FAQs of the CD ripper ACXtractor

Questions

How do I get technical support?

Using cracks with ACXtractor./ Why do I get MP3 files with only 32 kBit/s?
I get no sound when attempting to Play any Audio CD.
I run Windows XP/ 2K/ NT and get the error 'Can't load WNASPI32.DLL'.
When I start ACXtractor I get the error 'Can't initialize ASPI 32'.
I run Windows XP/ 2K/ NT and use the ASPI driver but not all of my drives are detected.
What is ASPI?
I have an ATAPI CD-ROM drive but ACXtractor does not detect it.
I have an ATAPI CD-ROM drive but can't record.
Can't record, get Error code 70, Sense key 5 (Illegal request).
I get an ASPI-Error Error code 0, Sense key 0, ASC 0, ASCQ 0. What does it mean?
I can't encode an AUDIO track to a MP3-file.
Does ACXtractor extract the data always digitally?
How can I disable the 'Auto insert notification'?
I can't get the Media-ID under Windows XP/ 2K/ NT because no statical drive letter is assigned.
I use a PIONEER CD-ROM drive and get recording errors if the drive spins up.
Does ACXtractor write MP3-files to a CD?
How do I get updates?
How do I uninstall ACXtractor?

Answers

How do I get technical support?

First make sure that you are using the  latest version and you read the FAQs carefully before you send a tech support request. We are constantly improving the product and fixing problems.
You can email us at  support@marvintec.com for technical support.

Please indicate the following in your request:

1. your operating system
2. ACXtractor version number
3. CD-Rom drive model and version
4. exact description of the problem and if it appears always or only in special cases
5. a step by step description what you did before the error occurred

Using cracks with ACXtractor.
Why do I get MP3 files with only 32 kBit/s? 

ACXtractor detects if you use a crack or a wrong registration code. It changes then some settings which decrease the quality of your recorded files.
With your registration you will support future developments and you can get updates.
You can download the tool (DeleteACXtractorEntry) to delete the wrong registration code.

I get no sound when attempting to Play any Audio CD.

There are 2 most likely reasons for faults such as this. Firstly the CD-ROM volume is zero or muted, secondly there is no or an incorrect audio connection between the CD-ROM drive and the soundcard.

• Check the CD Volume
  1. Double click on the speaker icon in the bottom right hand corner (by the time display)
  2. In the Volume Control Dialog that pops up you will need to confirm that the mute box for the cd is unchecked and the volume is up towards the top.
• Check the audio cable
  1. Turn off the computer and remove the case (ensure you take appropriate precautions for static electricity such as an antistatic wrist strap).
  2. Check for a cable (normally with 3 or 4 wires - red,white,black) that plugs into the soundcard and the rear of the CD-ROM drive.
  3. If no lead is present then you will need to purchase one and install it.
  4. The wires in the cable are generally wired as follows: Black-Earth(G), Red-Right Stereo signal(R), White-Left Stereo Signal(L).
  5. At the CD-ROM drive end looking from the back of the drive the order is R-G-G-L.
  6. When this is wired correctly then replace the case and re-start your computer.

I run Windows XP/ 2K/ NT and get the error 'Can't load WNASPI32.DLL'.

The ASPI manager (WNASPI32.DLL) is not be shipped with Windows XP/2K/NT.
There are two possibilities to solve the problem:

1. ACXtractor does NOT need an ASPI layer. You can select an internal driver. Go to menu Device:Settings and set the SCSI manager to "IO control".
2.  Download the updated ASPI layer from ADAPTEC.

When I start ACXtractor I get the error 'Can't initialize ASPI 32'.

This error may have different reasons and depends on the OS and the CD-ROM type you use.
But in most cases the ASPI manager is to old or not (properly) installed.
See What is ASPI? for further information how to check and install the ASPI driver.
Under Windows XP/ 2K/ NT you can use ACXtractor without the ASPI layer. Go to menu Device:Settings and set the SCSI manager to "SPTI/ IO control".

• Windows 9x/ ME comes with a pre-installed ASPI manager.
  The following files are necessary on your system...
  WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ASPIENUM.VXD
  WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WINASPI.DLL
  WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WNASPI32.DLL
  WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS\APIX.VXD
• Windows XP/ 2K/ NT does NOT come with a pre-installed ASPI manager.
  The following files are necessary on your system...
  WINNT\SYSTEM\WINASPI.DLL
  WINNT\SYSTEM\WOWPOST.EXE
  WINNT\SYSTEM32\WNASPI32.DLL
  WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ASPI32.SYS
• If you use a SCSI controller and SCSI CD-ROM drive:
  Contact the manufacturer of the SCSI controller to obtain a new driver (eg ADAPTEC).
• If you use a IDE CD-ROM drive:
  Additional to the ASPI layer you have to have a installed BUS MASTER driver for your IDE controller (Device Manager) and enabled the DMA option of the CD-ROM drive (DEVICE MANAGER:CD-ROM:DRIVER).

I run Windows XP/ 2K /NT and use the ASPI driver but not all of my CD-ROM drives are detected.

1. make sure that you are using the newest version of the  ASPI drivers from ADAPTEC.
2. Windows MUST contain these reg keys in the registry:
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ASPI32\Parameters]
   "ExcludeMiniports"=""
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ASPI32]
   "ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
   "Start"=dword:00000002
   "Type"=dword:00000001
   
   Download AspiFix.zip and double click the included AspiFix.reg file to add these if you are not experienced editing the registry.

What is ASPI?

ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programmer's Interface) is a layer of software from ADAPTEC which manages communication between all kinds of software and your peripheral devices. For CD extraction software (cd ripper) to function well with CD-ROM drives (including SCSI and ATAPI/ IDE CD-ROM drives!), it is important that the ASPI layer be up to date.
 Download the utility ASPICHK from Adaptec to determine the version on your ASPI files and if they are properly installed.
If the version you have is earlier than 4.70,  download and update your ASPI layer.

I have an ATAPI CD-ROM drive but ACXtractor does not detect it.

To detect an ATAPI CD-ROM drive it is necessary that you have installed a BUS MASTER driver for your IDE controller. Open the DEVICE MANAGER and verify the setttings of the IDE controller.
You also need to have the DMA enabled (DEVICE MANAGER:DRIVES) and the ASPI layer installed (see What is ASPI?).

I have an ATAPI CD-ROM drive but can't record.

ACXtractor supports digital audio extraction with an ATAPI CD-ROM drive. All ATAPI CD-ROM drives should use the same command to record. If your drive do not work it is possible that it is not not capable of digital audio copy.

Can't record, get Error code 70, Sense key 5 (Illegal request).

There are some different commands to extract digital audio from CD. The problem is that there is no common way, the vendor decide this. It is possible that ACXtractor can't detect the vendor and set the wrong ReadMode.
Normally ACXtractor detects the ReadMode automatically. But it is possible that the chosen ReadMode is not the proper one.
To check if ACXtractor can extract Audio from your CD-ROM drive do the following steps:

1. Open the 'Select CD-ROM device' window and take a look to the 'CD-ROM ReadMode Detection' box: You can see the chosen ReadMode in the pulldown box.
2. If the radio-button 'Automatically' is checked and you get errors please select radio-button 'Manually'.
3. If the radio-button 'Manually' is checked and you get errors please select an other ReadMode entry from the pulldown list and press the button 'Test Records'.
4. If you still get errors go to step 3) again and try all possible ReadModes.
5. If you still get errors it seems that ACXtractor do not work with your CD-ROM drive.

I get an ASPI error: Error code 0, Sense key 0, ASC 0, ASCQ 0. What does it mean?

This error indicates that the SCSI device can't return a status. This can happen ie if the device crashed or if there are to many commands in the command-queue.

I can't encode an AUDIO track to a MP3-file.

Be sure you have downloaded the BLADEENC.DLL and saved it to the WINDOWS/SYSTEM or ACXtractor directory.

How can I disable the "Auto insert notification"?

If you use Windows 9x/ ME:

1. Open the "Control Panel" folder and click on the "System" icon.
2. Select the "Device Manager" tab.
3. Click on the CD-ROM icon.
4. For each CD-ROM device in the list...
   -Select the device.
   -Select the "Settings" tab.
   -Disable the "Auto insert notification" option.
   -Enable the "Disconnect" option.
   -Enable the "Sync data transfer" option.
   -Click on "OK"

If you use Windows XP/ 2K/ NT:
Changing the following value in the system registry to zero.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom\Autorun=0

Does ACXtractor extract the data always digitally?

Yes, ACXtractor does always extract the data digitally. You may verify this by use ACXtractor without a soundcard.

I can't get the Media ID under Windows XP/ 2K/ NT because no statical drive letter is assigned.

Be sure that you assigned a statical drive letter for your CD-ROM.

• Windows NT To assign, change, or remove a drive letter run the Drive Manager (execute windisk.exe).
• Windows XP/ 2K To assign, change, or remove a drive letter open Disk Management
  (To open Disk Management, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. In the console tree under Storage, click Disk Management.)
  In the right lower window select the CD-ROM(s), right-click it and then click Change Drive Letter and Path.
  To assign a drive letter, click Add, click the drive letter you want to use, and then click OK.
  To remove a drive letter, click it, and then click Remove.
  To modify a drive letter, click it, click Edit, click the drive letter you want to use, and then click OK.

Important Be careful when making drive-letter assignments because many MS-DOS and Windows programs make references to a specific drive letter.
Note You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
You cannot change the drive letter of the system volume or boot volume
An error message may appear when you attempt to assign a letter to a volume, CD-ROM drive, or other removable media device, possibly because it is in use by a program in the system. If this happens, close the program accessing the volume or drive, and then click the Change Drive Letter and Path command again.
Windows XP/ 2K/ NT allows the static assignment of drive letters on volumes, partitions, and CD-ROM drives. This means that you permanently assign a drive letter to a specific partition, volume, or CD-ROM drive. When you add a new hard disk to an existing computer system, it will not affect statically assigned drive letters.

I use a PIONEER CD-ROM drive and get recording errors if the drive spins up.

This model seems to have problems if the motor is powered off and will be powered on for reading. In this case it is possible that the recorded file have errors. It seems to be the best to stop recording and record once again.
ACXtractor provides a bugfix for this. Go to menu Device:Options, choose READ-tab and activate 'Start drive before record'

Does ACXtractor write MP3 files to a CD?

NO! ACXtractor is a CD ripper no burner. It extracts audio tracks from an AUDIO CD and save them as a file. You can find a link to a MP3 burning program at the  Links page.

How do I get updates?

All registered users will be notified by e-mail to download updated versions.

How do I uninstall ACXtractor?

Why do you want to do this???
But if you want to hurt me, just delete all files that you copied to the programs directory or run the deinstallation program.
Then download the tool DelACXtractorEntry to delete the registry entries.
That's all.