AOpen 4x4x20x CD-ReWriter

Based on a Sony CRW9420 drive, this package includes a great bundle
of software to handle virtually any backup task.

Product: 4x4x20x CD-ReWriter
From: AOpen (www.aopen.com.tw)
Price: TBD
Pros: Fast, easy to install. Great software bundle in retail pack, which also includes all cables and screws necessary for installation. Includes blank CD-R and CD-RW media, a photo-editing package, Symantec's Ghost and Norton Virtual Drive, disc creation and copy tools and a utility to back up a drive of any size to any number of CD-Rs. Supports both TAO and DAO modes.
Cons: Skimpy printed documentation. Because drive is so new, third-party software support is slim.

The 4x4x20x CD-ReWriter (which we shall hereafter refer to as "CRW9420,"as it is listed on the AOpen website, and as Windows 98 automatically recognizes it) is an EIDE/ATAPI CD-rewritable drive from AOpen, a company well known for its motherboards, cases, modems, graphics cards and other components. The drive writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at 4x speed, making it possible to record a disc in about 18 minutes. It reads discs at 20x speed. Because it is an EIDE device, it plugs into your computer in the same method as most IDE hard drives and other EIDE devices -- CD-ROMs, LS-120, SparQ or Zip drives. As those who've read our primer on how to add a second hard drive will know, there is a maximum of four devices that can be connected to the IDE cables inside your computer: a master and a slave on the so-called "primary IDE" channel, and a master and a slave on the secondary IDE channel.  Thus, as long as you have three or fewer IDE-type drives already installed in your PC, you'll be able to add this drive with no problems.

We've long been fans of the Sony mechanisms. An ancient Sony 2x drive at our office is still chugging away, long after 4x and 8x drives from competitors Toshiba, Matsushita, Mitsui and Creative Labs have given up the ghost or become unreliable at reading discs. Sony includes a 2MB data buffer in the CRW9420 drive used in this package, which helps to reduce the "buffer underrun" errors that can ruin a recordable disc. As well, AOpen says the drive's OPC (optimum power control) technology boosts recording reliability by automatically adjusting the power of the laser to compensate for dirty discs (no, not that kind of dirty disc!), while the drive's improved anti-heat design addresses concerns we expressed in our previous review of internal CD-R drives.

We were delighted at the software bundle included in the package. Symantec's Ghost is a package that creates an image of a hard drive. With it, you can literally reformat your hard drive and restore Windows -- and all your applications -- to a pristine condition in about two minutes flat. Norton Virtual Drive emulates one CD drive and three CD-ROMs on a hard drive, allowing you to run (most) applications without the CD-ROM - perfect for notebook users. This utility also allows the hard drive to act like a super high-speed 100x CD-ROM. Also bundled is a copy of Ulead's Photo Express 2.0, a low-end but serviceable photo editor and image manager for Windows 95/98. Also included are NTI CD-Maker and NTI Backup Now! a pair of tools to record data and audio CDs and make backup discs. The latter can be used to perform unattended backups, and supports media rotation, allowing a backup to span an unlimited number of discs. It can create bootable CDs, too, further easing hard disk restoration. All of the tools except Virtual Drive and the backup utility are also compatible with NT 4.0.

The drive is capable of "packet-writing" -- essentially writing to a CD-R disc as if it were a giant floppy, although we found no evidence of support for this feature in any of the included programs. We're testing the software for reliability now. However, our early tests are very encouraging. This is not one of those cheap no-name drives with dubious software. With that said, this drive is so new that third-party software support is slim. It is supported by Adaptec's Easy CD Creator (v3.5b or newer), but it is currently unsupported by the popular Nero CD burning application from www.ahead.de, and it is not even listed in the ubiquitous CD-R FAQ by Andy McFadden. Thus, standard disclaimers apply if you do not have that pioneering spirit. Nevertheless, we don't foresee ending up with too many arrows in your back if you do decide to ride off into the sunset with one of these drives.

Sidebar:
NTI has made a trial version of its Backup NOW! software available to test drive.  Download the trial version and use it for 30 days. It works with most  CD-R/RW drives.

For Further Reading

• TCP's CDR report.
• TCP's report on CD-Rewritable Drives
• Andy McFadden's CD-R FAQ (http://www.fadden.com/cdrfaq/) lists the top models of CD-R and CD-RW.
• For more info on CD-R technology, see http://www.cd-info.com.
• See our review of the HP 7110e
• DVD Status Report
• Recording CD ROMs
• Deal-Mac tracks the best prices on CD-R drives and shows how you can get blank CD-R media for free.
• See CD-R FAQ for more info on CD-R, DVD and related technologies, plus buying tips and other info.
• A technical description from Sony of how CD-R, CD-RW and other writable media work: http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/rmeg/mediatech/overview.html