................... 10!
Front Panel—PX-B310U External Drive .................................. 10!
Rear Panel—PX-B310U External Drive ................................... 11!
What Else Is In the PX-B310U Box .............................................. 11!
Save Your Box! ......................................................................... 12!
PX-B310U QuickStart Installation ............................................ 12!
3. Installing the PX-B310SA Internal SATA Drive ...................... 15!
PX-B310SA Drive Features and Controls..................................... 16!
Front Panel—PX-B310SA Internal Drive ................................. 16!
Rear Panel—PX-B310SA Internal SATA Drive....................... 17!
What Else Is In the PX-B310SA Box............................................ 18!
Save Your Box! ......................................................................... 18!
Mount the PX-B310SA Drive ....................................................... 19!
Record the Serial Number ......................................................... 19!
Mount the Drive in the Computer.............................................. 19!
4. Using Your PX-B310U and PX-B310SA ................................... 24!
What Media to Use ........................................................................ 24!
BD Media .................................................................................. 24!
DVD Media ............................................................................... 24!
DVD-RAM Media ..................................................................... 25!
CD-ROM Media ........................................................................ 25!
More About Media for Your Plextor Drive............................... 26!

Table of Contents
PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual v
Tray Loading and Operation..........................................................26!
Handling DVD and CD Media ..................................................27!
Cleaning Discs ...........................................................................27!
Mounting Position..........................................................................28!
Playing BDs ...................................................................................28!
Playing DVDs ................................................................................29!
Writing to DVD Media ..................................................................30!
Specifying +R/RW or -R/RW....................................................30!
Writing to CD-R and CD-RW Media ............................................30!
Using the Disc/Busy Indicator .......................................................30!
5. Maintenance and Troubleshooting.............................................32!
Cleaning the your Plextor Drive ....................................................32!
Upgrading Firmware......................................................................33!
Emergency Eject ............................................................................34!
Troubleshooting .............................................................................35!
Make Sure the Drive Is Recognized ..........................................35!
6. Frequently Asked Questions .......................................................37!
Appendix A: Technical Support .....................................................39!
How to Contact Plextor Technical Support ...................................40!
Before You E-mail or Call for Support..........................................40!
Returns ...........................................................................................41!
Contacting Plextor’s RMA Department.....................................41!
Packing Your Drive ...................................................................41!
Shipping Your Drive to Plextor .................................................42!
Appendix B: Warranty....................................................................43!
If You’re Outside the U.S. or Canada............................................44!
Index..................................................................................................46!

Table of Contents
vi PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual
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PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual 1
1. Getting Started
Congratulations! Thank you for purchasing a Plextor® optical disc
drive, a reliable, high-performance BD player and recordable DVD and
CD writer, rewriter, and player. We appreciate the confidence you have
shown in us. Our goal is to put you—and keep you—on the leading edge
of optical disc technology.
About this Manual
Please read this manual carefully and keep it handy for easy reference.
Use the manual for installation, operation and troubleshooting. If your
drive needs service, see your dealer or call Plextor’s Technical Support
Department.
In this manual you should find all the information you need to
successfully install, operate and troubleshoot your drive. If you run into
a problem that doesn't seem to be covered, however, please contact us.
(See “Appendix A: Technical Support” for the different ways you can
reach us.) You will be connected to our friendly, helpful band of tech
support engineers. What might seem like an uncooperative drive to you
could very well be a 30-second fix to them. But we will never know
unless you contact us.

Section 1. Getting Started
2PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual
Meet Your Plextor DVD Rewriter
The PX-B310U External USB and the PX-B310SA are BD read and
DVD ReWritable/CD ReWritable drives that provides professional
quality BD reading and DVD and CD performance for writing, rewriting
and reading.
What the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA Do
For BDs, the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA:
•Reads BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE, and BD-R DL media at
up to 6X speed
For DVDs, the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA:
•Writes DVD+R (recordable DVD, “plus” format) media at
up to 16X speed on recommended media.
•Writes DVD+R DL (double layer) media at up to 8X speed.
•Writes DVD-R DL (double layer) media at up to 8X speed.
•Writes DVD-R (recordable DVD, “dash” format) media at
up to 16X speed on recommended media.
•Writes DVD+RW (rewritable DVD, “plus” format) media
at up to 8X speed.
•Writes DVD-RW (rewritable DVD, “dash” format) media
at up to 6X speed.
•Writes DVD-RAM discs at up to 12X.
•Reads stamped DVD discs at up to 16X.
•Reads DVD-RAM discs at up to 12X.
For CDs, the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA:
•Writes to CD-R (recordable CD) media at up to 48X speed.
•Writes to CD-RW (rewritable CD) media at up to 32X speed.
•Reads all CD-ROM and CD-R data media at a maximum of 48X
speed.
•Reads CD-DA (audio) media at up to 48X speed
•Reads CD-R/RW audio media at up to 40X speed.

Section 1. Getting Started
PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual 3
Features of the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA
•Interface:
USB interface: The PX-B310U easily installs in virtually any PC
with a USB 2.0 (recommended or USB 1.1 interface.
Serial ATA interface: The PX-B310SA takes advantage of the
benefits of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
(SATA) interface, with its smaller, more flexible cables and
faster interface speed.
•High speed transfers:
The PX-B310U supports high speed transfers via the USB
interface.
The PX-B310SA supports next-generation high speed transfers
via the Serial ATA 1.0 interface.
•Flash memory: Allows upgrading the PX-B310U and PX-B310SA to
the latest firmware revision (available from the Plextor web site)
without opening the computer or physically accessing the drive.
•Black tray: Reduces the effect of optical distortion by absorbing
reflections from the laser beam, enhancing read quality.
•Plug and Play: Supports Windows Plug and Play.
•CPRM support: The PX-B310U and PX-B310SA support Content
Protection for Recordable Media, so you can play CPRM copy-
controlled media.

Section 1. Getting Started
4PX-B310U/ PX-B310SA Installation and Users Manual
DVD Features
•Lossless linking for DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL: Allows
DVD+RW and DVD+R DL discs to be edited and still play on
DVD-ROM players.
•Zero Link for DVD-R/RW, DVD-R DL: Has 0 byte gap between
sessions so the discs are compatible with all players. This allows
DVD-RW and DVD-R DL discs to be edited and still play on DVD-
ROM players.
•Double layer and dual layer DVD discs: Reads and writes DVD+R
DL (double layer) and DVD-R DL (dual layer) discs, so you can
burn up to 4 hours of high quality MPEG-2/DVD video on a single
8.5-gigabyte DVD disc.
•Wide media compatibility: Compatible with a wide range of DVD-
RAM, DVD±R and DVD±RW media.
•DVD Multi Recorder: Supports the DVD Multi specification for read
and write; can read and write DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-Video,
multi-border, multi-session and DVD±VR.
•Versatile recording modes for DVD+R/RW: Including disc-at-once
(DAO), multi-session, and incremental write for DVD+R DL
(double layer) discs; DAO, multi-session, and incremental write for
DVD+R; and DAO, incremental write, and random access write for
DVD+RW.
•Recording versatility for DVD-R/RW, too: Including DAO,
incremental recording, and layer jump recording for DVD-R DL
(dual-layer); DAO, incremental recording, multi-border recording for
DVD-R; and DAO, multi-border recording, incremental recording,
and restricted overwriting for DVD-RW.