Hewlett-Packard CD-Writer Plus 9100i

WHAT'S HOT: A reliable performer, the $199 CD-Writer Plus 9100i comes with a clearly written manual and generously illustrated, multilingual documentation. The documentation is supplemented by an AVI movie that details the process of physically installing the drive. The software bundle also includes Adaptec's Easy CD Creator 3.5 and DirectCD 3.0 packet-writing software, Corel Print Office, and disaster-recovery, cataloging, and backup utilities. HP includes labeling software and a nifty label-application tool as well. The SCSI version of this drive, the CD-Writer Plus 9200i, performed comparably.

WHAT'S NOT: No weekend tech support.

WHAT ELSE: The company provides a one-year warranty along with tech support for 12-hours on weekdays--but there's no toll free number. Although the 9100i replaces the 9200i on our chart because its IDE interface makes it a better choice for the average buyer, the 9200i continues to be an excellent choice for users who need SCSI's capability to accommodate many internal and external peripherals on one adapter. The identically priced 9110i was recognized as a Best Buy in PC World's March 2000 roundup. The difference between the two drives lies in the software: The 9110i includes Sonic Foundry's ACID music creation program, while the 9100i comes instead with Corel Print Office.

BEST USE: Users looking for a little hand-holding during the installation process will do well with this 8X/4X/32X IDE drive.

SUMMARY

Hewlett-Packard CD-Writer Plus 9100i IDE, internal, 8X/4X/32X, 4MB buffer, CD-mastering and packet-writing software, disaster-recovery software, CD media-labeling and cataloging utilities, one-year warranty, support (not toll free) for 12 hours on weekdays. $199 800/826-4111 www.hp.com