Plextor PX-W4220Te User manual

Operation Manual
Model PX-W4220Ti Internal and PX-W4220Te External
CD ReWritable Drive
February 1999

FCC NOTICE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and, if not installed and used in accordance
with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
causes harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
For External Model Users: Please use the external shielded SCSI cables supplied with this
CD-ROM drive. Using other signal cables may exceed the limits of the Class B Part 15 of the
FCC Rules.
Any changes or modifications should be approved by the party responsible for compliance
of FCC Rules; otherwise, the user loses authority to operate the equipment.
CAUTION
Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those specified
herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
The laser beam emitted from the optical pickup is invisible. Accordingly:
• Do not open the optical pickup housing.
• Obtain service only from Plextor-authorized personnel.
LASER INFORMATION
These products have been designed and manufactured according to IEC 825-1 on the Safety
of Laser products. This product comes under “Class 1 Laser Products.” A Laser Caution
Marking is attached on the top of the internal drive model: “Caution: Invisible laser radiation
when open. Avoid direct exposure to beam.”
CAUTION
To disconnect the CD-ROM drive from an electrical current, pull out the power plug.
VORSICHT
DIE TRENNUNG VOM NETZ ERFOLGT DURCH ZIEHEN DES NETZSECKES.
Zur Einhaltung der Funk-Entstörung von nicht selbständig
betreibbaren Hochfrequenzgeräten (periphere
Anlagenkomponenten).
Dieses Gerät entspricht als Einzelgerät den Funk-Entstöranfor-
derungen der Postverfügung Nr. 243/1991. Wird das Gerät
innerhalb einer Anlage zusammen mit anderen Geräten betrieben.
So muβbei Inanspruchnahme der “Allgemeinen (Betriebs-)
genehmigung” nach der BMPT-AmtsblVfg Nr. 243/1991 die
gesamte Anlage folgenden Richtlinien entsprechen:
• Grenzwertklases B der EN55022
• Auflagen nach § 2 der BMPT-AmtsblVfg 243/1991
Dies ist bei der Zusammensetzung einer Anlage (z.B. Computersystem) aus nur einzein
ÜG-Vfg.243

CD ReWritable Drive
PX-W4220Ti Internal
PX-W4220Te External

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 Corp. 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 © February 1999 Plextor Corp.
Licenses and Trademarks
All licenses and trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Box Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
PX-W4220Ti Internal Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
PX-W4220Te External Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A Gentle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. What Else Do I Need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4. Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5. Drive Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Front Panel — Internal and External Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PX-W4220Ti Internal Drive — Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PX-W4220Te External Drive — Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6. Drive Switch/Jumper/Dial Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
PX-W4220Ti Internal Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
PX-W4220Te External Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Other Switch/Jumper Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
7. Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Internal Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
External Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
8. Hardware Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Board Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Drive Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mounting an Internal Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
External Drive Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Regarding Sound Cards and Audio Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Audio Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
9. Device Driver and Software Installation . . . . . . . . . 33
Device Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Applications Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

10. Using CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW Discs and Trays 37
Tray Loading and Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Types of Discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Handling CD-R and CD-RW Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Cleaning the Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
11. How To Play Audio CDs on Your Drive . . . . . . . . . . 39
12. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Upgrading Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
12.1 PC Compatibles: Initial Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
12.2 PC Compatibles: Existing Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
12.3 Apple Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
13. Contacting Plextor’s Technical Support Department 57
How to Contact Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Before You E-mail/Log On/Fax/Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Helpful Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
14. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Appendix A: Windows 95/98 Installation Guide . . . . . . 63
Appendix B: Windows NT 4.0 (and Below)
Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
About Plextor and Plextor Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 1
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Plextor PlexWriter RW 4/2/20, a high performance and
reliable CD ReWritable drive. We appreciate the confidence you have shown in us.
Our goal is to put you — and keep you — on the leading edge of CD technology.
To get you there, we first have to help you install your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 drive
properly and operate it correctly. After that, the responsibility is yours to seek the
applications that make CD-RW such a powerful and exciting addition to your
system.
Throughout this manual we will occasionally refer to the PlexWriter RW by the
general model number PX-R4220T. We will also refer to the model numbers with a
lowercase “i” or “e” added to it to indicate internal or external, respectively. For your
purposes, all references apply to the PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 CD-RW drive. (CD-RW
is a common abbreviation for CD ReWritable drives and rewritable CD media.)
For those of you with PCs, the installation process may seem a bit complicated
(Mac people have it easy). Fear not. We have successfully walked through the
installation process with millions of customers who previously had lived in mortal
terror of the innards of their computer.
In this manual you should find all the information you need to successfully install,
operate and troubleshoot your drive. If you run into an unsolvable problem,
however, please contact us (see Chapter 13 for the different ways you can contact
us). You will be connected to our friendly, helpful band of tech support reps who
know their stuff. What might seem like an uncooperative CD-RW drive to you could
very well be a 30-second fix to them. But we will never know unless you contact
us. If you are having trouble, please don’t give up and take your drive back to where
you bought it until you have spoken with one of our tech support reps.
— CHAPTER 1 —
This manual is designed to be followed in sequence. It is aimed primarily at
those who will connect their PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 drive to a PC.
Mac users should look for this symbol:
Users of UNIX-based systems
should look for this symbol:
as an indicator of sections of the manual that pertain to them.
Many of you reading this manual are experienced computer users who have
successfully installed peripherals in the past. There probably are a number
of sections in this manual that you can skip over. However, we ask everyone
— from novice computer users to experienced computer professionals — to
read the sections marked with this symbol:

2PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
Box Contents
YOUR TASK: Check the contents of the box.
YOUR OBJECTIVE: Make sure you got everything you paid for.
YOUR METHOD: Compare what you find in the box with the tables on
the following pages.
What you find in your Plextor box depends on two factors: 1) what
configuration you purchased; and 2) what the company that sold you the box
put in — or took out — while it was in their possession.
Plextor currently sells its PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 drives in two configurations:
1) Drive with bundled software, including CD-mastering software for
PC, packet writing software, Plextor’s own CD Res-Q™ software for
HDD disaster recovery, Plextor Manager Utilities, and media. (We
may add more utilities as we uncover them.)
2) Drive kit with SCSI interface board, the software listed above, cables,
and media.
The drive kits come with PCI bus-mastering SCSI controllers or PCMCIA
controllers for laptops. The configuration you received is indicated by stickers
applied to your box. Your drive may also have been integrated into a computer
system or subsystem sold by a third party.
NOTE: Asecurity sticker was applied to the top of your box. The contents of
your box were carefully checked before this sticker was applied. If it
was cut before you purchased the box, you should carefully check the
contents to ensure nothing has been removed. If something is missing,
you should contact the party from whom you purchased the box for an
explanation.
There may be a good reason why the security sticker on the box was
cut before you received it. For example, a dealer may have purchased
a Drive Only configuration from Plextor, then added a SCSI interface
board and/or software purchased separately before selling the box to
you.
NOTE: If your drive came preinstalled, the rails, cables, interface boards and
other parts shown on the following pages may have been installed and
may not be separately available. Other accessories, especially
software, may not have been purchased from Plextor and thus may be
different from those sold in Plextor retail packages.
— CHAPTER 2 —

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 3
DRIVE
SOFTWARE KIT SCSI KIT
CD-RW drive
X X
4 mounting screws X X
Approved CD-RW media (1 piece) X X
Approved CD-R media (1 piece) X X
Plextor CD with
bundled software,
Plextor Manager, and CD Res-Q X X
SCSI interface board
and manual* X
Audio cable* X (2)
SCSI cable* X
Plextor operation manual* X X
Warranty registration card X X
Extra jumpers for setting drive
switches
X X
CHAPTER 2 — Box Contents
* Please see Chapter 13, page 60, for locations to purchase additional or replacement accessories.
Use the following tables to check the contents of your box:
PX-W4220Ti Internal Drives

4PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
DRIVE
SOFTWARE KIT SCSI KIT
CD-RW drive
X X
Approved CD-RW media (1 piece) X X
Approved CD-R media (1 piece) X X
Plextor CD with
bundled software,
Plextor Manager, and CD Res-Q X X
SCSI interface board
and manual* X
Audio cable* X
Power cable X X
SCSI cable* X
Plextor operation manual* X X
Warranty registration card X X
CHAPTER 2 — Box Contents
* Please see Chapter 13, page 60, for locations to purchase additional or replacement accessories.
PX-W4220Te External Drives

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 5
A Gentle Reminder. . .
YOUR TASK: Save your box (if you received one).
YOUR OBJECTIVE: Have a secure container in which to ship your drive
back to Plextor, if necessary.
YOUR METHOD: Find an empty space in your home/office and fill it
with the Plextor box.
If you received your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 CD-RW drive in a Plextor box, you
should save the box after you have installed your drive. There are many sets of
hands — some of them potentially unfriendly — that a PlexWriter RW 4/2/20
might go through on its way from us to you. Our box and its packaging material
were designed and drop tested to ensure that your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 can
endure rough treatment and still arrive in working order.
We advise you to hold on to your box in case you should ever need to return
your drive to Plextor for any reason. Unfortunately, some of our customers
have not held on to their boxes and have had to resort to some
less-than-secure methods to get drives back to us. We have received drives in
a shoebox, in an unpadded express mail envelope, and in a box filled with
buttered popcorn.
We cannot assume liability for any damage your drive sustains during
shipment. Therefore, please ship your drive in the safest manner possible. We
believe your drive will be most secure if it is shipped in a Plextor box. We
hope you will never have to ship your drive back to us. If you do, however,
we hope you will send it packaged in a Plextor box.
If you did not receive a Plextor box (for example, your drive came pre-installed
in a computer), we recommend that you pay a packaging store (e.g., Mail
Boxes Etc.) in your area to ship your drive. The drives that we have received
from most packaging stores have arrived in good shape. If you don’t have a
packaging store in your area, call our Technical Support Department for
packaging pointers before you ship your drive. In fact, you must call our
Technical Support Department to get an RMA number before returning any
drive (see Chapter 13).
CHAPTER 2 — Box Contents

6PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
What Else Do I Need?
YOUR TASK: Review the software and hardware installed in your
current computer system.
YOUR OBJECTIVE: Determine what else you may need to operate your
CD-RW drive.
YOUR METHOD: Inventory your current computer system; check list
below.
If you purchased a Plextor box labeled Drive Kit with PCI SCSI Interface or
Drive Kit with PCMCIA Interface, your needs are simple: none. Everything you
need to successfully install and operate your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 is included
in the box you purchased.
If you are a PC owner who has purchased a PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 Drive with
Software Kit, life gets a bit more complicated. These drives are intended for
purchase by those with SCSI adapters purchased or installed separately. They
do not have cables or a SCSI controller. Software Only packages are for those
who need a Plextor CD-RW drive but prefer to use their own sources for all
the accessories. If you purchased a software kit, you will need to select cables
and a SCSI controller. The SCSI controller you own will fall into one of two
groups:
1) You do not own a SCSI interface board.
In this case, you have to get one. Your local computer store and
numerous mail order vendors carry them. Due to the technical
demands of producing your own CDs, it is suggested that you buy a
high performance bus-mastering interface board. PIO SCSI interface
boards may not properly support CD recording. We suggest you
purchase a bus-mastering PCI card from any of the larger adapter
companies. See page 60 for suggested sources.
2) You own a SCSI interface board.
If you purchased your SCSI interface board several months or years
before you purchased your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20, you may need to
update your device drivers. See the discussion about Device Drivers
in Chapter 9 of this manual.
NOTE: We recommend that you do not use a SCSI interface built into a sound
board.
— CHAPTER 3 —

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 7
If you need to purchase a SCSI cable, note the following:
Internal Cables
You may already have a SCSI ribbon cable. If you are removing an existing
internal SCSI device and installing the PlexWriter RW 4/2/20, you can use the
same cable. If you are not removing an existing internal SCSI device, you may
need to purchase a different SCSI ribbon cable from your local computer
supply store. The cable must have at least as many connectors as you have
SCSI peripherals (including one for your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20), plus one
additional connector to attach to the interface board. Be sure to read the
section on Termination in Chapter 7 of this manual.
External Cables
If you have an external PlexWriter RW 4/2/20, you will need to purchase an
external SCSI cable. Make sure at least one end of the cable has the same kind of
SCSI connector as your PlexWriter. The other end of the cable must have the
proper connector to fit your SCSI controller or another daisy-chained external
SCSI device. Be sure to read the section on Termination in Chapter 7 of this
manual.
You will also need:
Premastering Software
In order to create CD-R and CD-RW discs you will need to have premastering
software installed on your computer system. You can check our web site
(www.plextor.com) for an updated list. We provide premastering software kits
in retail packaging for your convenience.
Once you have assembled everything you need, you’re ready to install your
drive. But first, a few words of caution are in order.
CHAPTER 3 — What Else Do I Need?

8PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
Precautions
YOUR TASK: Read the list of precautions below.
YOUR OBJECTIVE: Avoid any undo harm coming to you or your drive.
YOUR METHOD: Review the list and use common sense.
Your new PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 is a precision electromechanical device. Like
the rest of your computer system, it requires reasonable care in its installation
and use.
Please read this manual carefully and keep it handy for easy reference. Use
this manual for installation, operation, and troubleshooting. See your dealer or
call Plextor’s Technical Support Department should your drive require repair
or service.
✗ Do not put your computer monitor (or any other device weighing
more than 30 lbs.) on top of the PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 external drive.
✗ Do not place your drive in direct sunlight, on heating units, or near
electrical appliances that draw large amounts of current, such as a
high-powered audio amplifier, microwave oven, toaster, hair dryer, etc.
✓ Keep the area around your drive clean from dust, smoke, and other
contaminants.
✓ Use a soft, dust-free cloth for cleaning your drive. Do not allow
moisture or liquids including water, cleaning fluids, or solvents to
touch the drive. Thinner, benzene, or alcohol-based solvents can mar
your drive’s surface.
✓ To help ensure that your discs remain free of dirt or other contaminants,
they should be stored in a jewel case. Use only industry standard discs.
Do not insert warped, poorly balanced, or cracked discs into the drive.
✓ Keep your CD-ROM disc clean. See Chapter 10 for tips on handling
and cleaning discs.
✗ Do not drop or jolt the drive.
✗ Do not attempt to open the drive and service it yourself. Removing the
cover may expose you to harmful electrical voltages or the laser beam.
For your safety, entrust service to Plextor-authorized service personnel
only.
— CHAPTER 4 —

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 9
Drive Features
YOUR TASK: Get to know your drive.
YOUR OBJECTIVE: Learn how to operate different features of the drive.
Learn what goes where. Learn some terms that will
be used elsewhere in the manual.
YOUR METHOD: Match the parts of your drive to the diagrams below.
Front Panel — Internal and External Drive
➀➀Tray Front Door: Attached to tray drawer.
➁➁Headphone Jack: Stereo mini-jack for headphones and powered speakers.
➂➂Volume Control: Controls volume of headphone jack. This control has no
effect on the rear panel audio outputs.
➃➃DISC Indicator: Green when disc is in the drive and power is ON.
➄➄ON/READ Indicator: Green when power is ON and no disc is in drive.
Green flashing when disc is being accessed.
➅➅Write L Indicator: Orange when recording CD-R discs at 1X and 2X speeds.
Also on (simultaneously with Write H Indicator) when recording CD-RW
discs at 2X speed.
— CHAPTER 5 —
Door Closed
➀➀Tray Front Door
➈➈Stop/Eject
Button
➁➁Headphone Jack
➂➂Volume Control
➃➃DISC Indicator ➅➅Write L Indicator
➇➇CD-Audio Play Button
➉➉Emergency Eject Hole
➄➄ON/READ Indicator
➆➆Write H Indicator

10 PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
➆➆Write H Indicator: Orange when recording CD-R discs at 4X speeds. Also
on (simultaneously with Write L Indicator) when recording CD-RW discs at
2X speed.
➇➇CD-Audio Play Button: With audio CD in drive, push once to put drive in
CD-Audio play mode. Push button once during CD play mode to skip
tracks. Push and hold down play button more than one second to fast
forward.
➈➈Stop/Eject Button: Push to eject tray. During CD-DA play mode, playback
is stopped when pressed once, and the disc ejects when pressed twice.
➉➉Emergency Eject Hole: Insert emergency eject stick, paper clip, or other
thin, rigid object to eject tray if automatic eject button does not work. Turn
OFF power before using this feature.
Rear Panel — PX-W4220Ti Internal Drive
➀➀Audio Output Connector: Outputs stereo analog signal. Use to connect to
sound board or audio amplifier. Use standard MPC-3 type, 4-pin connector.
➁➁Jumpers: Use to select SCSI ID number, parity, termination, or block size.
Leave these jumpers at their factory settings unless one or more of the
following situations pertain to you:
SCSI ID number: If you are using more than one SCSI peripheral, you
may have to change your SCSI ID number; see page 14.
Termination: Review Chapter 7 to determine if you need to turn your
terminator switch off.
Block size: If you are working in a UNIX environment and want to boot
from your CD-RW drive, see page 17.
➂➂SCSI Interface Connector: Connects to SCSI interface board using 50-pin
to 50-pin flat ribbon SCSI cable.
➃➃Power Connector: Connects to your computer’s power supply (DC +5V and
+12V).
CHAPTER 5 — Drive Features
➀➀Audio Output
Connector ➂➂SCSI Interface Connector
➁➁Jumpers ➃➃Power Connector

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 11
Rear Panel — PX-W4220Te External Drive
➀➀DIP Switches: Use to select parity, termination, test, block size, or eject
lock. Leave these jumpers at their factory settings unless one or more of the
following situations pertain to you:
Termination: Review Chapter 7 to determine if you need to turn your
terminator switch off.
Block size: If you are working in a UNIX environment and want to boot
from your drive, see page 17.
Eject lock: If you work in an environment where you need to prevent
others from removing discs from your drive, see page 17.
➁➁SCSI ID: Use this dial to designate SCSI ID numbers. Rotate the dial to
change the number. If you are using more than one SCSI peripheral, you
may need to change your SCSI ID number; see page 16.
➂➂Power Switch: To turn power ON/OFF.
➃➃AC Power Input: Use the power cord supplied with your drive.
➄➄Audio Output: Outputs stereo analog signal. Use to connect to sound board
or audio amplifier. Use standard RCA jack connectors.
➅➅SCSI Interface Connector In and Out: One connector should be used to
link your CD-RW drive to your SCSI host adapter; the other to link your
CD-RW drive to another SCSI peripheral with a daisy chain cable (see page
31). You may use either connector for either purpose.
CHAPTER 5 — Drive Features
➅➅SCSI Interface Connector
➀➀DIP Switches
➄➄Audio Output
Connectors ➃➃AC Power Input
➁➁SCSI ID ➂➂Power Switch

12 PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
— CHAPTER 6 —
Drive Switch/Jumper/Dial Settings
YOUR TASK: Find the locations of the jumpers (internal drive), the
switches, and the rotary dial (external drive). Check
their settings. Change them, if necessary.
YOUR OBJECTIVE: To ensure that your new CD-RW drive can coexist
with other equipment you might have installed in
your computer. To ensure that your drive will work
properly after it is installed.
YOUR METHOD: Find the locations of the jumpers, the switches, and
the rotary dial on the diagram in Chapter 4. Read
below to determine if your drive’s settings need to be
changed. If so, follow the directions for making the
necessary changes.
Your PlexWriter RW 4/2/20 needs to be flexible enough to work with the
variety of computer systems (PC, Mac, Sun, Silicon Graphics, DEC, etc.) that
can use SCSI peripherals. To provide this flexibility, Plextor gives its customers
options for the drive’s settings before it is installed. On an internal drive,
settings are determined by the position of jumpers on the jumper block at the
rear of the drive. On an external drive, settings are determined by the position
of DIP switches and the rotary dial on the rear panel of the drive.
Fortunately, we have a pretty good idea of the environment in which most of our
drives will be used (a single SCSI device connected to a PC or Mac). Your drive
ships from our factory with its jumpers, switches, and/or dial set to work in this
environment.
You should leave the jumpers found on the rear panel of the PX-W4220Ti and
the switches and rotary dial found on the rear panel of the PX-W4220Te at
their factory settings, unless: 1) you plan to use another SCSI peripheral
(e.g., CD-ROM, hard disk, scanner) with your computer system in addition to
your CD-RW drive; or 2) you find it necessary to change the device type setting
(most likely in an older UNIX system).
If you plan to use additional SCSI peripherals, you may need to change the
jumper, switch, and/or dial settings of the PX-W4220Ti/PX-W4220Te. This section
will describe how to make these changes.
If the CD-RW drive is the only SCSI peripheral you will use with your
computer and you do not need to change the device type setting, skip now to
Chapter 8: Hardware Installation. (Take our word for it, most of you can now
skip to Chapter 8.)

PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL 13
PX-W4220Ti Internal Drive
Factory Setting of Jumper Block
The functions shown are ON if the jumpers are installed and OFF if the
jumpers are removed. The jumpers are set by the factory as follows:
Installing and Removing Jumpers
Ensure power to the drive is OFF before installing or removing jumpers.
To remove a jumper, pull it off with your fingers or a pair of needle-nose pliers.
To add a jumper, push it onto the jumper pins. Extra jumpers are supplied with
the PX-W4220Ti in addition to the three jumpers already installed at the factory.
CAUTION: Install jumpers across each pin as shown; that is, vertically. Do
not connect one pin switch to another by installing the jumpers
lengthwise. Doing so could result in damage to the drive.
Install jumpers this way
(Vertically)
CHAPTER 6 — Drive Switch/Jumper/Dial Settings
DO NOT install jumpers this way
(Horizontally)
Jumper
ON (Jumper installed)
OFF (Jumper removed)
SCSI-ID PARITY
TERM BLOCK SIZE
TEST EJECT LOCK

14 PX-RW 4/2/20 OPERATION MANUAL
SCSI ID Number
It is possible to daisy-chain (using a cable with multiple SCSI connectors) SCSI
peripherals to a single SCSI interface board, or to the SCSI port of an Apple
computer — up to seven devices with the PlexWriter RW 4/2/20. Daisy chaining
a few drives together should be possible with no loss of performance. When
using multiple SCSI peripherals, however, it is necessary to set each peripheral
to a unique SCSI ID number.
NOTE: To guarantee specified performance, cable length of all daisy chain
cables, internal and external, should not exceed 1.5 meters. Plextor
recommends keeping the total length of your SCSI cabling as short as
possible. Longer lengths may affect performance of SCSI devices.
If you bought a Plextor kit with a SCSI interface board, both the drive and the
board are SCAM compliant. This is a feature of Plug-and-Play for SCSI devices.
It means that each time you turn on your computer, it detects if more than one
device is configured with the same SCSI ID. If necessary, SCAM overrides a
device’s hardware setting and changes its SCSI ID to avoid any conflict. This
feature is available only in Plug-and-Play operating systems such as Windows
95 and Windows 98. If you separately purchased or already own a SCSI
interface board, it may not be SCAM compliant.
For those of you without SCAM adapters, or who are not using a Plug-and-Play
operating system, your Plextor CD-RW drive can be set to use one of eight
SCSI ID numbers. The drive should arrive with its SCSI ID set to 4. Accordingly,
if you already use another SCSI peripheral, and its SCSI ID is also set to 4, you
must change the SCSI ID number of either this peripheral or that of the CD-RW
drive. In the past this always had to be done manually. If you connect your
PlexWriter to an existing SCSI controller, you will still need to go through this
exercise of checking and possibly changing SCSI IDs.
CHAPTER 6 — Drive Switch/Jumper/Dial Settings