Customer Reviews

Iomega External 16x10x40 USB 2.0 CD-RW Drive

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

And I'm glad that I didn't allow the negative reviews here to discourage me from buying it. I've burned several data disks (digital photography is a hobby), and I've also created some music disks.

Has it been smooth from the beginning? No, because I didn't follow the instructions for installation. I contacted Iomega, and they sent me an e-mail with instructions for correcting the problems. They also included a link to their website so I could download the most current version of their software.

After reading the instructions, I found that it was easy to use, and I'm very pleased with the results. Note that I'm not a techno-geek.

If you don't have a brand new computer, your USB ports are probably USB 1.1. You'll have to buy a USB 2.0 card to get full use from this drive.

I do not use this drive with a USB 2.0 port; I've just plugged it into the "old fashioned" USB in the back of my computer. It's the second CD burner I've gotten in the recent past, the first (by Archos) worked only sporadically, and driver problems which the manufacturer could not resolve jammed up my computer's operating system (Windows 98 SE). The Iomega burner, by contrast, connected without a problem to my computer and has worked reliably since. I use it to burn audio CDs, store images, and back up the computer. It performs admirably and (despite the fact that I'm not using the super-fast USB 2.0 connection) quickly in all of these areas. I give it four stars because of the Iomega Hot Burn software which comes in the package -- although I haven't tried to use this software, I read a few reviews of it and concluded that it's too limited to be useful. Instead, I installed Roxio's Easy CD Creator which works fine (the version I installed, Easy CD Crator Platinum 5.0, did not immediately recognize the hardware, but an upgrade from the Roxio website quickly solved that problem).

As far as External Burners go, this is the best one I've seen. I previously had a Philips burner with so many problems that it took 5 years off of my life. I also bought a Plextor drive that wouldn't even work. However, this burner is so free from problems and fast that I have nothing bad to say about it. Do make sure that your computer is equipped with USB 2.0 though, or else you won't be able to get the 16X speed. For laptop users, I recommend a PCMCIA USB 2.0 Card. The software enclosed with the burner will do the basic stuff, however it doesn't have any bells and whistles with it. I would recommend using the ultra-popular Easy CD Creator or the registered version of MusicMatch Jukebox, with its great Volume Leveller feature. However, this burner will certainly keep you happy and sane, unlike many others.

I had to take this machine back to the store because it was to difficult to operate. The hotburn software was difficult to navigate. Trying to make a music cd with individual song were impossible. My computer kept locking up when trying use device and hardware. lastly, this thing kept losing my data; when I tried to retreive my data it wasn't there. Bottom Line too many problems. I am now trying out QPS Que Fire 24x10x40 cd-rw external. Good Luck people

I was so excited when I bought this product but the excitement sure didn't last long. The drive worked a total of one time! After that I was on the phone with Iomega customer support for five days in a row. Although they were friendly, they were of absolutely no help and they told me my Windows 98 laptop was the reason the drive didn't work. After trying the drive on another laptop, it was clear that the drive itself was the problem. Save your money and stay away from this product. It is nothing but a headache!

This item works fine most of the time. The included software includes a note telling Mac users to download Mac software from Iomega's web site (where you'll find a charge for it). A call to their customer service quickly answered my questions (and the gentleman was very helpful). There is no current software for the Mac, but the Toast Lite "should work." With only occasional freezing of our machine, we have found it's a fine back up when it does work and look forward to Iomega sending us software when it's available.

I recently purchased the cd-rw drive and couldn't be happier with it. I had no trouble installing it, after reading the directions. I have not created a music CD, but for backing up files their software couldn't have been easier. I was impressed with the speed, since my main concern with an external drive was that it would be terribly slow.
No, it doesn't simply plug 'n play, which would make switching between usb devices simpler, but otherwise I have no complaints.

... If you have USB 2.0 then this will be the best burner you will ever use. I burn 74 min. cd's in under 7 min. The burner looks great sitting on your desktop too. I had no problems with the product whatsoever. It isn't cheap, that would be its only drawback... 200 is a lot for a burner considering you can get other types for under 120 at discount computer stores. If you have a good laptop or desktop with USB 2.0 GET THIS BURNER!!!!!!!!!

You may like the burner itself, well they all look alike anyway, but the "Hot Burn" software that Iomega puts out is absolute garbage and the tech support is even worse- you get an answer by email if you can wait three days! Or you can wait for hours on the phone. The "Hot Burn" software comes with about zero options,zero, nothing!! You cannot burn disc at once- there is no such thing in that garbage of a program. I returned this product the day after it arrived!

This drive has been great right out of the box. Maybe it's because I follow instructions, but I didn't have any problems installing this device (although its likely because every system is different - I have Windows XP). I can also recommend uninstalling the shipped software especially if you are using Windows XP. XP sees this device as a CD-RW and provides support to effortlessly write files as if it were just another hard drive.