The ASUS SDRW-08D2S-U is the replacement model for the 08D1S. It's plug and play--with the CyberPower 7 port powered USB hub the drive installs without software and is recognized by Windows 7. It does, however, require 2 USB ports. The supplied cable is a Y-USB with 2 USB "A" connectors on one end.
A common complaint of notebook owners are malfunctioning internal optical drives. This drive will be my primary optical drive, and my internal notebook drive only a back-up if necessary. Rubber feet help keep the ASUS from sliding around. The provided stand didn't look very stable, and inserting a disc is actually safer with the drive horizontal.
It rips CDs and plays DVDs flawlessly--a better, faster drive than the one in my HP notebook. A quality piece of gear from ASUS. Asus USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive SDRW-08D2S-U (Black)
I bought this item for my Asus Eee PC Netbook. The installation was a breeze and everything runs perfectly. I didn't have to use a disc (although it comes with one), and all I had to do was plug it in and it was ready to use. The one thing that you should know is that it requires the use of 2 USB ports and they have to be right next each other. If you have a laptop or PC that has 1 USB on one side, and the other on the opposite, you're out of luck (I have yet to try it by only using 1 USB port). I would hardly call it a complaint but it is a tad on the loud side when you play a DVD. Overall a great little DVD player for a much cheaper price here rather than buying one at your local Best Buy.
Ordered on 10-29 and received on 11-2, this external burner is a great addition to my Asus netbook. Installation was simple and it came with the Power2Go software. It works much better than I expected. I have had no problems burning CD/DVDs (so far).
The ASUS SDRW-08D2S-U operates well for normal use, but has several flaws. It reads and writes DVD-RAM discs, reads CDs lets you watch DVDs, and takes up very little space.
The drive comes with an extremely short USB 2.0 Y adapter. To operate correctly, this adapter, or a similar one must be used. It must be connected to self-powered hub or directly to ports on a PC. If the adapter is not used, it will appear to be working until a disc is inserted. It may work with some types of disc and not with others, or fail intermittently.
It is a low profile drive and as a result does not have a fully motorized disc tray. The tray opens a small distance automatically using a spring, but must then be pulled out the rest of the way to insert a disc, and then pushed back into the drive. On certain table surfaces, the force needed to push the tray in all the way will push the drive across the table. Attempting to hold the drive in one place by pressing on the top will bend it inward, so it must be held by the sides. This may require two hands for some users.
I have not used the included stand or software, and cannot comment on them.
I don't install my optical drive in my laptop because i prefer to have an extra batter in the modular bay. From time to time I want an optical drive to install software or burn a disk. Instead of getting my optical drive out of my briefcase and swapping, I now use this. It connects to my port replicator versus USB so it is always available. Stands up to use very little foot print. Works perfectly with no installation or software (on win7). When you pop in a disk, it hold it so it won't fall off.
PROs: small footprint, cheap, dead simple setup, reliable
COns: By design door does not open all the way ( i think this is so it won't tip over) so you have to slightly slide in disk. Easy to do once you get the hang of it.
I was looking for an external DVD writer when my laptop DVD stopped working. This works great as a DVD replacement or addition for home or on the go. It is small and light and looks fancy (black mirror effect).
Installation was easy and quick, also has software, but works well also with my previous burning software.
Burning and reading worked fine so far, and it is not too loud neither.
It can stand upright with a stand or lay flat on the table.
Potential shortcomings are similar to most external USB DVD writers I have seen: Needs 2 USB connections for full usage (especially for hih speed and burning). It is beautiful but the material is light and a little cheap plastic as usual, I could imagine it is easy to break, which some of the negative reviewers mentioned. When handled with care that shouldn't be a problem, unless you have kids.
I recommend it, I haven't found a better one during my search at Amazon.
I bought this DVD-RW drive to use with my ASUS 1015-PEM Netbook. While I had another older external DVD-RW burner in the house, I wanted a more convenient compact model to use with my netbook, whether away on trips or just sittin' about the house. This drive fits the bill perfectly. It is both light and compact, not to mention a great value when I purchased it on Amazon.com with a $10US rebate!
Here's what I like about the drive:
1.) It's light and compact, as I previously mentioned.
2.) It was under $30US (after rebate). Great Deal!
3.) Drive is pretty quick. I didn't run any benchmarks, but it performs very satisfactorily for me. I can write an entire CD in about 4 minutes.
4.) No external power required. It feeds off my netbook's battery via 2 USB ports. (More about that later.) Power usage is low and only minimally reduced my overall battery life. I couldn't detect the drive using any power when it was connected but not in use.
5.) Included software easily installs and actually works pretty good. However, there are better, more robust choices. This is very much "standard edition" software with several features turned off or only available with a paid upgrade to the "professional" or "full version" of the software. I didn't consider this a negative since I bought the drive for my netbook and I don't need, or want, a full blown, full featured software package on my netbook. You can do all the basics: copy a CD/DVD, perform a backup, make a CD/DVD data disk. All the standard CD and DVD formats are supported.
6.) The diamond pattern exterior is a lot nicer than I ever truly considered when I initially purchased the drive. In reality, it didn't matter to me what it looked like, so long as the drive was black (vs. white or some other color). However, I am surprised at how aesthetically pleasing it is to both look at and touch. It has a unique tactile feel that actually aids in making the drive easier to grab with your hands.
Here's what I don't like about the drive:
1.) The drive requires 2 USB ports that are right next to each other in order to provide full power to the drive. If your USB ports are far apart or on opposite sides of your machine, the cord will not work without some sort of extention. You only need about a 1-foot extension in this situation. It would have been nice if that 1-foot extention was included in the box, or at least order-able from ASUS. I, personally, don't have this problem as my netbook has 2 USB ports that are side-by-side. I tested the drive with only 1 cable plugged in and the drive read CD/DVD media with no problem, however, it wouldn't successfully burn a CD/DVD at the reduced power level. It needed full power (2 USB ports plugged in) to burn a disk. It was nice to know that I could read from the drive at the reduced power of 1 USB port if I was in a critically low power situation and needed to use the drive to read a disk. Also I should note that I did not test the drive connected to a USB Hub.
2.) I wish the drive had LightScribe capability. It does not, but the drive was only $30US and the cheapest similar drive I could find that had LightScribe, was twice the price.
3.) I wish the drive came with a case of some sort. Clearly the portable nature of the drive implies it will be tossed in a computer bag or backpack at some point, and a case to hold the drive and cable to prevent dust, scratches, bumps and bruises would have been a nicer touch than the included vertical stand.
My Conclusion: This is a great deal for the price. It is the perfect optical drive companion for my ASUS Netbook and delivers as promised. I am very happy with this purchase and would buy the drive again, without hesitation. I highly recommend this drive for use with a netbook or laptop with the available USB ports to provide the necessary power. - External Dvd Drive - External Dvd Burner - Asus Eee - Asus'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
