Track Following Errors... eh???
Written: Sep 22 '00 (Updated Dec 13 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: If you like to have a portable burner and use one of your USB ports
Cons: If you like tech support, go for it!
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| LifeStar's Full Review: Philips PC 400 Series External USB |
This is my first time on epinions, but I noticed there were two POSITIVE reviews for this burner. Well, let me add my experience with this demon machine!
I needed to get a burner so I could start doing efficient backups of my data from my laptop. I looked for a good deal on a burner, and I wanted it to be an external burner since it's for my laptop. I debated between PCMCIA or USB. Eventually I settled on USB since I saw on a PC Connection magazine, this drive at a very good price. $249 during December was a great deal to me, so I ordered the drive and it came down.
Well, I got the drive and it seemed great during the first few days. However, there were some drive errors and I had to reinstall their burner software to get it to work again. Anyhows.. jumping ahead 7 months from last Dec.
Around June time I was doing a major project for myself and a few friends. I wanted to make a mix music cd for my buddies as some were leaving and I wouldn't see them again for a long while. Well, this is where the trouble began. I was using 10 Sony CDRs, two of them caused my machine to pop up a "Track Following Error." I saw this before and I assume that it was just a defective CD.
However, being 2 Sony CDRs, I didn't want to throw them away. So later, after a few successful burns, I put the CDs back into the drive, and they worked!!! Confused me like crazy, but they worked! I should have known at that point something was going on with this drive.
To make a long story short, in one week the drive started giving me "track following errors" every time I tried to burn. The CDs wouldn't get burned and I had a useful drive. So I sent it to Philips for exchange. They sent me back another drive.. but when I plugged it in, it didn't work too!!! The "new" drive would either look like it's burning a CD, but the CD comes out empty, or it would burn but then stop, or it would simply pop the CD out.
Currently I am waiting for my "third" unit back from Philips. Less to say, I am ticked and I am not happy with this drive. After 3 hours of tech support for the 2nd drive, they determined that it was hardware.. great. Whatever you do, don't get this drive! This thing has given me problems before it died, and I realize that it has caused me to throw away at least 15 good discs in the past just b/c I thought the errors were based on the disc! DON'T BUY THIS DRIVE, SHOOT IT IF YOU HAVE TO!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
LifeStar
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Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 86
Trusted by: 63 members
About Me:
11.06.06 - I'm sorta back, brand new review!!!
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