It all started one fateful day-- this past Thursday. I literally did a repeat of a horrible mistake I did well over fifteen or so years ago as a kid; accidentally opened my CD-Rom drive and hit it in such a way that it no longer would close. The first time, it was an open drive door and a tap of my foot that made the door stick. This time, the position of my computer was the culprit. I somehow hit it with my knee, opening the drive door. Once I hit it to get something from my desk, it was a done deal. The door was stuck wide open. As I sat there freaking out and grumbling a few un-ladylike words under my breath, I did my best to try and fix it. I thought maybe it's been jostled a bit. Not so. A piece was broken off and I'm really not in the market to be calling the Geek Squad or sending my baby to a repair shop for an overpriced fee. I said to myself "for the price of the repair, I probably can get another drive!"
As I pondered this, I realized I saved two DVD-Roms from my other computer before this one. I was so happy until I realized two things: 1- the extra space below the busted drive wasn't even big enough to slide the drives in. (I found this out after removing that protective plate....) There was no way to get it in behind, either. I thought it was a little cruel to make such a space and not be able to slide a thing in from the front or the back. There's a million thick cords and a HUGE fan compartment in front. Minus 20 points, HP. And...2-removing the power cords from the Rom in question revealed a new problem--different model, different connection ports. In other words, it was moot to even try.
Frustrated, I ran to Amazon.com to work on two things: A) Finding an exact replacement of the busted model or B) Over-riding the whole thing to get an external drive. Considering the fact that this computer is on it's last three to five years anyway, I might as well work with the external! I spent a few hours going through what I wanted. Once I decided it would be difficult to install the DVD-Rom drive, I went with the external. It was also a bit cheaper to do so. There were so many to choose from! There were also complaints that the things weren't working well. I have to admit one thing about myself and Amazon reviews--I look very closely at the 1 and 2-star reviews. Even when there's 100 or more people saying the product is great, sometimes those in the minority have it dead on. I came to find that out the hard way with two hair care products I purchased many moons ago. Anyway, I decided on this brand for later. Once I told my father what was up, I guess a light bulb went off in his head. By Friday morning, we were off on an adventure to find my new external DVD-Rom.
Our first stop was at Office Max. Funny thing--they were all out of the drives save for two boxes priced at 169 dollars! Whoa Nelly! A sales associate told me they'd have them in by Saturday. At that very moment, they were unpacking the new shipment. We then went off to K-Mart, which was a huge mistake. They have a lot of nothing. Good old unreliable K-Mart! Finally, we went to the conglomerate store of everything for everyone--Wal-Mart. I'm telling you, Wal-Mart is whooping the competition. They know the majority of us want TVs and printers and cameras and computers and wireless routers without any extra crap involved. They've got us on lockdown with their little electronics section! Should I be impressed? Hahaha. Wal-Mart owns you.
We should have gone to Wal-mart all along. They had three brands to choose from. There's a 24x version of the same external drive. Mine is a slim working at 8x. It's about as big as a thick CD case or a small eyeshadow pallet of 30 shades. It's literally the size of a Rom drive if you leave it sitting on your desk. As I stood there eying each package, each price, and every detail, I felt a bead of sweat running down my face. I've had great experiences with HP products and this should be no different. They don't last forever, but they get the job done. After circling the aisle a few times and staring with deep intent, I grabbed the 8x drive and went home.
The most interesting feature about this little drive is where the power comes from. This is not an outlet-powered electronic. This is actually my first time working with a product that relies on USB power alone. This is the part that worried me! My worries quickly transformed into impression once I plugged everything in. There are three connections involve with this product--the first is behind the Rom itself--the tiny USB connector. Then, there are the two power connectors. I suggest using them both, despite the need to only have one. You might not have enough power with one (as the manual suggests.)
After an awkward moment of silence once the automatic installation finished, I started to freak again. Did I do something wrong? Was there not enough power? Oh, right, install the driver. The HP driver comes with software from Nero9 and Lightscribe. Make sure you install for complete functionality. Once everything was installed (a bit slowly, but what can one expect from 8x speed and USB power? Perhaps a change of USB ports might resolve that! Try it! Mine are installed on the two USB ports on my monitor.), I ran a test. First, with Sims 2 Apartment Life. Nothing. So, I worried and quickly popped in Erykah Badu's New AmeryKah Part 1-New World War (KILLER album if you dig Badu like I do!) for another test. IT RAN BEAUTIFULLY! It was smooth, confident, and above all, whisper quiet. I played it for three hours with no issue.
In another test, I decided to record some music for a friend. I tested in two ways--first as a data cd, and secondly with the LightScribe software to actually make a cd for her stereo. To my surprise, the Rom ran like it was at 24x speed! I was impressed. There were no hitches, skips, or odd noises. As it turned out, I found a pretty good deal for the 70 dollars paid for this lovely, size-friendly product. (Cheaper on Amazon!) I couldn't be any happier. So, if you're on the lookout for such an external drive, I highly suggest giving this HP product a try. In the ranks of quality and price, we've got a winner!