The Hewlett Packard CD-Writer 8230e is a powerful external CD-rewritable drive for writing and rewriting CDs that can be shared universally among CD, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM players. With simple plug-and-play USB installation, the 4x4x6 CD-rewritable drive lets you create, share, and store data on high-capacity CDs. Record up to 700 MB of data or up to 80 minutes of audio to CD. You can format a CD-RW disc quickly for use like a floppy with HP Fast Format, then just drag and drop files from Windows Explorer or save files directly to CD. The 8230e supports track-at-once, disc-at-once, packet, and multisession writing methods, and because the drive is external, you can use it with multiple computers.
The Hewlett Packard 8230e CD-Writer comes with a one-year warranty.
1 Great, solid performing burner...
I have never had a problem with this burner and I would recommend it for a first time burner. It also has very easy to use software!!!
2 BIG PROBLEMS
Like many other reviewers, I've had many problems and made lots of coasters. First time was making data CDs, but new version of Record Now seems to work OK there. Now I'm stuggling to make audio CDs (0 for 3 to date). That's with nothing but Explorer and Record Now running, and making the CD from MP3 files on the hard drive. Burning never completes and drive is "hung" (can't eject the CD). TAKE HEED and buy something else if you want to be productive and save a lot of time. (And tech support is as "iffy" as everyone says!!)
3 Depends on your OS
I have no complaints about this cd-writer when I used it on my laptop with Win2000. However, I installed it on my desktop with Win1998 yesterday and it's been endless frustration. First, the writing operation aborts prematurely for no reason. I went to the HP website, downloaded the RecordNow 3.5, and made all the changes suggested (don't run background apps, etc.). After all this, the writing operation worked. I was copying a few small mpegs (about 4-10 megs each) to the CD.
Then disaster struck. I found out that even though the writing was successful and now I have a CD with the mpegs listed in the directory, when I tried to play them in Media Player, they won't play! (Error is file format not supported.) It won't play from either the PC's CD_ROM or from the CD-writer itself.
There is a report on the HP support site that talks about this problem. The remedy suggested was install the latest RecordNow software. But I already did that. So now I'm completely stumped.
Think about this: HP shipped a cd-writer which creates CDs that cannot be read by other CD-ROMs. (To give them credit, the same drive worked with my Win2000 laptop.)
The irony is that the reason I need to create these CDs is that I have a Compaq laptop that died last week (second time the motherboard completely died in two years). So I say: hail the new HP!
4 Can anyone please help me?
I bought this cd-burner about a month ago. I havent got it to work yet. I have been getting the same high speed message. I dont know what to do. I have re-installed it over and over...this thing is driving me crazy. I dont know what to do...
5 GOOD UNIT AFTER KINKS WORKED OUT
I, like many others, agree that the basic instructions could have been written better. The software installed fine. I just couldn't get the thing to burn. Called HP, and they took me through several extensive computer adjustments, starting in
"MY COMPUTER" ie....device manager, "cd-rom" property settings, then BACK TO to MY COMPUTER, property, performance, file system, hard disc, cd-rom, graphics......all had some adjustments. We also went into Control Panel, clicked on Display and re-set the screen saver not to come on for at least 60 minutes.....or better yet, turn it off to burn music cd's Then we went into the Re-writter program and went to options. Reduced the speed to 1x or 2x at the most, and unchecked the "test operations before recording disc. We also went into Explorer, tools, internet options, and selected the delete files and also checked the delete all offline content. We also turned off our connection to the internet.
We then proceeded to burn a CD and it worked.
NOTE.....THE ABOVE ONLY RELATE TO BURNING MUSIC CD'S. These seem to be the fussiest. I had no problem burning all the Photo cd's at 4x even being connected to the internet.
ALSO, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT. I FOUND OUT THAT AT LEAST WITH MY COMPUTER ( A GATEWAY Desktop PENT II 400MHZ, Windows 98) THAT I CAN NOT BURN A CD IF THERE IS ANY OTHER USB DEVICE ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF MY TOWER !!!!!!
I HAVE 2 USP PORTS. One for the CD Burner and the other for my Printer. I HAVE TO UNPLUG MY HP 1215 PRINTER FROM IT'S USB PORT IN ORDER FOR THE HP CD-WRITTER TO BURN A MUSIC CD. DONT ASK ME WHY. EVEN HP CANT ANSWER THAT ONE FOR ME. AND FORGET ABOUT USING A USB EXTENSION HUB TO PLUG IN THE BURNER...YOU WILL JUST WASTE DISCS.
Like I said, once I got the kinks worked out, the unit burns like a dream...... I did find the people at HP very, very nice and helpful. Without them, I would have given up. My neighbor has one and never had the problems I had.....His installed immediately and worked without all the tweaks. His computer is newer and he was also running Windows ME....... For an inexpensive unit, it fits my needs at the moment.
6 Absolutely worthless and a major headache
All summed up in one word is easy to do on this one: BAD!!!! It has great and easy software, but is a headache. The hardware is bottom-of-the-line misfit junk, and screws up the computer very very badly. One time, one of my computers was having a hard time starting the hardware. I ended the task and shut down, and when it was started again, it only started in safe mode, never to work again!! I ended up uninstalling every last driver and software and reinstalling it to get the computer working again. the warranty had expired, so the thing got thrown in the garbage. I hope a compactor has flattened this peice of garbage. HP has absolutely no reliability. We tried an internal one of their burners before this, and were able to return it. the internal screws the system up just as bad as this one. DO NOT buy HP products. The only thing that they are even remotely good at making is printers.
7 Nothing is perfect
I had been looking at reviews for a variety of external (needed due to laptop) burners and realized none had overwhelming positive reviews; at least not for the under $200 I wanted to spend. I found I needed one when I got a digital camera and also wanted to backup, permanently, a massive amount of files that I had on numerous floppies. I decided on the HP because of price and a recommendation from a friend.
The unit arrived and the installation of the driver software went smoothly (helped by the easy pictured instructions). The laptop recognized the HP unit (not a small achievement considering other hardware I've tried throught the USB port).
Then I installed the product software and must have done something wrong because the DLA portion would not recognize the drive letter; it disabled the CHANGE button and only showed me my laptop CD drive. I reinstalled but the same problem. Everything else was fine. I could copy files but not through DLA. Then I tried booting with the burner on and connected. That worked.
8 good hardware, bad software
i have this product for almost a year,, it's actually burnt me more than 180 cds so far,,seem successful?? nope,, about 100 more blank cds go to the trash,, the madiodre software reported the same stupid error and i think the software itself is not intuitive enough.. i finally come up with a new idea,, borrowed the roxio easy cd creater 5 to use insted of the sucker bunble software,, the newer program just smart enough to detect the drive and it never fail me since,, i uninstalled the sucker HP cd writer software,, and everything work fine,, a lot better than before,, if you found that your machine turned to a piece of junk,, just command it with the roxio software version 5 (should be more choice avaiable,,) don't touch the bundle software,, except the installation diskette for the driver,, and then,, have fun with a new reliable burner,,
i gave it 3 stars coz i hate its software,, it's just a stupid version of burning program,, the hardware itself is very durable,, i throwed it several times ( on the carpet floor, due to the disappointment feeling the software gave) but it still work,,, just change the software,, borrow some one to try,, if you can,, better than the bundle one for sure...
9 Everything depends on its mood.
Well, i bought this unit since it cost me at 200 bucks,, not a big deal then for one year ago. Sometime it was good enough to burnt me 4-5 cds in a row without any error, sometime this manic-depressive unit just fail with the common error, the high speed cd used. The first time I attempted to install it was a bad experience, insufficient instruction included, but somehow, I got it work in 2 hours. Anyway, after my computer ran to some problem and I got to reinstalled all operating systems, the set up is just a piece of cake. took me about 10 mins to reach the device. Like some other reviewers, this unit needs some cares, I found out that if I reboot the computer before burn a cd, it's tend to work better with a fewer error. Still, it's painful sometime I have to reduced its burnning speed to 2x rater than its full 4x to get the job done. If you have enough budget, you better choose the faster and more reliable device aviable on the market, they are packed with better software (I got some problem updatting the Roxio in my system too, it's cracked) with a buffer underrun protection. Anyway, this unit burnt me more than 150 cds so far, both music and data, that's okey with the cost of 250 blank cds (that stupid error made more than 1/3 of waste blank medias). I think the burner itself is not a problem, but the software come with it is just a soft-brain. I also tried to installed the winoncd which work very well with internal burner with this device, nope, it doesn't recoznized the HP, bad luck.
Like I said, if you have enough money to look for those machines come up with USB 2.0 or firewire, with a buffer underrun protection, go with it, you will not want to wait for 40 mins for a cd (which you'll never know it will be done or not) insted of you'll get 5-10 mins full cd without error massage from those better machines out there. Now I'm looking for a USB 2.0 or firewire machine too, hopefully this time I will make a right choice.
10 Good unit for novice
While I, too, have had some problems with this unit, I still believe it is a good value. I had this thing up and ready to go in a matter of minutes due to the plug n play capability. I had the previous software, "My CD", at the time. The CR-R supplied with the burner failed to work, prompting a call to HP. I was getting the "high speed media" error and not too happy about it. With the technician's help (we all agree they need an 800 number) this was solved by simply going into "options" and telling it to NOT perform a write speed test. Then we set the write speed at 1X. It seemed to work, but I was having quite a few disks fail during burning, so I called back. This time checking the system performance was done and the whole turning off all startup menu programs. But I would not deal with a product that forced me to turn off my antivirus software and decided that if it took this much trouble, I would return the 8230. I have since discovered that if I simply reboot my system prior to burning, even with all startup items intact, that I have no problems burning either data or audio CD's. You may say this is not ideal, but I find it to be a small inconvenience for a sure thing, instead of a possible coaster.
Yes, it is slow, but I don't need speed and am totally uncomfortable with installing anything on my computer. Since updating to "Record Now" software, I have not turned off the write speed test or checked the write speed, but have not had trouble with data CD's and I think my son has been burning audios. We use some WalMart bulk CD's with no problem, as well as anything on sale.
For the price (I got mine cheap on a well known auction site) and two phone calls, I still rate it a four.
11 Good unit for novice
While I, too, have had some problems with this unit, I still believe it is a good value. I had this thing up and ready to go in a matter of minutes due to the plug n play capability. I had the previous software, "My CD", at the time. The CR-R supplied with the burner failed to work, prompting a call to HP. I was getting the "high speed media" error and not too happy about it. With the technician's help (we all agree they need an 800 number) this was solved by simply going into "options" and telling it to NOT perform a write speed test. Then we set the write speed at 1X. It seemed to work, but I was having quite a few disks fail during burning, so I called back. This time checking the system performance was done and the whole turning off all startup menu programs. But I would not deal with a product that forced me to turn off my antivirus software and decided that if it took this much trouble, I would return the 8230. I have since discovered that if I simply reboot my system prior to burning, even with all startup items intact, that I have no problems burning either data or audio CD's. You may say this is not ideal, but I find it to be a small inconvenience for a sure thing, instead of a possible coaster.
Yes, it is slow, but I don't need speed and am totally uncomfortable with installing anything on my computer. Since updating to "Record Now" software, I have not turned off the write speed test or checked the write speed, but have not had trouble with data CD's and I think my son has been burning audios. We use some WalMart bulk CD's with no problem, as well as anything on sale.
For the price (I got mine cheap on a well known auction site) and two phone calls, I still rate it a four.
12 Very sensitive burning, but still an excellent product
At first I had problems with errors occuring while attemtping to burn cds (from mp3s). I read somewhere that the cds have to be completely dust/dirt free in order to burn at all, so I started to clean my cds before burning, making sure that they were clean, and I have had much fewer errors since...
I read other reviews and I understand other people's frustration. I have a few cd coasters myself, but it works fine if you make sure that the cd is clean before inserting into the burner.
I used multispeed/highspeed cds, but I don't think that is the problem. Cds have to be 'pure' if they are empty and about to be burned. I mean 'pure' from dirt. Obviously you can play cds that already contain data if they are dirty, but you have to start with clean cds in the Beginning.
I have been quite pleased with my finished cds.
13 Great product!
I received this particular CD-writer as a gift, and have had no problems with it thus far. Installation was simple, and the MusicMatch software is easy to use. I have already created several CD's with complete success. Although, it does take about 30 to 40 minutes to write a CD, I find this characteristic to be unimportant. To me, it dosen't matter how long it takes to write the CD, just as long as it gets the job done. Just to let you know, I am running Windows 98 on a 4-year old Compaq Presario--practically obsolete considering today's technological advances--and the HP CD-writer still works great! I would recommend this product to anyone who wants the flexibility of being able to create their own CD's, without having to pay a great deal for it.
14 Absolute Garbage
This is without a doubt the worst computer hardware that I've ever encountered in all of my years. It is very unreliable. I got it to burn ONE cd (the disc that came with it) out of TWENTY. The customer support people were friendly enough, but very unhelpful. After my third call, I was told to buy yet ANOTHER pack of discs. I was very hopeful that this would work...however I got the same silly error message over, and over, and over again.
I worked with this for three days straight, and got one CD. Finally, I returned it.
Save yourself the trouble.....don't buy this. Don't even THINK about buying it. Stay FAR FAR FAR FAR away from it!
15 Awful, Awful, Awful!
This device is awful! Once I finally figured out how to install and format (no thanks to the inadequate instructions) I was able to burn a few pictures on a disc. However, repeated attempts to burn music were unsuccessful. I kept getting a variety of error messages, all of which I did exactly what the computer help instructed me to do to fix them. Once I fixed an error, I would get another one. THis was on my Compaq desktop system.
After purchasing a brand new Gateway laptop computer, I installed the software for the burner (also Roxio software) on the computer. It refused to burn data cd's, let alone audio cd's, and crashed my computer several times. I had to completely re install all of my hard drive. I gave up. A few months later, I tried to work with it on my laptop again...and surprise, it did not work. After repeated attempts, it showed me an error message that the damn thing wasn't plugged in!
Do not purchase this device. Not only does it not work, but it always crashes my computer! It is the worst purchase I have made this decade!
16 This is an EVIL Product
Listen to me, people. This thing is EVIL. I know, I read all the reviews but I figured I could make it work. WRONG!! I'm running a very clean, very stable, Dell with W98se. Install was a breeze, after that all down hill. I've wasted a box of cd-r's, including the freebie from HP. EVERY ATTEMPT to burn a cd was interrupted by the infamous "high-speed cd-rw media" error message. I downloaded the latest driver and software, which crashed my system. I made all the system changes recommended on their support page, same result. I asked for email support help. Do I expect a reply in this lifetime?
17 Dont read this all bad!!!
I know some of you have read bad reviews on this
product. What makes it bad is there are no real instructions
for installing it. I bought one ,defective,got another works very well! I had read one of these reviews. When you get this product,there is one booklet that says help(printed in 5 languages). Call the number where it says"under 30 day warranty",
when you first get the burner. HP were great!!! They spent almost two hours with me,getting everything done,including getting the "kinks" out of my computer. I did have to download a new version of HP Record Now 3.5,but everything fell into place!
And get this product from Amazon,they were very good about the
delivery and their warranty. Give this burner another try,dont use it as you favorite beverage coaster!!!
18 Computer users and CD Writers
I've been using my HP CD Writer for over a year now and have encountered no problems with it. The only problem I have is with people who think that they have to buy Dell or another big name computer. I have used Compaq ever since I started using computers and would never consider buying anything else. Compaq, in my opinion, is the best computer on the market. It is always low priced and can't be beat. When people forget about the other brands and use Compaq they will be better off. Thanks for letting me post this.
19 Won't write to high speed media.
I ordered this machine for my daughter with great expectations of burning a bizillion audio CD's over Christmas. No such luck.
For starters, the software caused a fatal exception fault when I tried to load it on my Gateway 2000. Finally got it installed after 3 uninstall/install attempts. Then the (...) thing wouldn't write to the high speed HP CD-R provided with the component by HP. You'd think that the company would know what I ultimately found out - it will only write to 1x - 8x media. Try to find those in bulk quantity. The HP REcord Now program was also very slow when I tried to burn a music mix from 4 separate CD's, although I never got it to write to any CD-R.
I fought my through the Troubleshooting Guide and finally got an autoreply from the "24/7" customer service department. (...)
Good riddance.
20 Buyer Beware
Do not buy this CD writer ... you'd be much better off with anything else. I had a hell of a time setting it up, and after much talk with HP tech support (who were no help), I finally got it to work after barebooting my system, taking my laptop off the docking station, not passing through the USB hub, and without task manager and any startup items. What a ROYAL PAIN! Everytime I have to burn a CD it takes forever. Now, it's even refusing to work with my specialized setup and insists on making this noise I've never heard before. JUNK!!
21 Perfect for the job I needed it for
I looked at all the reviews here at amazon and was worried. I needed an external CD burner for my laptop. There were negative reviews that worried me, but enough positive to make me hope. So I bought one.
Bottom line, I'm very happy with the unit and I've tried it with "expensive" Imation CDs (650 MB) and "cheap" PNY CDs (700 MB). I didn't have trouble with either. Yes, it takes a while to burn - about 45 minutes plus for 630 MB, but I didn't care about that.
I did have installation issues. I have Win ME on my laptop and for some reason it had trouble locating the driver for the drive. I even used the driver on the CD and the computer would "freeze" while going after it. I called HP and after an hour of trying things, the tech said I had to reformat and reload my entire hard drive because some other program was conflicting. (We had loaded the burner on my Win 98 desktop with absolutely no trouble.) I was not going to lose my entire drive, so I just tried one more time to load the driver. This time, I waited about 20 minutes for the driver to load (after the computer "froze" again). Amazingly, it found the driver and loaded. From then, it worked great!!!!!! I'm a happy camper.
I would recommend this drive -- especially if you can get it cheaper.
By the way, HP now uses a new software program which came with the drive and which you can download from their support site. I'm not sure if this is part of the problem other users had or if it was the Windows ME thing.
22 Reliably unreliable
At first, I wondered if I was the only person who was having trouble with this burner, but after reading some other customer comments here at Amazon.com, I am much more comfortable with my opinion on this product. It has been a hassle and a nightmare. This is a product that is far below HP's oridinarily high product standard. While installation is simple enough, the drive has functioned as little more than in external CD-ROM drive! At first, it would burn CD's reasonably well, and then it just stopped. Specific problems include locking up while burning (and thus, ending the burn), as well as other more distressing problems, like unusual noises. I've had to power cycle the thing just to get it to eject CDs. The unit is already pretty loud, but on top of that, burning a CD successfully is much akin to flipping a coin 3 times and getting heads each time.
I've gone back and forth with HP tech support on this, and they had sent two separate replacements that had the same problems as the original. Finally, I worked out a compromise with HP, whereby they sent me an internal 9600 SCSI burner. I installed it, and it is like a breath of fresh air in terms of making CDs. It's fast, setup was ridiculously easy, and I have yet to encounter a single error or mis-burn. The same cannot be said of a Sony internal IDE burner that I purchased for another machine; it refuses to operate correctly at it's maximum burn speed of 12X.
Bottom line; If you want reliable CD burning, get a SCSI drive. I have used both external (6020e) and internal (9600i) HP SCSI CDRW's, and they are bulletproof; reliable, fast, confidence-inspiring.
Stay clear of the 8230e USB, unless you like collecting CD drink coasters. As for internal IDE burners, I feel that these are, once again, imperfect solutions that can still cause headaches. Even with all the improvements in the world of drive interfaces, SCSI is still the best, and if you want a perfect burn every time, I cannot recommend the 9600 SCSI more strongly.
23 TERRIBLE PRODUCT
i am now on my THIRD drive of this model. I bought the original just 4 months ago, and it stopped working 3 months later (wouldn't burn a full CD). HP then sent me a second one, which quit working 1 month later (wouldn't read audio track information correctly.) The third product HP sent me has NEVER worked, unless you burn at an excruciatingly slow 1x speed. And this is using an HP computer, HP disks, and all HP software. According to HP tech support "these things just stop working after a couple of months." If you like software that crashes 1 out of every 3 times, and hardware that works less reliably than that, then this drive is for you! Or, purchase this if you really like talking to tech support people, 'cuz you'll be on the phone with them weekly (and it's a toll call.) Enjoy!
24 TERRIBLE PRODUCT
i am now on my THIRD drive of this model. I bought the original just 4 months ago, and it stopped working 3 months later (wouldn't burn a full CD). HP then sent me a second one, which quit working 1 month later (wouldn't read audio track information correctly.) The third product HP sent me has NEVER worked, unless you burn at an excruciatingly slow 1x speed. And this is using an HP computer, HP disks, and all HP software. According to HP tech support "these things just stop working after a couple of months." If you like software that crashes 1 out of every 3 times, and hardware that works less reliably than that, then this drive is for you! Or, purchase this if you really like talking to tech support people, 'cuz you'll be on the phone with them weekly (and it's a toll call.) Enjoy!
25 READ A Waste of time, and Money!
READ: I rated the burner 1 star due to the fact of Amazon did not have a "Not worth a Star" listed,reason why it is so messed up, is due to the software used in running the burner is very bad, tends to freeze a lot, and cause you to SHUT Your computer down, several times in the process of installation. If you don't like complicated setups, and programs, you should not purchase this product, it is a horrific excuse for a burner, and it is slow, and not a good buy, for an external burner. If you want better capability with CDRW's, you should take the time to get a reliable internal burner, they are faster, and are overall better. Don't buy Hewlett Packard burners, they do not specialize in that field of computer expertise. Save your money for something else.
26 Marginably OK, but many glitches
My main complain is using DirectCD with this drive. Copying a few files work, but when I tried copying hundreds of files, it just hangs. And that was the main reason I bought this drive, to consolidate hundreds of my digital photos into CD-Rs. What a disappointment.
The drive frequently gets confused and loses track of whether the drive is in use, even when the CD has been ejected. The unelegant but easiest way of solving this problem is to unplug and replug the USB port.
27 Poor Product, Marginal Tech Support
Bought this to support my home desktop (older Pentium running Windows 98)and work laptop (PII Running Windows 2000). Could not get the burner to work consistently. Tech Support was marginal in advising me that I did not have enough system resources (shocker I know). However, even w/ all processes shut down and with plenty of resouces it still didn't work consistently. Finally got fed up and bought a Iomega Predator and have had nothing but success with that product. Well worth the extra 50 dollars.
28 Very Poor Performer
A low point for HP. Unit would read okay, but would not record CDs. Destroyed several. Had the same problems that many have mentioned above. Very weak software from HP especially since they dropped Adaptec. Tech support not existent - just a series of generic info to do on a trial and error basis. HP should not put out poor products like this or just admit that you should not try to burn cds with a usb connection. Returned to store for refund.
29 Junk!
I wish I had read the other reviews before wasting two days of my life trying to set up this piece of junk. My experience was with a Gateway desktop machine, not a laptop. As stated above, it cannot recognize CD-R disks properly during "write" process, spits them out, thinks they are high speed. It consistently hangs up during the read process.
Most importantly--HP SUPPORT IS NONEXISTENT!! Hours on the (long distance) "help" line would have been better spent on the home shopping network, although the suggestion that I email them with the problem was novel and humorous.
You may as well carve CDs out of stone tablets if this is the only other option.
30 Awful
Software write error. Error stated I was using a high speed disc which was incompatible with the drive. I was using standard Sony discs. Spent two hours with tech support and still, did not work. Tech support says software 'record now' is new to them. My computer operating at optimum speed and still, did not work. A waste of time and money.
31 Good for laptops...
I was quite pleased with the appearance of the unit and the ease of which the set-up with my laptop went. Problem came up with the three cords and the unit to store when not in use. Perhaps a simpler plug in than the one line w/ a tranformer on the end and another cord to the unit itself? And straps to keep cords with unit. It's suppose to be portable, right? But my real problem came when I tried to use it with my desktop, in which I already have one CD-R. The software doesn't even acknowledge the HP. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking I can work this out, but I don't feel I should have to, if you know what I mean. I want things to work perfectly right out of the box.
32 Suggestions for avoiding coasters
My experience echoed a lot of the complaints here. The set-up worked fine on my Dell Latitude, and the drive made data disks just fine, but no music disks. It would report a write error and spit out a coaster every time. After weeks of frustration, I tried this: shut down all programs, including the screen saver, rebooted. Opened HP RecordNow. At the "Welcome to Record Now" menu, I clicked Options, then the Advanced tab. For Recorder Speed, I checked "limit maximum recorder speed to 1x." Since then, I've burned several music CD's with no coasters. It's not fast, but it's working. Clearly an inferior piece of equipment, but since I can't return it, I'm happy I can at least make it work.
33 DO NOT PURCHASE
This product is terrible!!! I never did get it to work. HP tech support is no help and the website is even worse.
Save your time and money and do not purchase this product
34 Generally performs well, but lots of frustrations also!
I purchased this unit in January to be used with my brand new Dell Dimension 800mhz computer. My intent was primarily to make music CDs from files taken off of... and the like. Installation was not too difficult, even for myself new to having a PC at home (don't do stuff like this at the office).
My first couple of CD creating efforts worked well and I was extremely pleased with the product. But then I began having more failed burns than successful ones. The coasters were starting to stack up, and I was getting pretty frustrated. I e-mailed back and forth with HP to help solve the problem. They had me tweak some internal settings to help the unit perform better. I was also told to end task on all other programs except for Explorer, as well as shutting off my screen saver!
After all was said and done, things were working wonderfully! I have made many different CD-Rs of music files, directly copied music CDs, as well as data files. The supplied HP CD Writer software works ok, but does lack some user-friendly features that one might expect (although I understand that there is an upgrade that I can download for free).
Even with all the success and fun I have had with the 8230, I have started to have problems again. The last several music CDs I have burned (from files and direct copies alike) have had a problem where no CD player can recognize the first song. Skipping past it works to play the rest, but this is just silly. It looks like back to e-mails with HP.
Advice would be to PLEASE have one installed internally if you are buying a new system. I am sure that integration problems would be minimal in comparison. For what it is, however, the HP unit does the job (usually) and is pretty sharp looking to boot!
35 Good Hardware, But Serious Compatibility Problems
This CD burner worked perfectly when it was working ... but unfortunately, I had severe compatibility problems using it with my Compaq (running off a Pentium III). The software wasn't very intuitive to begin with, and would crash my system repeatedly without warning. Bizarre installation problems turned into frequent reboots, which eventually turned into fatal exception errors. For the first couple of days, I was making flawless CDs; but after a week, I was struggling just to keep my computer running. So yes, it's great hardware, but if you get system errors early on, be very careful.
36 Did everything I wanted it to
This machine is very easy to use and to set up. I purchased it, set it up and installed the software/drivers within 30 minutes. Storing data on this machine is also very easy. However, it is not a very fast machine. Recording an audio CD from MP3's takes about 12 minutes to an hour, depending on what speed you set. (4x, 2x or 1x). There are several internal CD burners available on the market that will write and read faster, but finding an external one with more speed will cost quite a bit more than the 159.00 I spent on it.
37 excellent
After reading some of the reviews of this product from customers
about this product i was reluctant to buy this CD-Writer. I must
say it has worked very well and easy to use it was also a snap to
install and start using, i was making CD's 20min after i opened the box. I used memorex 74min blank media and it has worked flawlessly using just about 18min to burn a CD. One problem i did have was it gave me a error message when i tried to use one of the two 74min HP blank media CD's that came with the writer so i
switched to the pack of Memorex that i had purchased and have been perfect from that point on. If you're looking for a easy setup and non hassle product i highly reccommend the HP8230e.
It is also alot bigger then i thought but it looks very cool!
38 Very simple to install
I found the HP 8230e very easy to setup & install on my Dell Dimension desktop. The only problem I had was with the HP CD-RW disc that was included. Apparently it was defective bc the drive would not acknowledge it.
There are also only certain CD-Rs the drive will write to correctly. I've found that CompUSA brand 80 minute CD-Rs are hit or miss. You have a 50/50 chance of success. On the other hand, Memorex brand Black CD-Rs work 95% of the time. I suspect the reason why the recording is not always successful can be attributed to the HPs rather picky nature. In other words, you can't expect that you are going to cram 80 minutes or 700 MB to the CD without leaving at least a minute's worth of space at the end of the CD, otherwise you'll end up with a coaster.
I still dont fully understand the reason for the "data" CD feature in the Adaptec software but then again, it's not an issue. I use the HP primarily for audio CDs.
In the final analysis, if you're looking for a mid-priced, external CD writer with a reputable brand name behind it, then buy the 8230e. Tech support, however, is another story. I am a tech so I rarely have a need to contact anyone else about any given issues.
39 So far so good.
I got this burner yesterday. It is fairly easy to setup. First I installed the hardware then pop in the driver floppy disk. After that I installed the software. It is fairly easy to use too, I burned my first data cd within 30 minutes. I was surprise how big this burner really is, from the pic above it looks small but this thing is about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. But that's no biggie as long as it keeps burning. One complain though, it takes a while for me to burn stuff. Like it took about 12 minutes to extract one CD and about 5 minutes to burn my data CD. That's like an eternity. It'd be so much better if they make it a lil faster. But I guess with this price, that's the best u can get.
40 Great Product
I have a Dell Inspiron 7000 notebook and have been using an old Smart and Friendly 2x burner. It was scsi, and i bought a scsi -> parallel port cable so my burner was slow as molassas. I read some reviews that made me contemplate buying this product, but it has worked great. With USB cable, its plug and play is an awesome feature, so I dont have to restart when I connect it. The software is also really easy to use, and has been burning audio cd's directly from mp3 format without problems, and i was concerned with buffer underrun which i used to always get. This is definately worth the price, and I would have even paid more because it works like a charm.
41 Okay product
Looking for an USB CD writer because I have multiple machines at home including a notebook. For anyone who is not in a hurry, wait for a USB 2.0 CD burner (speed is 480 mbps rather than 11 mbps).
Install the CD writer into my Dell Latitude notebook running Win2000 Professional. Connect everything up and the machine freeze as soon as the driver is installed. Can't even safe boot into command prompt (have to disconnect USB drive). Spend 2-3 hours trying different things including downloading latest HP drivers. Eventually, went to Dell web site and found a BIOS update that fixes the problem (readme.txt states a problem with HP CD-Writer). Update the BIOS and everything works. The whole ordeal lasts about 1/2 day.
I have burned about 20 Cd so far and don't have any problem. Drive speed is okay but the software is very weak. The size of the unit is also larger than I expected (maybe 10 inches deep?).
...
42 Simple and Easy to Use
Hewlett Packard Cd-Writer was a snap to install and with the accompanying software you will be creating data or audio CDs in no time. However, as another reviewer pointed out, I made the mistake of purchasing several dozen of the newer CD-R 700MB CDs, which error out when trying to burn audio CDs. What is frustrating is that in the read me file that comes with the software, it makes no mention that the newer 700mb format CDs CANNOT be used. However, when attempting to burn an audio CD, an error message explicitly states that you cannot use newer 700MB CD-Rs. Given the info that Hewlett Packard provides on the Amazon.com site above these reviews, I'd say that is false advertising. You be the judge. The CD jacket and label making software that comes with this system is junk, as it is counter-intuitive and not very user friendly. I ended up giving up on making a CD jacket and went into Word and produced a satisfactory product on my own.
43 More problems than discs
I bought this cd burner about a year ago. Problems with burning cds occured anytime I tried to burn a cd while multitasking other programs. I was forced to only burn cd's when I had nothing else to do on my computer. Since each cd takes at least 45 mins to burn this was not the best situation for me. My computer no longer sees the cd burner attached to the usb port. Upon visiting the hewlett packard site I was appalled to learn that I must spend at least [$] for troubleshooting since my product is no longer covered by waranty. When I bought this thing it was over [$]. I burned about 20 discs. Works out to over 15 bucks a disc, geez might as well have just kept going to music stores.
44 Average performer
PROS Worked out of the box - got it hooked up and burning music CDs within 15 minutes. Wizard-like interface is useful for beginners.
CONS Supplied software is very basic in terms of features and functionalities.
45 Excelent on win ME
I was very worried about my new toshiba laptop and any cd writer getting along, I'm not a techie so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, I was burning my first cd in less than 10 minutes and ever since the unit has worked very well.
I have even tried very cheap cds and they come a along very well. burning our company catalog on cd rom and so far no problems.
I remember seeing my brother wait for hours and waste damaged cd's on older style cd writers so the 20+ minutes it take to copy a cd are ok to me.
46 WHAT A PIECE OF [JUNK]
I bought this way back in November and for a few months i was very happy with it, MyCD was actually working like a charm. Then back in March, the problems starting arising with writing errors constantly occuring, turning my potential music CDs into cup coasters. Tech support...tips havent helped one bit, and now a days its...impossible to find a 74 min CD-R disc to record with, which is what i need to successfully burn music onto my CDs. I really want to take this ...back to wherever it came from and buy a much better burner. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS...!
47 hp 8200e usb wont work with win 2000 pro....darnit !!!!!!!
Did a clean install of 98se to w2k pro. I can not get my hp 8200e to operate fully. I can burn small files and 1-3 mps'3 at a time but errors out if I cue up 10-12 mp3's. Also, If I try and burn a large data file it will error. ASPI ...checked and shows ok cdr software used 1) : easy cd 5.01 less take two 2) : various versions of nero 3) : clone cd also have tried various media. also have tried various hp driver updates, but only 5.0.2183.1 dated 11/14/99 will work.
If you have any ideas.......????? yeah, I'd like to know
48 hp 8200e usb wont work with win 2000 pro....darnit !!!!!!!
Did a clean install of 98se to w2k pro. I can not get my hp 8200e to operate fully. I can burn small files and 1-3 mps'3 at a time but errors out if I cue up 10-12 mp3's. Also, If I try and burn a large data file it will error. ASPI ...checked and shows ok cdr software used 1) : easy cd 5.01 less take two 2) : various versions of nero 3) : clone cd also have tried various media. also have tried various hp driver updates, but only 5.0.2183.1 dated 11/14/99 will work.
If you have any ideas.......????? yeah, I'd like to know
49 Do not buy this product
I have had such a lousy experiance with this machine. I have burnt about 2 cds and wasted atleast 30 other cds trying to get this machine to burn. It takes forever to burn and then when it is almost done it just says there is an error and you've wasted 20 minutes on a cd that didn't burn and is not usable. I went through customer service and customer support and they kept telling me to do the same things that they told me to do the time before when I went for help. Save your money and buy a different brand. I have lost all faith in HP products as of now.
50 Great burner, why do you complain?
This is a great burner. I have installed it and have had 0 problems with it. It burns fast and with out a problem....
51 I'm returning mine, Don't bother buying it
I found this cd-rw to install very easily, and it was very well priced, but I just could not use any disks that were 1x-16x or 1x-12x compatible, and that is baisically all you can find out there. I have hundreds of extra disks lying around that do not work with this drive. Error message after error message and ruined cd after ruined cd, I am returning this piece of junk and spending the extra hundred like i should have in the first place.
52 Problems
The 8230 comes with a very friendly price tag. Unfortunatly, you get what you pay for.
I have had the 8230e for several months now and I continue to have problems burning audio CD's. My success rate is less than 50%. The drive has successfully burned MP3 files into CD format from HP MyCD at 4x speed less than half as many times as I have tried. The drive has always been successful when burning MP3's in Music Match Jukebox, however the fastest it will burn is 2x. I have only been able to make a direct copy of an audio CD twice out of over 20 attempts.
Data CD's are not a problem.
The error that consistantly appears is "Buffer Underrun". Despite closing all programs, disabling all power management and downloading and installing the latest drivers and program updates, the drive still fails to work consistantly.
MY ADVICE: Spend a little extra money and purchase a better drive.
53 Problems
The 8230 comes with a very friendly price tag. Unfortunatly, you get what you pay for.
I have had the 8230e for several months now and I continue to have problems burning audio CD's. My success rate is less than 50%. The drive has successfully burned MP3 files into CD format from HP MyCD at 4x speed less than half as many times as I have tried. The drive has always been successful when burning MP3's in Music Match Jukebox, however the fastest it will burn is 2x. I have only been able to make a direct copy of an audio CD twice out of over 20 attempts.
Data CD's are not a problem.
The error that consistantly appears is "Buffer Underrun". Despite closing all programs, disabling all power management and downloading and installing the latest drivers and program updates, the drive still fails to work consistantly.
MY ADVICE: Spend a little extra money and purchase a better drive.
54 It works OK, but I've had numerous problems.
I bought this as a gift for my girlfriend, she has an HP laptop. I am a techie and I have much experience with installing things like this. The initial install was problematic, after installing the drivers, the 8230 and the internal laptop cd stopped working. HP tech support tried to get it working but I ended up re-installing Win 2000. That really sucked.
The HP "MyCD" software is not that great. I haven't tried Adaptec yet, but I'm planning on it.
Tried to use the newer 80 min / 700MB CDR media, and all I got were coasters galore! oh well, back to 74 min, no big deal, but that sucks too.
Next, we try to burn an audio CD using MP3's ripped using Real Jbox, and HP doesn't recognize them as being the right quality. So we convert the songs to different formats (WAV), build the track listing, and when we start recording, windows reports that we have unplugged the CD writer. We did no such thing! So then MyCD is crashed, we reboot and it doesn't remember the track listing! We must re-create the entire track list, and then it finally works. I have 4x Yamaha SCSI cd writers at home and at work, and this should have taken 1 hour. Instead it took 4-5 hours just to burn one CD!
I wouldn't recommend this, If you want to seriously burn CDs get a regular burner using IDE or SCSI. If you need portability or laptop compatibility, then look into pc card burners, or firewire.. explore all of your options. Overall this hasn't been a pleasant product to work/play with.
55 An Intel Technician / Computer Junkie
I agree with some of the earlier editorial reviews about the software they bundled with their CD-RW's. BUT to my supprise and pleasure HP released a VERY RELIABLE update to this software bundle. I run Windows 2000 Pro. and after loading the original bundled software, my system would re-boot automatically when I started it and it came up to loading the "Adaptec Direct CD" software. I of course would then remove the "Adaptec Direct CD" software and my system would work fine, but my burner wouldn't work. I continued to live without my burner for a few months, but consistantly looked for updates. Finally HP came out with the Burner software v.2.6(I think), I loaded this version and have not had a coaster since. Good comeback HP!! And DARN GOOD BURNER!!
56 What a Waste!!
I look and try to figure out if the good opinions outweigh the bad. After only 3 hours of owning this product, I should have listened to the negative comments. They are all true.
I bought the Cd-writer and was unable to install the driver needed for the USB port. I went through the instructions, read through the troubleshooting guide, and then, when all of that failed, I called Customer Support. This was even more disastrous. First of all, its a number in Montana that isn't listed in the booklets (you need to search the web). What they tell me is that they find that this specific CD-Writer is often not compatible with my type of laptop (and they don't know why) -- they basically told me to return it, since it will be no good. Now, according to the box and instructions, my computer should be perfectly equipped for this...but NO!!! To add, the competence level at HP's customer support is extremely low. Now I am off to find another one.... (not HP)
Do yourself a favor and stay away from HP -- don't waste valuable time with them.
57 Not too shabby
I installed mine a few days ago, and it has been working wonderfully so far. I had it up and running, and burning my first CD within an hour. Granted, it's a bit slow (that's more due to the USB), and the HP software isn't the best, but it does what it's supposed to. I needed an external to attach to my laptop, and this seems to have been an excellent choice.
58 HP8230e Good drive works well, reasonable
My experience of just a few days has been VERY Positive. I just bought the product in April 2 2001 and it came with the latest drivers from HP's website on the CDs in the box.
USB means it's speed is limited to 4x for (re)writing. I had no trouble making a disk to disk backup from my Dell W98 laptop CD out to the burner at a full 4x. I didn't need to image out to hard disk. A data backup of a disk with over 600 megs was 17 minutes. Also no underruns on 2 audio CDs burned.
The software package is slim with HP's software working ok. Easy CD is not included. I plan to try some other software in the future but for now I can archive data, make my own music CDs, and backup fine.
Some of the problems may be related to older USB drivers. While mine were up to date HPs website also has the latest that worked for me.
Alot of people like new Firewire drives for speed, that may be worth the cost for someone burning a couple thousand cds. For me inexpensive and 4x is fine. The fact it is portable between the three W98 usb equiped machines in my home/office is a plus - most of those machines do not have firewire.
I obviously have not had to test HP's US service yet.
59 VERY GOOD
This Cd-Burner is so good. I burn about a cd every day. I never broke any. They are all fonctionnal. I burn music cd, data cd and psx cd. Everything is going so good. Because it is external, i can bring it to my friend's home. The software they offer may be a little bad, but who cares, download Nero Burning rom and envoy.
60 Reliability of HP product just getting worse.
HP just use the same rebadged 3rd party drive which offers no function/performance improvemente since debut of 8200e series(that was 2+ years ago), only things that changed are the shell/cover & added more crappy burning software, basically 8230e is the same drive as now obsolete 8200e model.
Upon install the HP burner, I experienced windows shut down problem for my Dell Win98 system, the tech support people at HP are just clueless & couldn't solve the problem. after less then 20 cd burning, now the drive just refuse to read any cd that I inserted.
I then searched usnet newsgroup & found out that many people also experiencing various problems with HP burner, should have know better by checking newsgroup or cnet user opinion forum. This is my 2nd HP product (the other is a printer) that went south after light usage.
I'll just steer away from HP product (especially burner) in the future & is now shopping for a plextor burner.
61 Returned It
This was a frustrating experience for me. I have other HP products and I like HP, but even several hours with their (non 800 number) tech support could not get this product to burn CD's. HP's final analysis-----the CD's I was using were inferior. Well, I just bought the Plextor PlexWriter 12/10/32A CD-RW and burned every one of those "inferior" cd's in less than 7 minutes per cd. I would stay away from this product and just go with Plextor. Study the reviews for the Plextor PlexWriter 12/10/32A CD-RW at cnet.com and save yourself time and hassle. Stay with "burnproof" technology. Your time should be spent burning CD's, not on the phone with long-distance tech support (who cares that it's a nickel a minute, it's still your money that's being spent, not to mention the phone time and the time it takes to return this product).
62 pretty good burner...software a little weak
I just got this burner today, and I already burned two cds coaster free. These cds weren't even of high quality, so i'm pretty surprised it burned as well as it did. The software is admittedly pretty weak, but i've used it, and it gets the job done. the burner itself seems pretty sturdy, good for moving it around and such as it is an external burner. i would give it 5 stars, but the software takes away just enough to push it to 4 stars.
63 Hewlett Packard Customer "Service"???
If you are thinking about buying this produce, chose Sony or some other brand. Not only does their software not work as advertised, but they have no customer service to speak of. You have to dial a long distance number, sit on hold for at least 30 minutes, only to be told: the problem is your computer, your ISP, etc., anyone but them. When they finally admitted to a software loading problem, and confessed that it does not come with the software to make the product work the way they advertise it should, their answer was: buy RW discs and keep trying! It takes 8 tries to make a disc, and forget about music discs - it cuts the last few seconds from most tracks. DON'T BUY THIS. In fact, steer clear of HP altogether and you will be much happier. If I could have rated it a ZERO, I would.
64 Good for a USB Burner, but problematic
Well I have had one for 2 months now and I have had mixed results. While there are small bugs (it is USB), my recording success has been 100% so far!!! I haven't made one coaster yet. Like other reviewers, I agree that the MY HP software is awful. I have switched over to Adaptec Easy CD Creator and it has worked like a charm ever since. I have had Windows 98 compatability issues as well at times, but for the most part, everything has worked well considering it is a USB connection. My reasoning in giving it 4 stars was that it is a solid burner for a USB connection. You can do a lot worst with other brands.
65 Reasonable burner - miserable software
I have had mine for a week now, and after a rocky start, I am fairly happy with it. As far as the recorder hardware goes, it works fine. It is a little slow (4x), but that is due to the USB more than anything else. It's biggest shortcoming is the awful "MyCD" software that it comes with. It also came with Adaptec's barely adequate DirectCD as well. Get new software if you want to use this drive! Also, due to the shared nature of the USB interface (the 'B' is 'Bus' after all), you don't want to do much of anything else while it writes - especially don't let your screen saver start up.
66 If it breaks, you're SCREWED
You'd think a HP CD-Writer with an HP Omnibook would work, right? It did...for two months. Then it stopped. Despite the fact that it was obviously broken (would not work after reinstall, or on a friend's computer; I tested the USB cables and my USB port separately, I tried it on a fresh install on a clean system), I went through three weeks of inane support e-mails (is the unit plugged in?). Once I had tried all 32 suggestions of theirs, they asked me for information to get it sent in for repair -- and THEN told me that they wouldn't do it in Canada. I'm now running over $15 in long-distance bills because they don't have a 1-800 support number and routine hold time is 45 minutes. This has been the worst experience in over fifteen years of dealing with computers. Avoid HP like the plague.
67 Excellent
I have had the cd burner since Christmas and I love it. I have had no problems at all. I have made close to 40 audio cd's and have not had one bad one yet. I have also had no problems at all with using Direct cd. I would highly recommend this cd burner to anyone.
68 HAPPY CAMPER
I HAD MY CD-WRITER UNPACKED AND WAS LISTENING TO MY FIRST CD IN LESS THEN AN HOUR. THIS WAS SO EASY AND I AM VERY PLEASED.
69 If you have Adaptec Easy cd creator ver. 4.02d, it's OK!
If you happen to own Adaptec (Roxio) Easy CD Creator 4.02d and/or Direct CD 3.01d, according from Adaptec (Roxio) website, HP 8230e is compatible with these two softwares. You can get Easy CD with ($) rebate before Dec 31st,00, details for rebate check out...
Be careful, HP always has a problem with buffer underrun, so you have to select advance option (from copying CD software) and burn the CD through your hard drive (usually people use this option to burn multiple copies) to overcome this problem. It is a lot slower, yet it works.
If you can afford, go for external Firewire( IEE 1394 or i-link...they are all the same) or SCSI CDRW. They are a lot faster.
Go for new Yamaha 2100EZ or TDK (new one) for burn proof technology. Both of them are internal and costing more however.
I hope it helps.
70 Fun to use
I have had this Cd writer for a a few months and am very pleased with its performance. It was very easy to set up and the software that was included is simple to use. So far, it has been worth every penny.
71 Stay away from USB Burners
The HP 8230 USB burner gets 1 star because that's the lowest I can give. In summation, my successful burn rate is only about 60%, and it took me 2 months of troubleshooting to even get that mediocre performance. USB devices in general create a lot of conflicts because Windows 98 reallocates them everytime you reconnect them. The HP is no different.
I bought USB because, though they have slightly lower data rates than internal burners, I thought that the convenience of being able to plug-n-play on different computers was worth it. HP also has an excellent reputation for making great burners (so buy an internal IDE burner) I bought the 8230 on condition that it 1.)was bundled with and 2.) was compatible with Adaptec Easy CD -- the industry-standard CD writing software. HP's internal burners come with Adaptec, but like many USB burners, the 8230 won't work with it. The HP 8230 comes bundled with it's own cd writing program that misses many key features that Adaptec users enjoy. The 8230 doesn't even work well with Adaptec DirectCD, meaning that you can't use DirectCD's drag and drop function (copying to a Cd-RW is done in the same manner as you would copy from one folder to another) that make CD-RW such a great backup technology.
HP designs some mean hardware, but until MS can work out the hardware conflicts associated with USB devices on Windows 98, go internal if you're after burner performance. And HP needs to remember it's not a software company -- give us Adaptec Easy Cd creator, not some featureless bundle with a pretty interface.
72 Easy to Use, Works like a Pro, Reasonably Priced
This is my first experience with a CD Writer and I'm very pleased. Easy to set up and operate, it has minimal, yet sufficient, written documentation and includes a host of easy to use software. It is a solidly built, straightforwardly designed component and is a lot of fun to use. I highly recommend.
73 BIEN
COMPRE ESTE CD WRITER HACE YA 2 MESES ,ES UN MUY BUEN PRODUCTO.ES RAPIDO Y LO MEJOR DE TODO ES QUE LO PUEDES CONECTAR EXTERNAMENTE.LO RECOMIENDO.
