Tech: Installing from a CD

Subject: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: GUEST,Beachcomber
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 09:16 AM

Can one of the Technically wise members please advise.   I recently purchased a   Cassette Tape Converter CD   from SILVERCREST (Lidl) but when I insert the CD in the drive slide of my laptop, nothing registers.
How can I get it to start ?

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: Newport Boy
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 10:16 AM

Can you give more specification details - the model number would be a help. The only Silvercrest converter I can see seems to produce MP3 CDs, which I don't think will autoplay.

Try looking at the CD with your file manager (Windows Explorer?).

Phil

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 11:37 AM

What I find when searching Silvercrest is a cassette player with MP3 connections to a computer. If you are referring to a CD that came with the player, it is probably software to manage the recording process.

You should be able to insert the CD left click on Start, click on "Run" and follow directions to locate the CD. Setup information should come up when you find the D drive.

Another option is to right click on Start, open Explore, find the D drive and take it from there. A file with the word "setup" should get you started. Some instruction should have come with CD directing you to the necessary steps.

The Silvercrest may only record to Ipod software. Which would be fine if you intend to use the recordings on Ipod. If you want recording to be burned to a CD, this may or may not work. Similar cassette players that connect to the computer via USB are available and that does seem to be one of the simplest means of converting from cassette to mp3s.

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: Newport Boy
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 12:49 PM

What's an 'MP3' connection? Most copiers have USB and/or phono. I think you're probably right and it's just a cassette player which connects to a computer. I first thought it was a standalone converter to CD.

If it records in MP3 format, it can't be restricted to iPod software. For low cost units like this, it's most often a version of Audacity that's provided.

Phil

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 03:34 PM

I don't know what an MP3 connection is either. I meant to say a USB connection.

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 03:52 PM

You bought a CD.

We have to assume that you intend to use it with a cassette player?

The CD is assumed to contain a program that converts the output from the cassette player to something else that you can save for use on some other kind of machinery.

Normal practice would be to include, with the CD, a "Start Guide" that would typically be a singe sheet of instructions, and should include what to do if nothing happens when you insert the CD into the drive on your computer.

If there was no Start Guide with the CD, there may be instructions on the CD. Most common practice is to put such information in a text file, often named "Readme.txt" or "ReadmeFirst.txt." If another name is used for on-CD instructions, it most likely still will be something with a ".txt" filetype, and all such files will open in Notepad just by clicking on them. Rarely, such files may be .htm/.html or other formats.

Assuming that you're using Windows(?) Windows Explorer will show all of the drives on the computer in what displays as a folder called "Computer," and will show the CD/DVD drive even if there's no disk in it. Recent Windows versions put an icon on the desktop labelled "Computer" and if there's one there, clicking it will go directly to the right place. If you don't have that icon, Start|All Programs|Accessories|Windows Explorer should get you there, although it will probably open up in some other folder and you'll have to navigate to a folder at "Computer" usually will be just below all the crap libraries and you "user folders."

If your optical drive (CD/DVD) doesn't show, you probably have a defective drive, bad connection, or other physical problem. Built in tools allow you to "Find All Drives" and make some kinds of corrections for a drive that's been "dismounted" (deliberately made invisible?) but instructions may vary with what Windows version you have.

Once you find the CD drive, you can look at what files are on it using Windows Explorer, just like finding anything in any Drive or folder. If you see the CD drive (i.e the drive works) but it doesn't show any files on it (you may get a "Please insert a CD" popup) it's most likely that the CD itself is defective. (Sometimes putting a Mac disk in a Windows CD drive, or vice-versa, may give the same result.)

Common practice is to include an "Autorun" file on program CDs that will start automatically or open the program (Media Player et. al.) needed to run what's on the CD when you insert the CD for the first time. Sometimes the Autorun fails to start, and sometimes there isn't an Autorun file on the CD.

Most likely, for a program CD, the Autorun is intended to start a "Setup.exe" that will install the software/information that needs to be on your System hard drive for the program. If the setup doesn't run automatically when you insert the disk, you may need to launch it (click or double-click) from the CD using Windows Explorer.

Note that some program CDs are intended to run only with the CD in place in your CD drive, and programs of this kind may or may not need to install something on your hard drive as well.

Most programs that insist you have the CD in the drive can be run without it.

1. IF YOU'VE INSTALLED OR RUN THE PROGRAM FROM THE CD you need to uninstall it first (Control Panel|Add/Remove Programs).

2. Make a folder on your hard drive for the program. Usual practice is to put the folder in C:\Program Files but it can be anywhere.

3. Copy ALL OF THE CD into the folder you created. (Don't put anything else in that folder.)

4. Reinstall using the setup that you copied to the folder on your hard drive. (Autorun is unlikely to run from the new location, so you'll have to find and launch the setup manually.)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: GUEST,Beachcomber
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 05:54 PM

Hold it, Thanks John, Got it, but will need to get a Programme to burn CDs from the files that the Converter has put on my Laptop. It appears that , although it didn't notify me , it was actually installing the Converter (Yes , it is basically a Cassette player that puts the tracks on my Laptop) Boy, what fun -I've got a million Cassettes :)

Thanks all

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 11:23 PM

There are quite a few freeware CD burning programs available via the net. Some are more user friendly than others. John and others may have recommendations and possibly a safe download site. I have tried several but have no favorites. Ashampoo is one I use. But you do need to be extremely careful with freeware downloads because most, if not all, try to put unneeded extra software on your computer. Some give you a chance to decline the extras but you still have to really watch what you are doing. Once the extras get on your computer some are next to impossible to remove.

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: Newport Boy
Date: 30 Jan 13 - 04:11 AM

If you have a CD burner, it would be surprising if it didn't come with a stripped-down or older version of Nero or other burning software. Almost all consumer burners have the software - it's only the basic OEM versions that come without any accessories.

Phil

Subject: RE: Tech: Installing from a CD
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 30 Jan 13 - 10:09 AM

The Nero software that came with my new CD writer is so stripped down, that I do not use it. It would probably work for writing data but will only burn music from wav files. But new writers do usually have writing software of some kind. And there is freeware to convert files from mp3 to wav.