I initially bought the I/O Magic MagicSpin 52X CD-ROM drive when the factory loaded 6X drive that came with my computer broke down. I took the 6X to a repair place, and they recommended just flat out buying a brand new one, since the cost to repair an ancient 6X drive wouldn't be much less than a new 24X drive. So, I went to CompUSA.

I looked around, and there were several drives to choose from. This one seemed like the best value for its money. At 52X, it was cheaper than drives by other brands that were slower than 52X. I hadn't heard of the brand before, but it didn't really seem important, since I wasn't an expert on CD-ROM manufacturers. I picked it up, took it home.

Installing it was very simple, as easy as taking out the old drive. First I unscrewed some screws so I could open the case. I screwed these brackets (that came with my computer) into the sides of the drive, to fit it into the casing securely. I attached the EIDE cable, the analog CD audio cable, and the power. I closed the casing and put the screws back in. I booted up, and that was it, Windows automatically detects the drive.

The first thing I noticed was the significant increase in read speed. For example, my Wing Commander III game has the option of different sized installs. I chose the small install to save hard drive space, and the game reads what isn't installed from the CD. If all files are installed on the hard drive, there would be little or no wait when loading a mission. But with a minimal install, in my 6X drive, it would take maybe 15-30 seconds for the CD to read all of the information. In the 52X, the mission was done loading before I knew it.

The second thing I noticed was that the drive was very very very noisy. For some reason, I would have to turn my speakers up all the way in order to hear Wing Commander III properly. But this thing was buzzing away and vibrating like it was trying to bust out of my computer and fly away. Even if you're not operating the drive and doing other non-CD things on your computer, as long as there's a CD in the drive, it would spin and make lots of noise.

Still, I was glad to have a CD-ROM drive that worked. At least, at the moment.

As the drive aged, I would receive random read errors. It would erratically spin the CD and it would seem like it would be trying and trying and trying to read the CD, and it would take quite a while to do so, or it would fail. These errors gradually increased in frequency, until one day, about 10 months after I bought it, it wouldn't read anything at all, and in fact, the CD tray would spit out several moments after inserting any CD.

There's a one year warranty on it, or at least, that's what it says on the box. I e-mailed them and e-mailed them and e-mailed them, asking about the warranty and requesting a replacement.

First, they claimed that it wasn't a CD-ROM error, and claimed it was a Microsoft issue, and that I should contact Microsoft. It felt like they wanted to buy some time so my warranty would expire by the time Microsoft would tell me that Windows doesn't make CD-ROM drives forget how to read. In my next e-mail to them, I got kind of nasty:
------------------------------------------
- Hello,
-
- From the information you supplied, it appears that you are experiencing
- system errors, rather than CDROM errors. You may wish to consult with
- Microsoft.
-
- Regards,
-
- Peter
-
- I/O Magic Tech Support

It is not system error. As I already explained, my other drive, a CDRW, slaved off of the connection, is functioning properly. I have a restore CD and diskette; I could restart the computer and run a restore program, using the CD for information. The problem is, the CD tray still pops out whenever there is a disc in it, even when the drivers are loaded from the diskette and not the system. I could run the restore using the CDRW drive, but it wouldn't do anything to correct the CDROM drive. I request no more correctional advice. I demand information regarding the one year warranty and what I need to do in order to get this replaced. What's wrong with that? I had a retailer warranty on a Sony Walkman, and when it broke, I took it back to the Good Guys, they took the broken one and replaced it without asking any questions. Has I/OMagic even replaced any of their products that are within warranty, or is the warranty just a lie? I'm led to believe that this reply is only a ruse to buy I/OMagic some time. It takes Microsoft about a month, at least, to reply to technical support questions, which would be conveniently after the warranty expires. Don't insult me, it's not Microsoft's fault all the time. I want my replacement and I want it now.
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This seemed to make "Peter" a little more responsive. The next response I received was to call a number or e-mail another address. Take notes, kiddies, I had to pry and pry to get these:

714.953.3000 Ext.707
rma@iomagic.com

Don't even bother with their tech support if you want a replacement, go straight for this number or e-mail address.

I forwarded the information to the rma e-mail, and they responded:
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*Customers full name:
*Complete shipping address ( No P.O Boxes):
*Telephone number:
*Product Purchased:
*Place/Date of Purchase:
*Brief Description of problem encountered:
*Copy of Proof of Purchase (Receipt)

Please fax the above information to the following number : 714-543-0802
Attn: Esmeralda
------------------------------------------

I didn't want to spend money to fax this long distance, so, I e-mailed them again, and they gave me an address:

I/O MAGIC CORP
6 Autry
Irvine, CA 92618


I provided everything printed in clean, legible printer text, along with my receipt. But they never responded. I just gave up with I/O Magic and decided to just not buy from them again. I only wish that I had the time to write this review earlier.

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 50 (approx.)
Operating System: Windows