Would be 5 Stars if it wasn't for poor software
Written: Nov 08 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, huge buffer, can back up any CD
Cons: Cost, poor version of Adaptec EZ CD Creator included
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| matwood's Full Review: Hewlett Packard CD-Writer Plus 9200i CD-RW Burner |
I had just sold my trusty Imation CD-burner and needed a replacement. I have had HP, Yamaha, QPS, Ricoh, Imation, and Smart & Friendly (SCSI and IDE versions). I was searching for a drive that could do a few things:
1) Was fast at writing CD's (at least 10x write, 4x re-write)
2) Had full support to back up my copy-protected games. I have kids,
and if I had one of these thinks sooner, I would still be able to
play Nox :(
3) Was fully supported by all software
4) Had a 4 meg buffer minimum (who want to make coasters???)
5) Could easily be upgraded (firmware)
I bought it for $300, with a $50 rebate several months ago. The internal model fits snugly in a 5 1/4" bay. Simply take the case off (I never have screws on my case because I upgrade my machines waaaayyy to often) slip it in the pay, attach 4 screws, attach the IDE cable and the sound cable, configure the jumper for master/slave, put it together, and turn the unit on!
It had been awhile since I purchase an HP product (last one was an 8100 series) and forgotten how bad their software has gotten. Stick in the CD, and with autorun, it brings up a MacroMedia installation screen. Macromedia is for people who have no clue how to program and think this garbage looks nice (Same applies to lame websites). I pity people with slower machines... I clicked on install, and loaded Adaptec EZ CD Creator and Direct CD (what I mainly use), rebooted the machine, and stuck a blank CD in the drive.
An annoying menu comes up for what you want to do with the CD. Alas, I miss the days of clicking on the direct CD icon at the bottom, or the Adaptec Menu system at the bottom right tray. The menus were not as intuitive as they should be, and slow down an experienced user. Heck, my computer illiterate mother can handle Adaptec software but had trouble with the HP implementation...
Well, after successfully burning CD's extremely fast, I did the following:
Removed HP software implementation of Adaptec EZ CD Creator
Installed EZ CD Creator Pro 4.0
Installed another CD copy program to back up my CD's
I was back in business for an intuitive process to make CD's
I was also able to successfully back up my other Nox CD my kid did not destroy. The only other CD burner that supports duplicating this copy protection is Sony (although by now Ricoh and the rest may have caught up...)
If you need to get this to work on Windows ME or Windows 2K, expect to make several download trips to Adaptec's site to apply the necessary patches.
Since I use this primarily to:
A) Create multi-media presentations
B) Backup my software and important files nightly
C) Backup important game cd's (remember - only backup your CD's, which
is allowed in your license - do not make illegal copies)
D) Create audio CD's
PROS:
Rock solid unit
Huge buffer
Hard to make "coaster" bad CD's
Easy to install
One of a few units that can back up any CD
CONS:
High cost
Poor software (which stopped me from giving this unit a 5)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
matwood
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Member: Michelle Atwood
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 3 members
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