Internal CDRW for G4?

[Gulliver]

DO NOT BUY THE ATTO CARD THAT COMES WITH THE G4. The Apple version of the ATTO card has no NV RAM and will not work with Pro Tools. Buy the IDE G4 in addition to the qualified ATTO card sold by ATTO (EPCI-DC-000) and Digi.

The above card has 2 buses and will keep your CD burner / tape backup seperate from your drives. Note, it is not LVD. You can buy the LVD Ultra3 ATTO card for longer cable lengths, but you have to slow it down to ultra wide speeds any way.

I have a Fantom firewire CD-RW. I keep the extensions seperate because I have to shut down my system to turn the unit on any way. I can't turn it on while I'm running because my system won't see it. Anyone know any way around this?

[maxx]

I'm in the process of upgrading from 9500 w. 500mHz G3 to a dual 450 G4. I'd like to use an internal CDRW in the second front bay (under the DVD ROM). My current CDRW is an external 12x SCSI model and it works well enough but I'd like to consolidate space and peripherals and limit the devices on the new machine's ATTO SCSI bus to LVD mechanisms.

Are there any issues I should be aware of using an internal CDRW on this machine. (I'd heard of problematic isssues when using external firewire CDRW's - having to disable certain extensions and restart every time you wish to use them - any similar issues here?)

If it's cool to go this route are there qany recommendations for a new internal CDRW? Anyone using a new mechanism with the "burn-proof" technology?

thanks!

maxx

[maxx]

Thanks Gulliver,
I'll avoid the Apple "packaged" ATTO card as you say.

Re. the CDRW question, couldn't one use an IDE mechanism as an internal CDRW for a G4? If so, would that get me around the "seperate extensions/having to restart" syndrome that you describe with your firewire unit? I often find myself under tight deadlines and love the convenience of being able to burn a disc for a client using Jam or Toast - in the middle of a session without even having to quit Pro Tools. Having to switch extension sets and having to restart to burn a disc would bum me out considerably. Any thoughts?

[Count Zero]

I have been using an EZ-Quest Firewire 12x CD RW with 'Burn-Proof' for a few months with no hassle. It is a Plextor mechanism I believe the newer EZ-Quest mechanisms are from a different manufacturer.


On the subject of firewire peripherals, you must turn on a drive or writer and wait for a few seconds before plugging it in to a firewire port. Then the computer will see it. If it is already plugged in when you switch it on, it won't mount.

As far as I know, the second expansion slot underneath the DVD Rom/RAM on a G4 is not large enough to accomodate a CDRW.

If you can hold off for two weeks there could be some interesting new products announced at Macworld. Rumours are faster G4 s and CDRW/DVD ROM combi units .....

[Gulliver]

Thanks for the tip zero. I keep my firewire CD-RW off because the fan is loud. Now it's either re-boot -or- unplug, turn on, and plug.

If the CD-RW extensions don't cause a conflict, you can leave them (and the toast ones)on with your Digi extensions. I haven't read of any problems (yet).

I disagree about the bay size though, I think that the G4 bay will fit a standard internal CD-RW.

[gtrdave]

I have a G4/350 and the only device that will work in the available drive bay under the cd/dvd is an internal Zip...Got this info directly from Apple tech support. Either wait to see what the Expo brings or buy and external...like I did

[Gulliver]

I stand corrected; good thing I went with a firewire CD-RW. Of course, you can put another hard drive in there, right?