Rioddas External CD Drive, USB 3.0 Portable CD/DVD +/-RW Drive Slim DVD/CD ROM Rewriter Burner for Laptop Desktop PC Windows and Linux OS Apple Mac Macbook Pro

Having recently had to buy a new laptop I found most do not come with a built in CD drive anymore, so I needed to get an external one for playing CD's DVDs and also buringing/ripping my own CDs, and I saw this one on offer. I haven't used this brand before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but honestly I'm really impressed! The item itself is small, slim and lightweight but pretty surdy, and the connecting cable that is attached tucks neatly away underneath when you are not using it, so it;s easy to take with you and doesn't take up much room. I keep mine in my laptop bag. It doesn't say so on the box but it works perfectly with Windows 11 too. You literally plug it in via USB cable (there is an extra cable so you can use both types of USB port) and it starts to work right away (the correct screen comes on for what you are using it for). I've tested it out playing my discs but also burning and ripping CDs and it's super easy to use, it does the job quickly, records and plays perfectly and the sound quality is excellent. I'm not great with tech usually to be fair but using this was no problem for me. I would definitely buy again and happily recommend if you are looking for a no fuss great quality external CD drive.

This is a truly great bit of kit for anyone who, like me, has no optical drive in their laptop. It's slimline, sleek and brilliantly designed. The combined power / data USB cable fits neatly into a channel on the underside of the unit, keeping it tidy and damage-free for storage. And because I connect this drive via a powered USB hub, that's the only connection I need. If your laptop struggles to provide the drive with enough juice, a separate USB cable (supplied) allows power to be supplied to the drive via a USB-A port on the rear of the unit. Read / Write speeds are good and the drive is compatible with USB-2, so fine if you have an older laptop / PC. Windows 10 / Windows 11 will automatically install and use generic Matshita (Panasonic) drivers meaning this device is truly plug and play. If you have an older version of windows, drivers will be readily available online. Disc tray pops out instantly upon pressed the eject button and disc spin-up is reassuringly rapid. This is a truly versatile and convenient solution to newer "slimline" laptops which lack the hardware which was standard until only a few years ago. If you're looking to play / rip CDs or DVDs or you want to back up your data to optical media (including creating your own music compilations on CD), then this unit will definitely see you right. I've only had this a day and it's intended for occasional use only but I have to say, for the price paid (sub £20 at the time of purchase) I've got a lot of bang for my buck and am absolutely thrilled with the device. Some people have complained about the short USB lead. It's really not an issue. Plenty of lead to allow the device to sit beside your laptop or on top of your PC (dependant of course on the location of your USB sockets) and if the short lead is an issue, you can buy a USB extension cable on Amazon or eBay cheaply. Personally, I welcome the built-in cable tidy and have not had an issue situating the connected drive close enough to my laptop but far enough away that I'm not having to work around it. Oh, and in answer to some other people's questions - no. This device does NOT come with burning software. If it did, it would be three or four times the price. The good news? Windows 10 and Windows 11 feature their own proprietary burning software which might lack the control and finesse of the likes of Nero, but it does what it says on the tin. I can't give this device anything other than 5 stars. It's inexpensive, sturdy, well designed and fully functional. There are more expensive devices out there but if you're only looking for a portable read / write solution for CDs and DVDs (this unit is obviously NOT compatible with Bluray), then look no further.

Bought this with the main purpose of being able to rip my audio CDs to mp3 so I can listen on my phone. Device was very easy to get working; a short (approx 10cm), hard-wired USB 3.0 cable provides enough power for the unit to run and after a few seconds it showed up as expected in Windows 11. There is an option to connect a Micro USB cable to supply additional power should you only have USB 2.0 options. At the time of writing, I haven't run any speed tests on it or tried writing to a DVD/CD, but it took approx 10min to rip a 50min audio CD. For the price, I'm happy with it's performance & it's nice and compact so can easily stashed away when not in use. Only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that the tray itself does feel slightly fragile but I don't think this will be an issue unless you're heavy-handed.

Used for installing programs on new lap top that doesn't have its own DVD drive

Works very well for the price, I was skeptical but the reviews seemed trustworthy. Would deffo recommend. I needed it to download old Sims games and it was really fast to download too

The cd draw will not open when you press the button, so you will need to use a paper clip to open it every time. The drive runs slowly and will only sometimes recognise that you have inserted a cd. The top of the driver is faulty and prevents the cd inside the draw from spinning, so you will need to turn the driver upside down. The wire that connects the driver is quite short. And the driver will need to be plugged into a charger too so it has enough power. A waste of money. The only plus is that the return process was easy. I ended up buying a drive for a little bit more money from HP - worked instantly! Definitely buy from a recognisable brand and save yourself the headache.

It works really well, works on linux and windows, burns and plays cd's/dvs's really well and its got a GREAT price

You won't sit in awe at the sturdiness of the thing (or the odd red stripe around it), for sure. But it works...well once you realise that it doesn't have a plug and uses two USB cables as one supplies power to the burner...doh! (yep, the USB cable to conenct it to the USB port is stuck in the base of the device and you have to remove it to plug in...I know, I'm probably the only one that missed it ;-)) I suppose it's this way (another USB cable) or another upside down useless big power adapter that blocks a socket on an extension. The USB cable is ridiculously short by the way. And, unlike the power cable, it is permanently attached...it isn't removable. That's a pain. So you can't attach a longer cable...well you would need an extension..I haven't tried that to be clear. It is fairly speedy burning (and ripping CDs) and using a DVD as a multisession disc in Windows works without any problems too. The eject on it is useless. You will have to hold the top of the writer quite firmly before trying to eject or insert a disc as the unit will slide around everywhere and even then it ejects about 2cms and you have to pull the drive out and push it back in manually. This is my first use of a portable writer, so excuse the disdain. I pulled the SATA burner out of my tower and connected it via a SATA to USB adapter to compare. It was quicker and quieter than the portable. But I shalln't be buying an enclosure for the internal SATA DVDR-W as they are ridiculously expensive, often 5 or 6 times more expensive than the hardware. So I'll probably get it out if I'm doing a lot of ripping otherwise I'll stick with this thing. Big bonus is that you can put it away if you're not using it. Well if you've got a spare cupboard or draw to stash stuff like this in. I have a cupboard for stuff like this...it'll take up residence in that.