I got a HP DVD300i/c DVD+R/RW the other day. It's based on NEC ND1100A (I'm sure everyone thinks it's shit but was only 44.50 euros so I wanted to give it a try)

Now .. After physically installing the drive, I turned on the computer. Surfed in the net (instantly trying to find a firmware update). I didn't use the drive at all, but it was connected and properly detected by WinXP. OK after like 15-20 mins I started hearing these violent bursts of noise from the hard disk and got a bit scared.
Windows got really sluggish (ie. you would click on something but nothing would happen) but it ended after a few seconds, so I decided to keep on surfing. Not more than a couple of minutes had passed when the HDD noise started again. And this time it completely halted the system, so I powered off the computer.
Waited a few seconds and powered back on, only to look at a message during the usual BIOS IDE device check saying "primary master disk failed". Now I really got scared. :-o
I powered off the computer and disconnected the DVD300i. I also tried the HDD with my hand and it felt really hot (although it always is), so I thought maybe I should let it cool down before I start up again. I waited for 30-40mins or so and started up the computer. Now without the DVD300i attached, the system booted up OK, everything seems normal, no problem. ??????
Later I connected the DVD300i again and now it seems to operate with no problems.

*phew*
Surprisingly, after e-mailing HP support, I got an actual reply from a human being during the same day. They said it the problem could be that the HDD & DVD300i share the same IDE channel ... well who knows.
I'm still waiting for my order for DVD+R & RW discs to actually try this thing in action. I wonder what will happen then, given that you get hard disk failure from merely connecting the drive

Double check the jumpers on both the HDD and the DVD drive, the HD should be set to master, the DVD to slave. Or better still put the on different IDE channels entirely.

Hmm but the DVD is in it's own cable with nothing else in it... Can there still be a problem with jumpers/IDE channels?

there shouldn't be, what motherboard have you got?

Check all the cabling and make sure that the jumpers are set to master on both the HD and the DVD. Also if you're using just one device on each IDE channel make sure that the drive is on the last of the IDE connectors.

I have ASUS A7S333.
I have 2 HD's on the primary channel and the DVD on secondary.
I always use "Cable Select" for the jumpers ... I haven't even checked the DVD jumper yet
will do later.

Having looked at that board, make sure that "DMA" is enabled for all the drives not "PIO" transfer mode.

and if it refuses to set to DMA, you need to right click->uninstall your IDE channels.

This will sort out that little m$ f*ckup bug.

I understand that in Windows XP Device Manager there's no DMA setting for drives but only for the IDE channels? Anyway for those DMA is enabled.

In the device manager right click on your DVD+R drive and uninstall then re-boot, see if that helps