Thanks, Laddyboy for responding. Ok heres the situation. I have a HP computer thats about 10 months old, it has a dvd drive 640B. It has no free bays for another drive, so I was thinking of getting a Plextor and putting it where the CD drive is. My reason is: the HP640B drive does not support CLONE2. I have installed and reinstalled 3 times(well my tech friend did) and it just does not work, it will burn but theres no way to eject the disc. We googled the problem, and there were other 640B users that had the same problem with Clone2. So I want to get a secondary drive so I can use Clone2, so I am able to back up certain movies without going to my "teckie" friends to do it. Now I feel as though I am a burden to my tech friends, and I don't want to bother them with putting in the 2nd drive. I know an external drive is much more money, I have no problem with that. Will an external drive provide me with the same burning abilities & quality? Do you plug it into your USB hub or the back of the computer. Which one would u suggest being a decent external burner, thats easy and not over say 250? I know the internal is cheaper and only takes 15 minutes to install, but I don't ant to bother these people anymore. any suggestions are appreciated. Its only been within the last 2 months that theres been a few movies I cannot back up without clone2. I normally use DVD shrink, DVD decrypter, Fab decrypter & nero without problems. thanks
There are a lot of external dvd drives for under $200. Good ones too. They go through you usb 2.0 port.
Well, I read your post with some interest as I also have an hp 640b and was thinking about getting Clone2 to go with AnyDVD so I downloaded the free trial software. I made 2 successful burns. Drive responded fine and each movie took about 30 minutes from start to finish. So with that being said and your current drive less than 10 months old. I would try to get a new drive from HP because you're drive is under warranty and it is possible to get a new drive from HP because I've done it.
hello buffster. Yes you definitely need a USB2 or Firewire port for an external burner. If you have neither, but a PCMCIA slot, you can add ports that way as well. You might check the cost of an external burner against the cost of an internal with an external enclosure. Frankly, if you want another burner, just get a good internal one and install it in place of one of the existing drives, CD or DVD. It's not hard and takes maybe 5 minutes. Unhook a power and data cable, remove the old drive, put in the new drive, and hook up the two cables. The OS should do the rest.
also, not sure if this will help but after some searching I did find that HP has a firmware update on its website for 640b, its been out since September but due to its labeling wasn't sure if it was for the 640B. The new firmware version is E193.
solamf30, you might post the link for him. If this burner doesn't do dual layer burns you might want to get a new one if you have any interest in burning DL media. My usual firmware sites are showing no firmware updates for this burner.
The HP DVD Writer 640B is a DL with Lightscribe, I've been researching it and seems the majority think it is a rebadged LG burner while some say it is a Benq. Anyways here is the link for the firmware. I know it works because I just used it today. Just follow the instructions: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=459896&lang=en&cc=us&softwareitem=pv-32087-2
Hi Laddieboy. I was a little confused, if not overwelmed by the last few responses. Is there something I can do to make my HP640B burner work with Clone2? Also as easy as you make it sound, trust me there is no way for me to put an internal burner in myself. I have hand injuries, and even with my glasses it would suck! You said I need a USB2 port to run an external, what is it? and how do I know if I have it? and where would it be if I do? This systems only 10 months old its a 540JHP if that helps. Maybe someone already knows if I have that USB2 Port. I'm much better educated with software then hardware. The only reason I'd go with a Plextor is that most of my friends that run Clone2 and Anydvd, have plextors. Anyother models worth running that would be compatiable with those programs. Like I said about 87% of movies I can back up but the last 3 Madegascar, skuhigh and the brothers grimm, was.......pretty GRIMM..there was no way without clone. I really appreciate all your help, its nice to know there still "gentlemen" out there.
buffster, if you have the same burner as solamf30, then go to the site he linked to and try flashing your drive with that firmware at that site. The drive at that site doesn't have the same model number as yours but he claims it's the same, so who knows. Generally speaking, firmware won't flash to a burner it's not designed for. The instructions for updating the firmware are at the site he linked. This is probably your best shot at getting it to work. Are you sure you had the latest editions of CloneDVD and AnyDVD? I'm just not familiar with HP burners so I'm not too much help here. DFo you have a media center PC? Is your burner a Lightscribe burner?
laddieboy: yes its a lightsvribe burner. Can u tell me where to look if I have USB2 plug for an external burner? thanks
buffster, if you have a HP Pavillion 540, then the USB ports are in fact USB2 ports and should work with any USB2 external device, including burners.
