Drive Letter Access (DLA)

Drive Letter Access (DLA)
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In this document:
Installing DLA

Preparing DLA for use

Adding and erasing files on a disc

Making DLA discs work in other computers

Frequently asked questions



This document pertains to HP Media Center PCs and HP Pavilion PCs with Windows XP, or XP Media Center edition.

HP DLA software allows you to copy files to a recordable disc using the drag-and-drop method (like a floppy disk drive). When using HP DLA to copy files directly to CDs or DVDs, you need to format the disc first. After formatting the disc and recording files, the disc becomes compatible so it can be read from other computers.

Use this document to download, install, use, and troubleshoot Drive Letter Access (DLA) software from HP.



NOTE: The main functionalities of DLA are very similar to the native burning capabilities of Windows XP. If you want to drag and drop files into a CDRW drive window or send files to a CDRW disc, you can use Windows XP to burn a disc. For more information, refer to HP and Compaq PCs - Creating a Data CD or DVD .

Installing DLA
Use the following steps to download and install DLA:



CAUTION: DLA 3.59 and earlier is not compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Attempting to use DLA 3.59 with Windows XP SP2 will result in an error message. 3.59 is the latest downloadable version of DLA that came with HP Desktop PCs. If the CD or DVD drive in your PC is labeled as an HP branded CD or DVD writer, you can download a compatible version to resolve this situation, refer to the HP support document Error in DLA at End of Format After Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Update (in English). Otherwise, uninstall DLA and use the native burning capabilites of Windows XP.


For HP and Compaq Desktop PCs without an HP branded CD or DVD writer and without Windows XP service Pack 2, you can Download DLA 3.59 .

Click Open and then click Next.

The files extract to a temporary folder on the hard drive.

Click Next on the Welcome to DLA window.

Click Yes to disable CD recording in Windows XP.

Read the license agreement and accept the terms if you agree.

Click Next to install DLA to the path shown in the install location.

Click Install.

Click Yes to restart the computer. DLA is installed.

Click Start, and then My Computer.

Right-click the name of recordable drive that you want to use (like DVD/CD-RW Drive), and select Use with DLA.



NOTE: If you have more than one CD writable drive, only one drive can be enabled for DLA at a time.

Windows with DLA can now format a recordable disc on the drive.



Preparing DLA for use
Before you can write data to a recordable disc, you must first format the disc. You can format using quick or full formatting. Quick formatting can take up to a minute to perform and only works with CD-R (write-once) discs. Full formatting may take several hours but enables the full formatted space to be used many times on re-writable discs. Full formatting also allows for some error correction while a quick format does not.

Use the following steps to format a recordable disc:



NOTE: Formatting a disc erases all data that is stored on it. Make sure that there are no files that you want to keep on the disk that you are going to format.


Insert a recordable disc into the drive.

Click Start, and then My Computer.

Right-click the name of recordable drive, make sure that Use with DLA is selected, and then click Format.

Type a label name for your disc and select the format type. You can only select Quick erase if you are using CD-R discs.

Click the Start button and wait for the format to finish. Do not use the computer while the disc is formatting.

Files can be written to the disc after the format is complete.



Adding and erasing files on a disc
Once a disc has been formatted, open the window for the disc in Explorer or My Computer. Drag and drop files from other windows into the disc window to immediately copy files onto the disc. To remove a file, click on it from the disc window and press the Delete key.


Making DLA discs work in other computers
After you are done adding and deleting files on a disc made with DLA (DLA disc), you can use the Make Compatible feature to allow the disc to be read by other computers. The Make Compatible feature also works with some writable DVD media and drives.

Keep the following items in mind before using the Make Compatible feature:

Make Compatible closes the session on CD-R discs. Files can be added later, but Make Compatible has to be used again before the new files can be used on other computers. Make Compatible can be run on a single CD-R disc approximately fifteen times.

Make Compatible finalizes write-once DVD discs. Files cannot be added to the disc after the Make Compatible feature has finished.

Make Compatible closes the session on rewriteable DVDs. Files can be added to the disc after using the feature, but Make Compatible has to be used again before the new files can be used on other computers.

Discs cannot be read in DOS mode.

Long filenames can be shortened to eight characters on computers that do not have DLA installed.

Directories deeper than thirty folders cannot be read on computers that do not have DLA installed.


Use the following steps to use the Make Compatible feature:


Insert the DLA disc into the drive that is configured for DLA.

Click Start, and then My Computer.

Right-click on the drive containing the disc and select Make Compatible. The Make Compatible menu item does not appear if the disc is CD-RW or certain types of recordable DVD media.

A Compatibility - DLA window appears

Click the Start button and wait for the Make Compatible feature to complete.



Frequently asked questions
Question: I get errors when using DLA. How can I resolve these errors?

Answer: Perform the following steps and check if DLA works after each step:


Attempting to use DLA 3.59 with Windows XP SP2 will result in an error message. 3.59 is the latest downloadable version of DLA that came with HP Desktop PCs. If the CD or DVD drive in your PC is labeled as an HP branded CD or DVD writer, you can download a compatible version to resolve this situation, refer to the HP support document Error in DLA at End of Format After Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Update (in English). Otherwise, uninstall DLA and use the native burning capabilites of Windows XP.

Use proper recordable media. If DLA works with one disc but not another, try another brand of disc.

DLA is known not to be compatible with DirectCD, inCD, and the native recording capablilities of Windows XP. If you have either inCD or DirectCD, uninstall it or uninstall DLA. For Windows XP, enable DLA from the DLA tab of a recordable drive properties (see preparing DLA for use ). After disabling Windows XP recording, DLA should work.


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Question: I have two drives that can record to discs, but only one works with DLA. How can I make DLA work both drives?

Answer: You can't record with two drives. DLA only works with one drive at a time. Recording on more than one drive at a time with any type of recording software is not recommended. You can, however, right-click on any recordable drive icon in My Computer and select it as the drive that uses DLA. If you have two of the same drive model, DLA provides options for only one.

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Question: I get errors or corrupt files when I write files to a drive set with DLA on a network. How can I fix this?

Answer: A drive set up for DLA should not be shared over the network. Instead, turn off DLA on the drive and use the native recording capabilities of Windows XP.

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Question: How do I use DLA with MS Backup?

Answer: DLA is not compatible with MS Backup. Remove all discs that are formatted with DLA, turn off DLA on the drive, and use the native recording capabilities of Windows XP.