Connect the CD Drive(s) ... Step 16 of 21 in building your own PC.

Assuming your CD-ROM is already installed in the case, you can now connect it to the motherboard and power supply. This same procedure will be used for installing any other drives such as tape backups and the like.

Attach the power supply to the drive. Just like a hard drive, just find a free 4-wire power plug and plug it into the power connector on the CD-ROM.

Attach the ribbon cable. Connect one of the two available plugs on the ribbon cable to the CD drive. Just choose the plug which can reach the drive best. If you have tow CD drives, use the plug on the end of the ribbon cable for the top most drive, and the middle plug for the next lowest CD drive. Attach the other end of the ribbon cable to the secondary IDE port on the motherboard. Like that of the hard drive, Pin 1 will be labeled on the motherboard, and align the red edge of the cable with it.
Attach the Audio Cable. This small 3-wire connector goes from an “Audio” plug on the back of the CD-ROM to a 3-pin plug on the sound card. If you happen to have on-board audio circuitry on your motherboard, the CD-IN plug will be on your motherboard and you can connect this now. Otherwise, you can attach it after you install the sound card. Some CD drives have both an analog and a digital audio out. Most of the time, people just use the standard analog audio, but if you wish, go ahead and use the digital. Your drive should come with audio cables for both options.

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Chuck Lunsford is an owner and developer of CCSPartner.com. He offers advice on how to get design and build your own personal computer. Visit his website and learn more about selecting the right CD computer hardware for your do-it-yourself PC project.