For years people have had various problems with the so called ASPI layer, which is required by many Windows CD/DVD software. This article aims to successfully install a good and working ASPI setup. The article was originally published at CD-RW.ORG back in 2003, but our server statistics show that it is still a common topic of interest, so the article is now republished.

What is ASPI?

The term "ASPI" stands for Advanced SCSI Programming Interface. It’s a universal driver layer that operates in between software and the CD-R hardware. It is often referred as 'ASPI layer', 'ASPI driver' or 'ASPI Interface', which are all synonymous terms for the same thing. Windows 95/98/ME ships with a poorly implemented ASPI layer, while NT/2000/XP has no ASPI layer built in. You can check your current ASPI setup by using the ASPICHK tool that comes with the Adaptec ASPI distribution.

Many software titles install their own drivers to the operating system and therefore do not need an ASPI layer. Such software titles include CloneCD, DiscJugger, GEAR, BlindWrite and many others. On the other hand there is a large number of software that require an ASPI driver installed: Exact Audio Copy, Feurio!, BurnAtOnce, and so on. Nero Burning ROM comes with it’s own ASPI layer that other software can utilize too.

The symptoms of ASPI related problems

Problems that may occur if there is no proper ASPI setup:

• The CD/DVD devices are not detected by the software
• The CD/DVD devices don’t operate correctly with some program

There are also some reports on the Internet of the ASPI layer affecting the performance of a program (like audio ripping quality) but they have not been properly verified.