Install CD RW

[Carlton Puryear]

Have installed CD-RW drive on Compaq Presario 5441 Desktop. Works fine except no external sound. Original CD sound cable appears to be plugged into motherboard. Thought I had found a second audio connection next to it, but still get no external sound.

Is there any way to connect a 2nd CD Drive to External sound without installing a new sound card, or will I just have to use the head phone jack?

P.S. This thread has been moved from Disk to Optical Jukeboxes & Drives. - Hp forum Moderartor

[Ed Hart]

I think you're going to need a sound card to amplify to speaker strength. Or if you're keeping both drives in,just play through the rom drive only. If your exisxting sound is onboard works with only one input connector, it likely can't accommodate two. A pci sound card however, will usually handle two sources, and a riser connector For ext. jacks

Of course, you could dump the rom drive altogether, you don't really need it in there anymore.

[Michael Lampi]

While this may certainly not be the best recommendation, I have found this to work for me:

Splice the audio wires from the CD-ROM and the CD-RW drives together.

Take care to splice the right and left audio signal wires from one drive to the right and left audio signal wires from the other side.

Shrink tubing is a nice touch, but electrical tape will also work to protect the wires from shorting out.

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Another solution is to take an audio cable that plugs into your headphone jack on your new drive and plugs into the LINE IN jack on your sound card. You can get such a cable from Radio Shack or similar electronics store.