This problems is usually due to one of the following reasons:

• Most CD-ROM drives which can be bought today, offer a read speed of sometimes over 40x. Most of these drives read the data in CAV mode which means that the read speed at the beginning of the CD is often much slower than on the outside. The value is often around 12x-20x. This is why the recognized value is often significantly below the maximum value.
• The automatic CD-ROM drive recognition is often carried out using a CD-R and not from the original silver Nero CD. Most CD-ROM drives can not read as fast off of CD-Rs as they can off the original silver CDs. Some users even use CD-RWs. For these CDs the maximum read speed is often even slower. Many CD-ROM drives have problems reading off certain blanks. This can soemtimes even mean that Nero states that the drive can not handle DAE . Reason: Nero also tests the quality of the DAE-function of the drive while determining the speed. If the quality is bad, then Nero doesn't even offer reading of audio tracks for this drive.
• There are CD-ROM drives which can not read data / audio as quickly off of Mixed Mode CDs as they can off normal CDs. In the case of the test CD (Nero CD or the downloaded image file) it is a Mixed Mode CD
• Nero reads the data from CD burner or CD-ROM drive sometimes at a max. of 4x instaed of e.g. 20x/32x in the case of the Plextor CD-ROM drive.

IF you are using Windows 95, then you should download the following update and install it:

http://support.microsoft.com/download/support/mslfiles/Remideup.exe

• If you have an IDE drive then it is possible that the maximum speed is so slow
• because the set value for the PIO mode in the BIOS is too small or that the BIOS does not correctly recognize the PIO mode (if the PIO mode is set at AUTO )
• because the device is connected to the same port as another slower drive and this drive is curbing the speed.
• because the drive is connected to a soundcard which does not support the necessary ATAPI protocol (e.g.: ATA-4 X3T13 1153D, ATAPI per SFF-8020 I Rev. 2.6)

• If you have connected an SCSI has a drive, then it is possible that the maximum speed is so slow because you are using an ISA SCSI hostadapter. Or the one which carried out automatic CD-ROM drive recognition, had had the device connected to an ISA SCSI hostadapter.