DriveSpeed for Windows 7

[McBainUK]

Has anyone successfully used Nero Drive speed to quieten a DVD drive on Windows 7?

It looks like it isn't Windows 7 aware. Are the any workarounds or alternatives?

[imilne]

AnyDVD has options in it for setting drive speeds.

[McBainUK]

Thanks for the suggestion. Are there any free options?

[hoborg]

@McBainUK:
BTW, are you sure your DVD support changing speed? Not all drives can do it.

[McBainUK]

I had Nero Drive speed running OK on Window XP with the same drive.

[hoborg]

What version - 3.0?

[McBainUK]

I'm not sure. Whatever the latest was about 18 months - 2 years ago.

edit: do you know if you need anything else from Nero installed first to use the Drive Speed program. I had Nero Burning software on the XP install.

[imilne]

Can you trick it and get it running in XP (or Vista) compatibility mode?

[McBainUK]

Will have to investigate. I just wondered if someone here has already done the work as slowing down a DVD drive sounds like a popular HTPC thing to do.

If I run it as admin it seems to work but as it launches itself on startup it comes up with the UAC prompts. Would running in compatibility mode get round this?

[Sykor]

I just found something from Toshiba (for use in their notebooks/laptops) "Optical Drive Acoustic Silencer". Supposedly limits higher speed reads preventing excessive noise/vibration.

Haven't actually tried it yet, but it free and trying doesn't hurt. Search "silencer" in the drivers database in toshiba's support site (using a newer model nr. as "filter" won't hurt )

On a side note (regarding hoborg's AnyDVD reference), I was downloading newer versions of DVDfab's free utils and came across this:

DVDFab Passkey 7.0.0.2 Beta (March 6, 2010)

DVDFab Passkey is a Windows-based driver that works on-the-fly to unprotect encrypted movie DVDs and Blu-ray discs. All features are free during BETA stage.

http://www.dvdfab.com/en/free.htm