I've been burned, but in a good way.
Written: Mar 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent quality, great read and write speeds, sleek design
Cons: Many problems with installation, very poor documentation
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| jatznic's Full Review: Philips PC Internal CDRW 400 Series |
In the ever-expanding need for storage space, you head to your local computer store. Browsing through their large selection of CDRW drives, you stumble across the Philips 400 series. You are immediately attracted to its sleek design, that black and gold case simply looks cool. You then take a look at the price, only 130 dollars? (Prices may vary). You decide that this is the burner for you, grab the drive, and head to the checkout lane.
You get the drive home, unpack the box, and take a look at the rather thick instruction manual. Suddenly you realize that the manual is actually only 18 pages long, the rest is the same thing in foreign languages. A whole lot of good that does you! Yes this is one downfall of the Philips CDRW 400 series. The documentation that comes with this drive could use a serious overhaul. On the flip side, however, once you properly install this unit, it should treat you well for a long time.
Drive Specifications
The Philips 400 series drive has 3 possible recording speeds, 1X, 2X, and 4X. The software that is packaged with the drive will help you determine which speed is right for your system. This drive also comes standard with another extremely helpful feature. This is one of the first CDRW drives that uses a 32X read speed. If you have limited space available in your case and simply don't have room for 2 CD drives, this unit works very well as it combines the features of a high speed CD-ROM and a CD burner. For all you techies out there, here are some specific specs. The drive uses a DTR (Data transfer rate) of 150-2400Kb/sec, runs a burst rate of 13.3 Mb/sec and uses a buffer size of 2Mb. This is a very nice combination for the price.
Software
Philips packages its own CD software with every drive it ships. This software is aptly named "Write2CD". The first screen you will see offers you a selection on which type of media you would like to copy. Your choices are Audio, Backup, and Data. Once you choose the type of media you wish to record, you are brought to the editing screen. This portion of the software is where you select the source of the media you wish to record. It is actually a very easy to use interface. Simply select the file or files you wish to burn, then click and drag them into the editing box. Once you have chosen all of the files, you can proceed directly to the recording phase. You also have a few optional things you can do however. The software comes complete with an art editor. This program lets you either import custom pictures, or use their pre-selected graphics, to use as a cover for your jewel case. You can also change the text to be written on the cover and side labels. The art editor is fully compatible with the CD-Stomper as well. You may also choose to make some changes in the options section to enhance your recording session.
Trouble Shooting
I have seen many posts on troubles pertaining to this particular drive. Hopefully I can give future buyers of this product some useful inside knowledge to prevent some of these scenarios happening to you. The two most common problems are system lock-ups after software install, and the recording session locking and not completing the burn.
I'll start with the system lock-ups. When you install the Write2CD software on your system, it will ask you if you want to install a program called CeQuadrat. In my experience with this drive, many systems have severe problems with this portion of the software. Your burner will still work just fine without this software being installed. If you do install it, it may cause your system to completely freeze on reboot. If this happens do the following. Reboot your machine, when the system comes back up, hold down the F8 key. This will bring you to a windows system menu. If your computer reaches the windows startup screen you missed it, reboot and try again. Once there choose the option that allows you boot in "Safe Mode". This option will force windows to load just the basics it needs to run. Your colors will look funny once it’s loaded, but that’s standard, don't worry about it. Go to the start menu, then to settings, then to control panel. Once in the control panel you will see an icon title "Add/Remove programs", click on it. Now simply scroll down the list, select "Philips Write2Cd" and click on remove. Now reboot your machine, reinstall the Philips software, and opt not to install the CeQuadrat portion. This should prevent any system lock-ups.
The next frequent problem is the record sessions locking and not completing the task. Many systems have a problem when trying to copy directly from one CD drive to another. Under the options section in the Philips software is a section titled "Write on-the-fly” Disable this feature. Now when a recording session is started, the information will be cached to the hard drive, then be pulled from the hard drive to your new CD. Another thing you may want to do is try to record with the "Emulate Only" Feature on. This will run a test of the procedure first without actually recording anything.
The last thing you'll want to check is the recording speed. The first time you use your CDRW, a program will appear that tests your system for proper speed settings. LET THIS RUN. They give you the option to cancel the program if you want, but I would highly recommend against it. It takes around 20 to 30 minutes to run this, but remember its a one time deal. Once this software has determined the best recording speed for your system, it implements this in the actual recording program. You do have the option to increase or decrease this speed if you so desire, but I would leave it at the current settings to get optimal performance.
The Philips 400 series CDRW drive is truly one of the best on the market as far as quality. Unfortunately the documentation is abhorred, and installing the drive properly is a job best left to a professional. Once you have this drive running, however, I guarantee you will not be dissatisfied with the results.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jatznic
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Member: Aaron Burnett
Location: Michigan
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 13 members
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