Received the drive yesterday. Up and running in minutes on Vista desktop. Small footprint. Thin. Although a power cord is included, it works great just plugged into a USB port. Also, the laser comes out with the disc drawer, making it accessible to clean. Windows automatically installs the product in seconds. Slim Portable USB 2.0 External CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
I'm suspicious of some of the reviews for this product. They are simply too effusive.
(It would be easy to rig reviews, even ones from verified customers.)
This device is absolute trash. Flimsy, requires two USBs, won't self-install and can't be installed using the provided mini-CD disc-driver. We needed a drive to replace a worn-out one. How can a computer read a CD install-disc if its CD drive is broken?
This device looks identical to lots of others sold on Amazon and elsewhere. It is actually unbranded (the word 'slim' in the name of the product description seems to be an adjective, not a noun.) It is made in China, with a useless install disc and worthless little manual. The USB cables are very short and the connections are fragile. Nothing about it is of even moderate quality. The housing is thin and flimsy. Can't imagine traveling with this thing. It could crack like an egg.
Cannot believe that some of the favorable reviews are genuine.
THIS is a genuine review.
I needed an ext cd/dvd for my acer aspire one netbook(d250-1706) and checked out a few drives on amazon. This one appeared to have everything i needed so i jumped on it. I was worried because every other comparable drive is $10 higher or more, but after plugging it it in i no longer have any doubts. comes with a power to usb and an additional usb for data but on my netbook i only need to run the single usb data cord. running xp on the acer and this drive was 100% plug and play. was able to see the device and watch a dvd within seconds of connecting. seems to be rather sturdy as i have already dropped it and was unable to see any damage. hardware profile says that its a TSST Corp product which, according to google, is a toshiba and samsung joint venture. thought id throw that in there for those who are concerned about purchasing a product that doesnt sport any badging. overall, after few hours of use, im saying that this is an under $40 ext drive that performs exactly as it should and has matched my expectations of drives that are more expensive. i will try it on the macbook pro later and update this review to detail the plug and play aspect.
I looked at the price of this item and was immediately hesitant. I thought I was taking a risk because all of the similar items were must more expensive.
I took the risk. The item arrived a bit earlier than expected, which was excellent.
The only problem I had with the device was due to a fault of my netbook. The device was installed and worked well, but it could not play my DVD immediately because my computer lacked a proper codec. I installed the proper codecs and shortly after was able to play my dvd.
The drive works well.
Positives:
It is small
It is sufficiently quiet
It was inexpensive
It attaches via two USB ports
It does not slide. (There are slide-stoppers on the bottom of the device.)
It has almost no lag.
It has successfully installed software off of one of my CDs.
Negatives:
It did not come with instructions, albeit they were not necessary.
It feels slightly cheap, but not to the extent that it seems fragile.
I recommend this product.
Bought this for the ASUS ul30vt-a1 computer I also just bought. Plugged the cords into the usb ports and it shut the computer down. Did this on each of the three usb ports. Tried plugging it in first and then starting the computer and it would not start. Tried it also on an old Dell 600m and it worked fine. Go figure! I bought it for the ASUS and it only works on the old Dell. I do not know if it is because of the computer or if it does not support Windows 7 64 bit. So buyer beware!!! May or may not work!!!
Also, if I return it I will have to pay for return shipping and a 15% charge if they take it back. Will just keep it I guess for the old Dell 600m if its drive crashes. Be Careful ordering this item!
UPDATE 08/04/10:
Contacted the customer service through Amazon. They emailed me a UPS label to send it back on their dime. They are also refunding back my money!
Something with this optical drive is not quite right. I bought a different optical drive that works good so it is not the computer.
I now give it a three star rating for the very good customer service. So, feel comfortable ordering this knowing that they will stand behind their products!
I purchased this and it came in its Shiny New Case and it started having a problem staying connected to the CPU via the supplied USB cable. When I opened it(knowingly voiding my warranty of course), I noticed that there were a lot of extra scratches on the case. When I looked at the date, it read from 2006. All they did was take an old one and put it in New Sheeps clothing. What a ripoff. It still is hit or miss connecting to my CPU. For starters, I can't leave a disc in, each time I start it, I have to plug it in, remove the disc, disconnect, and then if I'm lucky, it won't uninstall itself. Please DON'T BUY THIS ITEM!!!
The Slim Portable USB 2.0 External CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive arrived two days after I ordered it! I just plugged it into my Hp laptop with Windows Vista and it worked immediately. I am happy to have a working disc drive again, because for some reason, the one in my computer became jammed and when I manually opened it, the lazer would no longer read the disc. A friend of mine told me it was cheaper to just buy an external drive rather than get my computer fixed. I am very pleased with this purchase. - External Dvd Drive - External Dvd Burner - Dvd Drive - External Drive'
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