CompuServe Thread

Mitsumi

14 messages in this thread
#42088From: Kevin E DavisMar 6, 1993 3:46 AM
Im about to get a Mitsumi drive and saw in an article that it doesnt come with Windows drivers nor is it MPC compatible. I know that MSCDEX will set it up as a drive in DOS, but do I need to do anything to let it run MPC software in Windows or communicate with the Windows MCI interface?
#42180From: Jack L. ChalkerMar 7, 1993 5:53 AM
You don't need Windows drivers for a CD ROM; MSCDEX loaded from AUTOEXEC.BAT is what is expected. You DO need drivers for sound cards and video cards which are the other two parts of a multimedia triad. You will get some sort of SCSI or proprietary driver for your CONFIG.SYS file so that DOS can find the CD ROM and log it as a read only drive. If that driver is in (or any supporting SCSI manager) and it supports the drive from DOS, Windows should have no trouble finding it.
#42188From: JEROME A. ROBBINSMar 7, 1993 7:56 AM
I bought the Mitsumi for non-multimedia applications. I have an original SB board installed. Is it possible to run a cd in the future with multimedia capabilities by running the audio output of the Mitsumi board to the microphone input of the SB? I tried this to play an audio CD and got no sound after installing the windows drivers that control the media player. Any ideas?
#42270From: Jack L. ChalkerMar 8, 1993 5:06 AM
Well, not the microphone input, but you might try the audio input jack on the SB. I have an SB Pro in the system and my Toshiba audio runs out of the CDR and into the stereo input jack of the SBPro. Works fine. The cable's available at almost any Radio Shack.
#42336From: Adrian Godfrey [D]Mar 8, 1993 5:41 PM
Jack, That may only work for the SBPro. I've tried with an ordinary SB, but the signal is very weak. Apparently the Pro has some software for adjusting the level of the line-in, but I don't know if there's anything available for the ordinary SB. Adrian
#42224From: Bruce De VriesMar 7, 1993 6:16 PM
Jack, this is incorrect. You do need a Windows driver for CD-ROM that are not related to a specific manufacturer's hardware. This is the MCI CD Audio driver, so the multimedia player can play CD audio through your headphone jack if you don't have a sound card.
#42239From: Kevin E DavisMar 7, 1993 7:48 PM
Bruce, I found the MCI CD Audio driver on my Windows disks. Is there a more recent version or is that it? While I have your attention, I have another question. I'm writing a proposal to convince my organization to use CD-recordable to distribute its publications worldwide and store records. We have a large installed base of old machines–XT's and AT's. Is there any reason these computers couldn't be fitted with CD-ROM drives and used to READ the CD's created in-house?
#42253From: Bruce De VriesMar 7, 1993 10:32 PM
The version of MCI the CD audio on your Windows disks works OK. I am unaware of any update. Text based CD-ROM applications will run OK on an XT or AT computer. Remember that many of the XT's won't have more than 640 K of memory available and there must be room for MS-DOS, MSCDEX and CD-ROM drivers plus your application, so think small. Many of the older machines will not have a drive bay left for a CD-ROM drive, so you may have to buy external drives. Be sure to buy drives that have an XT compatible interface. CD-ROM can be an excellent way to distribute the information. If it is not in machine readable form be sure to consider the conversion costs. This probably a lot less than the copying costs though. You might also consider a network solution.
#42271From: Jack L. ChalkerMar 8, 1993 5:06 AM
Bruce, it was my experience from having to install a lot of Windows in the past year that if there is anything multimedia in the line, Setup automatically loads the MCI driver. That's why I didn't mention it.
#42349From: Kevin E DavisMar 8, 1993 7:33 PM
Bruce, Thanks for the advice. BTW, any money I save my organization is money you save in taxes since I am in the military. I hope I can convice those in charge of the better way to do things. – Kevin
#42233From: Kevin E DavisMar 7, 1993 7:29 PM
Jack, Thanks for the reply, although Bruce seems to contradict you. BTW, are you the same Jack Chalker who writes sci-fi and fantasy novels? – Kevin
#42272From: Jack L. ChalkerMar 8, 1993 5:06 AM
Yes, there's only one of me. Two Jack L. Chalkers would be more than the world could tolerate. The driver Bruce refers to is installed automatically by SETUP and so isn't something I would have thought of. Kind of like saying, "Yes, you can get a directory, but only if you have File Manager."
#42348From: Kevin E DavisMar 8, 1993 7:33 PM
Jack, Since I haven't yet received the drive I was anticipating problems in advance. Setup may very well install the MCI CD Audio driver but as I said, I read that the drive is not designed for Windows and is not MPC approved. Thanks for your help once again. I really enjoy your fiction. The characters in your novels are so well developed. How do you have time to be such a prolific writer and answer questions on this forum? – Kevin
#42459From: Kevin E DavisMar 9, 1993 6:41 PM
Jack, I jsut received the Mitsumi CRMC-LUOO5S in the mail today. Previously in this thread I stated that it wasn't MPC approved. I had read this in a magazine recently (just now I can't find the article). I haven't yet installed it but all over the box are stickers saying it IS MPC APPROVED. Just wanted to set the record straight. – Kevin