Plextor PX-740UF User manual

DVD±R DL (DOUBLE LAYER/DUAL LAYER),
DVD±R/RW, CD-R/RW DRIVE
INSTALLATION AND USERS MANUAL
JULY 2005
Model PX-740UF External
USB/FireWire 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
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 ©2005 Plextor Corp.
First edition, July 2005.
Licenses and Trademarks
Plextor and the Plextor logo are registered trademarks of Plextor Corp. All other
licenses and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Record Your Serial Number
For future reference, record the serial number and the TLA code (found
on your drive’s label) in the space provided below.
TLA/Firmware Revision Number

PX-740UF 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 bottom of the external 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 external DVD/CD drive from an electrical current,
pull out the AC adapter power plug.

iv PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual
Bottom View of External Drive, Showing Caution Label Location
Detail of PX-740UF Laser Caution Label

PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual v
Table of Contents
1. Getting Started ..............................................................................1
About this Manual...........................................................................1
What’s In This Manual................................................................1
Printing the Manual.....................................................................1
Meet Your PX-740UF.....................................................................2
What the PX-740UF Does...........................................................2
Features of the PX-740UF...........................................................3
Minimum Configuration to Use the PX-740UF ..........................5
What You Can Do with the PX-740UF.......................................6
About Software ...............................................................................6
Precautions ......................................................................................7
Where to Go From Here..................................................................7
2. Installing the PX-740UF External USB/FireWire Drive............9
PX-740UF Drive Features and Controls .........................................9
Front Panel—PX-740UF External Drive ....................................9
Rear Panel—PX-740UF External Drive....................................11
What Else Is In the PX-740UF Box ..............................................13
Save Your Box!.........................................................................13
Mount the PX-740UF Drive..........................................................14
Determine Your Computer’s Operating System ...........................15
Determine What Interface to Use..................................................15
Connect the PX-740UF Drive .......................................................16
Record the Serial Number and TLA Code ................................16
Install the Drive in Your Windows Computer...........................16
Identifying Cables and Ports .....................................................18
Switching Between USB and IEEE 1394 Interfaces .....................19
If You’re Using FireWire..............................................................19
If You Have a Macintosh ..............................................................20

Table of Contents
vi PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual
3. Using Your PX-740UF................................................................ 21
What Media to Use ....................................................................... 21
DVD Media............................................................................... 21
CD-ROM Media ....................................................................... 22
Tray Loading and Operation ......................................................... 23
Handling DVD and CD Media.................................................. 23
Cleaning Discs .......................................................................... 24
Mounting Position......................................................................... 25
Playing DVDs ............................................................................... 25
Writing to DVD Media ................................................................. 26
Specifying +R/RW or -R/RW ................................................... 26
Writing to CD-R and CD-RW Media ........................................... 26
Using the Disc/Busy Indicator ...................................................... 27
4. Maintenance and Troubleshooting............................................ 29
Cleaning the PX-740UF Drive...................................................... 29
Upgrading Firmware..................................................................... 30
Emergency Eject ........................................................................... 31
Troubleshooting ............................................................................ 32
Make Sure the Drive Is Recognized.......................................... 32
5. Frequently Asked Questions ...................................................... 35
Appendix A: PX-740UF Specifications ......................................... 37
Appendix B: Technical Support .................................................... 51
How to Contact Plextor Technical Support................................... 52
Before You E-mail or Call for Support......................................... 52
Returns.......................................................................................... 53
Contacting Plextor’s RMA Department.................................... 53
Packing Your Drive .................................................................. 53
Shipping Your Drive to Plextor ................................................ 54
Appendix C: Warranty................................................................... 55
If You’re Outside the U.S. or Canada........................................... 56
Index................................................................................................. 57
Notes................................................................................................. 63

PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual 1
1. Getting Started
Congratulations! Thank you for purchasing the Plextor® PX-740UF, a
reliable, high-performance 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 DVD and CD
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.
What’s In This Manual
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 B: 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.
Printing the Manual
This manual has been sized for viewing on a computer monitor screen.
To print a hard copy of this manual:
1. In Adobe Reader, select File | Print. You see the Print dialog box.
2. In the Print dialog box, choose the printer.
3. If you want to print on standard 8-1/2 x 11 paper, select Page scaling
and Fit to paper. This expands the manual’s pages so they nearly fill
up a standard-sized page.
4. When you have made your selections, click OK. The manual is
printed.

Section 1. Getting Started
2PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual
Meet Your PX-740UF
The PX-740UF is a DVD ReWritable/CD ReWritable drive that
provides professional quality DVD and CD performance for writing,
rewriting and reading.
What the PX-740UF Does
For DVDs, the PX-740UF:
• Writes DVD+R (recordable DVD, “plus” format) media at
up to 16X speed on recommended 16X media.
• Writes DVD+R DL (double layer) media at up to 8X speed.
• Writes DVD-R DL (dual layer) media at up to 4X speed.
• Writes DVD-R (recordable DVD, “dash” format) media at
up to 16X speed on recommended 16X media.
• Writes DVD+RW (rewritable DVD, “plus” format) media
at up to 8X speed. (Requires 8X media for 8X writing.)
• Writes DVD-RW (rewritable DVD, “dash” format) media
at up to 6X speed.
• Supports DVD±VR format for read and write.
• Reads stamped DVD discs at up to 16X.
• Reads DVD-Video discs with CSS at up to 4X CAV.
NOTE: Depending on the USB chipset used in your computer, the
PX-740UF’s DVD read speed may be limited to 14X maximum with
USB 2.0 only. Maximum IEEE 1394/FireWire read speed remains
16X.
For CDs, the PX-740UF:
• 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-RW data media at a maximum of 40X speed.
• Reads CD-DA (audio) and CD-R audio media at up to 48X speed .
• Reads CD-RW audio media at up to 32X speed.

Section 1. Getting Started
PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual 3
Features of the PX-740UF
• USB 2.0 and FireWire interface: Features both USB 2.0 and
FireWire® (IEEE 1394), to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer
with either of these high-speed interfaces. Supports both Hi-Speed
USB 2.0 (480 megabits per second) and Full-Speed USB 1.1 (12
megabits per second).
• MMC compliance: Supports the MMC-4 command set.
• Flash memory: Allows upgrading the PX-740UF to the latest
firmware revision (available free 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-740UF supports Content Protection for
Recordable Media, so you can play CPRM copy-controlled media.
DVD Features
• Lossless linking for DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL: Allows
DVD+RW 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 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 DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW media compatibility: Compatible
with a wide range of DVD±R and DVD±RW media.
• Multiple DVD types: Supports DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, multi-
border, multi-session and DVD±VR, for read and write.

Section 1. Getting Started
4PX-740UF Installation and Users Manual
• Versatile recording modes for DVD+R/RW: Including disc-at-once
(DAO) and multi-session, for DVD+R DL (double layer) and
DVD+R; and sequential write for DVD+RW.
• Recording versatility for DVD-R/RW, too: DAO and multi-session
write for DVD-R DL (dual-layer); DAO and multi-border recording
for DVD-R; and DAO, multi-border recording, and restricted
overwriting for DVD-RW.
CD-R and CD-RW Features
• Variety of recording modes: Supports track-at-once, disc-at-once,
session-at-once, and variable and fixed packet writing.
• Buffer Underrun Proof Technology: Eliminates buffer underrun
errors, so you can safely use your computer for other tasks while
you’re writing to a CD-R or CD-RW disc.
• Wide compatibility: Wide CD-R and CD-RW media compatibility.
• Orange Book compatibility: Compatible with Orange Book, Parts II
and III.
• OPC and ROPC: Optimum Power Control and Running Optimum
Power Control, which adjust the laser power for the optimum write
strategy.
• CD-TEXT, CD+G: Supports CD-TEXT and CD+G reading.