Pacific Digital Mach 52 CD-RW Burner
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- Enclosure Type: Internal
- Read Speed: 52x (CD)
- ReWrite Speed: 24x (CD-RW)
- Write Speed: 52x (CD)
- Burner Type: CD-RW
- Platform: PC
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Run Away (And Get Yourself A Plextor)
Pros
Price
Cons
Spotty Performance, if it works at all
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
I'm not the only one to have this drive die on them early on. Get a quality plextor, it's worth it
I purchased this drive a few months back at Staples. The price was right, and out of the box it was working fine.
I have barely even used the thing, and now I'm having all kinds of problems with it. I know how to build computer systems, and troubleshoot them, etc.
This drive, whenever I insert a regular game CD, or a CD-R with data on it, or even an audio CD, refuses to recognize now that there is actually a CD in the drive.
I'm using Windows 2000 with all the service pack and other updates installed. This drive shows up as working ok under device manager, and it's shown in the My Computer menu.
But, whenever I insert a CD it doesn't show that one is there. If I try to click on the drive under My Computer it tells me "please insert a disc into drive D"
I have tried uninstalling the drive and reinstalling it, tried rebooting, tried reinstalling drivers, etc. Nothing, no help, zippo.
While it worked fine early on, it didn't last very long, especially considering I may have burned a total of 10 CD's over the past few months!
Anyway, this is obviously frustrating, and I found a few other complaints online about this drive. It's past 30 days, so I can't return it to Staples. And I could send it in for warranty repair to Pacific Digital, but I get stuck with the shipping costs. So, chalk this up to experience and next time I'll be sure to purchase only quality components so I know I'm not gonna get screwed on the cheapo. :(
UPDATE ON AUGUST 5, 2003
I had emailed Pacific Digital regarding the issues with this drive. It took close to a week, but I got three emails back from their tech support department.
The guy emailed me stating he was going to be sending an ASPI and firmware update in two seperate emails, and that these fixes, once applied, should correct my problem.
The instructions were decent with the fixes that were sent, but there were a few bit and pieces missing from the instructions that popped up during the application of them. Luckily I'm technically inclined and figured things out.
The drive is working again, but no one should have to apply such fixes after purchasing a retail product. These things should be thoroughly tested. It's bad enough we get all the problems with software rushed out the door, now it's hardware too?
Anyway, I forgot to mention other aspects of the drive, since I had just focused on my problem, so here is additional info:
1. The drive burns CD's quickly and offers a variety of speed options for you to select from. This allows you to find a speed that will burn correctly (sometimes a systems other components may not be able to deliver data fast enough for you to burn past certain speeds).
In addition, not all CD-R's that you purchase can handle being burned at 40x or 48x speed. Usually they'll say right on the CD-R itself what speed it can handle being burned at.
2. This drive came with Nero Burning Rom software. I like this better than Roxio Easy CD Creator, because you can gather more technical data on your drive (the software includes all kinds of tests you can run to see just how well your drive really runs).
But, this software is also more complicated and less user friendly than Easy CD Creator. So for non-techie types you may want to look at a different offering.
I have barely even used the thing, and now I'm having all kinds of problems with it. I know how to build computer systems, and troubleshoot them, etc.
This drive, whenever I insert a regular game CD, or a CD-R with data on it, or even an audio CD, refuses to recognize now that there is actually a CD in the drive.
I'm using Windows 2000 with all the service pack and other updates installed. This drive shows up as working ok under device manager, and it's shown in the My Computer menu.
But, whenever I insert a CD it doesn't show that one is there. If I try to click on the drive under My Computer it tells me "please insert a disc into drive D"
I have tried uninstalling the drive and reinstalling it, tried rebooting, tried reinstalling drivers, etc. Nothing, no help, zippo.
While it worked fine early on, it didn't last very long, especially considering I may have burned a total of 10 CD's over the past few months!
Anyway, this is obviously frustrating, and I found a few other complaints online about this drive. It's past 30 days, so I can't return it to Staples. And I could send it in for warranty repair to Pacific Digital, but I get stuck with the shipping costs. So, chalk this up to experience and next time I'll be sure to purchase only quality components so I know I'm not gonna get screwed on the cheapo. :(
UPDATE ON AUGUST 5, 2003
I had emailed Pacific Digital regarding the issues with this drive. It took close to a week, but I got three emails back from their tech support department.
The guy emailed me stating he was going to be sending an ASPI and firmware update in two seperate emails, and that these fixes, once applied, should correct my problem.
The instructions were decent with the fixes that were sent, but there were a few bit and pieces missing from the instructions that popped up during the application of them. Luckily I'm technically inclined and figured things out.
The drive is working again, but no one should have to apply such fixes after purchasing a retail product. These things should be thoroughly tested. It's bad enough we get all the problems with software rushed out the door, now it's hardware too?
Anyway, I forgot to mention other aspects of the drive, since I had just focused on my problem, so here is additional info:
1. The drive burns CD's quickly and offers a variety of speed options for you to select from. This allows you to find a speed that will burn correctly (sometimes a systems other components may not be able to deliver data fast enough for you to burn past certain speeds).
In addition, not all CD-R's that you purchase can handle being burned at 40x or 48x speed. Usually they'll say right on the CD-R itself what speed it can handle being burned at.
2. This drive came with Nero Burning Rom software. I like this better than Roxio Easy CD Creator, because you can gather more technical data on your drive (the software includes all kinds of tests you can run to see just how well your drive really runs).
But, this software is also more complicated and less user friendly than Easy CD Creator. So for non-techie types you may want to look at a different offering.
