Alternative to using a DVD drive

[Niode]

There is something disturbing about that picture.

Her right arm seems to be very small, and the left arm seems to be none existent.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I don't know where you're looking for prices but they're only $20-$30 at newegg.com.

Like Fastbilly said, I meant retail, not online.

As for online prices, I'd probably still pay the same $50-$70 price as I only buy high end stuff that I can stick in my comp and never ever have to touch again.

Then you are an idiot.

My NEC has been in my PC for 18 months now (when I built the system last September) and I still haven't had any problems or bad burns from it. You're the type of person who will buy one thing over another because you believe the inflated cost means you are getting a better product.

Hmm, I haven't looked around a lot online for PC drives in a while, so that's where my pricing idiocy comes in, but I'm from a family that's really into the names on the things we buy. For example I'd choose a Pioneer drive with the logo on the front of the tray over a de-branded OEM Pioneer which was $5 less. Plus retail products tend to have better warranties than most OEM products.

It's like my mom used to say all the time: "If you're going to work hard to get something, you might as well go the extra mile and make sure it shows."

Oh and that NEC you have sounds very tempting, as I'm a big fan of the company.

[CRTGAMER]

I see your tape backup drive and raise you an 8 inch floppy!

Since we are beating this joke to the ground ...............

[fastbilly1]

Even so, a warranty on a 5.25 DVDrom or writer is fairly useless. Apart from DOA drives, Ive never heard of anyone using one, nor have anyone from my very large group of computer contacts. Now slimDVD drives, that is worth the extra cost.

Granted I am from a family where we buy what we can and make it work for aslong as possible. Brand matters less reliability.

[Niode]

For example I'd choose a Pioneer drive with the logo on the front of the tray over a de-branded OEM Pioneer which was $5 less. Plus retail products tend to have better warranties than most OEM products.

Uh... That just seems totally dumb to me. I can never understand brand whores...

I think I'd rather read several opinions on a piece of hardware, backed by several reviews from reputable sources. If they say that the £15 option works just as well as the £40 boxed version, I'll take the unbranded OEM version. The warranty means jack shit to me, so does the 'free software' they bundle in, which 9 times out of 10 is Nero Express/Essentials, which is just a complete waste of space. I'd rather use Superior and free IMGburn for binary formats and the also, superior and free CDburnerXP for multimedia. As for the box, I think I'd rather not support excessive packaging policies and go for a plain brown box with minimal packaging. The smaller the impact on the environment the better. Gaming PCs eat a lot of energy...

Regarding warranties in this country. If something breaks within 12 months you are entitled to a replacement regardless of warranty. That responsibility lies with the seller. Not the manufacturer. Under EU law hardware manufacturers are outlawed from utilising planned obsolescence. So even after your warranty has ended, they are obliged to replace faulty hardware should it break within 24 months anyway. I've had a few printers replaced for free by going public with my complaint or complaining long enough at somebody on the other end of the phone. After working several years in call centres you learn the 'buttons' you need to press to make things happen. Manufacturers can't just refuse to replace for free after the warranty expires in the EU. One of the few good things about being part of the EU. I believe the main reason they do this is stop as much electronics ending up in landfills as possible.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

For example I'd choose a Pioneer drive with the logo on the front of the tray over a de-branded OEM Pioneer which was $5 less. Plus retail products tend to have better warranties than most OEM products.

Uh... That just seems totally dumb to me. I can never understand brand whores...

It's not that I'm obsessed with a brand name or anything, as I'm comfortably using an unmarked dirt cheap HP burner at the moment on my borrowed comp, but I figure that if I'm going to make the big effort (The computer I'm building is actually a massive undertaking for me as I'm broke 90% of the time.) then I'd like it to show and feel proud of what I've accomplished. After all once I build this thing I'm not touching it for at least 5 or six years unless there's some breakdown or to upgrade the RAM/HDD and such.

I will agree that the bundled software is completely useless in 90% of all cases, but the warranty is a big thing to me, plus the US is practically the wild west when it comes to corporate honesty or repairing an item after or if it breaks.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Even so, a warranty on a 5.25 DVDrom or writer is fairly useless. Apart from DOA drives, Ive never heard of anyone using one, nor have anyone from my very large group of computer contacts. Now slimDVD drives, that is worth the extra cost.

Granted I am from a family where we buy what we can and make it work for aslong as possible. Brand matters less reliability.

Agreed, but I'd rather not have to crack it open and fix it myself in the event of a possible breakdown until I absolutely have to.

[Ducky]

Hey thanks guys. I was surprised when opening this and finding three pages worth of comments here, even if it did become slightly derailed.

I originally set out to back up all the discs on my old computer using Imgburn on my old computer (it wasn't quick, let me tell you!). I then tried to copy them to my External HDD but because it's formatted FAT32, I cannot copy the images because of their size.

I then figured I would just extract everything from the discs to the external HDD. Surprisingly enough, I managed to install Bioshock 2 without any trouble! All it took was applying a No-CD .exe and I was returning to Rapture. Even better, Games For Windows Live didn't reject it or anything.

Unfortunately, a patch was released and now the .exe is out of date, meaning my achievements unlocked won't have dates next to them. I suppose now would be the time to buy a new DVD drive, and I'm pleased to hear they are reasonably cheap at the moment!

Thanks very much guys, I really appreciate the help I got.

[Niode]

For example I'd choose a Pioneer drive with the logo on the front of the tray over a de-branded OEM Pioneer which was $5 less. Plus retail products tend to have better warranties than most OEM products.

Uh... That just seems totally dumb to me. I can never understand brand whores...

It's not that I'm obsessed with a brand name or anything, as I'm comfortably using an unmarked dirt cheap HP burner at the moment on my borrowed comp, but I figure that if I'm going to make the big effort (The computer I'm building is actually a massive undertaking for me as I'm broke 90% of the time.) then I'd like it to show and feel proud of what I've accomplished. After all once I build this thing I'm not touching it for at least 5 or six years unless there's some breakdown or to upgrade the RAM/HDD and such.

I will agree that the bundled software is completely useless in 90% of all cases, but the warranty is a big thing to me, plus the US is practically the wild west when it comes to corporate honesty or repairing an item after or if it breaks.

Getting top of the range components when building a PC is a bad idea. You should always get the most bang for buck components otherwise it's like buying a brand new car, it loses substantial amounts of value as soon as it's driven off the forecourt. Buy the best middle range components and the thing will hold it's value much longer.