20 Best External Usb Cd Drive For Chromebook (2023 Updated)

My new computer didn’t have an optical drive. Since I have terrible internet and it was now tax time, I needed to use a tax software disk instead of online preparation. I also have a great many photos that are on CD’s that I needed to transfer, so this was a good option, with not a great expense.

It was a lot slower to use than the built-in drives that I have had in the past and actually took multiple attempts to get the software loaded completely. It is a nice, slim size so it doesn’t take up much room to use.

It would have been really helpful if this drive came with a little case of some sort to store it in, along with the cords. As it is, I have to put everything back in the much bigger box it came in when I’m not using the device.

I need it for basic tasks, like watching a DVD movie or just adding old programs (CDs) to my computer. The Asus ZenDrive works as it should be. I tried to install the Asus ZenDrive software but my device doesn’t accept it.

I have no idea if I’m losing something because I can’t install it, but so far, I bought it for the simple tasks I mentioned above and works great. I’m very happy with this purchase. Actually this is the second AsusDrive I buy from Best Buy.

The another one is used very often as well. Buying online and in person at the store have been both very good experiences. I recommend the AsusDrive device and Best Buy store.

As computers continually become more technologically advanced it was assumed. assumed. that DVD RW would no loner be necessary. Well if that were the case why would they sell them? These are still important to store information outside of the computer proper.

Sometimes you do not want to process certain programs without the change of acquiring a virus and this is just another step to keep us safe from those whose sole purpose is to sow chaos. I needed it, I used it and still do.

The computer companies need to realize that older tech does not mean non essential tech. Many individuals do not want to email lengthy programs and details and DVD’s are still the go to even above and beyond thumb drives.

It takes very little programming and space to add these features back in Thank You.

I was expecting to have to at least let it install drivers on my computer or have to go and find them online but no, plugged straight in and played cds and dvds alike. Haven’t tried writing discs yet as I have no reason to.

Arrived promptly and has been a good experience. The only thing is that it’s a bit louder than the fans in my pc but I don’t mind at all as its a familiar background noise that I haven’t heard in a while.

This is really slimline and small, I was surprised. However it seems well built and it works well, just plug it in and away you go, very handy to have nowadays as nothing comes with a DVD player and they are still useful to have.

I am running mine on both a Mac and a Windows machine.

This little drive was essential because the main computer cabinet no longer has a DVD or CD drive. But I need one to play music. So it was essential and it works out of the box. No set up required. Great for the job.

I have a new LG laptop, which is great, but no DVD player. Unthinkingly, I bought tax software on CD version and stupidly opened, then realized I had no player. Once opened, no returns. I ordered two plug and play brand players featured on Amazon, and neither worked.

I then found the LG player at about the same price. My only complaint is that LG, like most companies nowadays, print instructions on tiny pieces of paper in a small font. For those of us with bad eyesight and who do not respond well to minimal graphics, this is not good.

I had to call LG to find out how to open the drive door (you push on it) so I could insert the CD to load. The small paper with minimal instruction must be to cut cost, but that is so thoughtless.

When I received the DVD Writer, at a discounted price for an honest review, the LG DVD writer looks like any other player/recorder. But once it has been used, you notice that it is different in many ways.

Initially, when you connect it, it is hard to tell that it is powered on since it is so quiet. When inserting a disc, the election is almost a quiet as the reading portion of it. One thing that this unit has that others do not is the ability to record M-Disc media.

This format is supposed to allow for true permanent storage, The only drawback I have come across is the availability of the M-Disc media. The availability of it is limited, and really hard to locate.

I have found some but it took several weeks for them to be shipped from Japan. This is the only thing that prevents it from getting a 5-star review.

I purchased this a month or so ago and am very happy with it. My old laptop has Windows 7 on it, by choice, and it works fine. I did have to get the Geek Squad to check something before I could get it to work.

I had an error message at first. We found one of the ports that did work well with it. It is plug and play and I’m glad for that. I’ve only used it for playing DVD’s so far, but it has other capabilities.

The price is great.

Computer does not recognize it. Plugged into new Windows 11 computer. Nothing happens nothing shows up in Explorer or in Device Manager. Put in disk, it spins a little but still nothing on computer. Tried different USB port.

same result. Going to be returned. What a hassle. Ordered three items, two did not work and one got lost.

Didn’t work at all. Got it to burn cds but but the claim of plug and play is false tried it in my laptop and it would not show up also tried on a apple desktop and did not even register that anything was plugged it.

Save your time and money do not buy. Also when I tried to do the costumer service they responded once asking for pictures to assess it more which I sent and then never contacted me again. I am returning.

Oh and it did not come with the usb-c adapter that it says it will.

This drive is thin and very light weight. This makes it super easy to carry around with me. I plug it into a USB port and it is instantly recognized and used by my computer. No drivers or configuration required.

One cable, a USB cable, provides power and data transfer. This makes it super simple to hook up.

This device came with the integrated cord, which is only 9″, it’s nice that it also has a space for the cord on the device, which means it can be contained and carried without needing to ‘find’ the cord.

The issue is that the shorter cord also means having to get an extension adapter to be able to use it at a distance from the computer. There were no instructions with the purchase, but after adding a disc it worked like an integrated disc player depending on what was put in it.

There is also a light that shows when the device is in use with a disc after being plugged in, but the light doesn’t seem to stay on after the disc is active.

First of all it took forever to come. Secondly the usb cord was so short had to prop it up to reach computer usb. Thirdly ,the door did not open far enough for dvds. Very disappointed, as I got two, waited too long for them, and then had those issues.

Bought a new laptop with no CD/DVD player. Bought this item so i could digitize my CDs and movies. Easy, inexpensive and works like a charm. Thanks!

Okay the only pros I have for this product are: 1. It’s an actual plug and play external drive 2. It’s good when it works. Now, the cons are way more severe here 1. Whenever I open it, it jams halfway out so I have to realign it to be straight with my hand so it can pop open the rest of the way.

It got really annoying after awhile. 2. After using it for a week, it stopped working. I thought it was my software but I bought a new different brand optical drive and it worked again perfectly so it was the drive after all.

I know these days almost everything is by streaming or digital download. However there are still guys like me who like physical copies of things or still has old physical copies of stuff like CDs to play or rip.

Maybe cuz of this, less attention is given to the stability of these things when constructing or even designing them now but that’s not fair. There are some things only playable in physical form and for this to happen on a $40 drive is yes, not too bad cuz it’s not expensive, but I am now using a $20 drive that’s blowing it out of the water right now in quality.

I’ll never buy this garbage again. Terrible, Dell….

I purchased a slim Dell computer to replace my old Dell because of the age of the old computer (10 years – which still works fine), and the fact that the old computer was not capable of updating to the new Windows 11.

Because of the slim design, to have a DVD connection an external drive was required. The external drive is powered by the USB connection and is slim in profile. There is a simple button for ejecting and a small green activity indicator light on the front, with only the cable connection port at the back.

The device was easily recognized with a few seconds delay after the cable was plugged into the computer. I tested the read and write capability of the device, and it works as intended. The sleek black housing makes the device look very high-tech and blends well with the other device at my work station.

I would highly recommend this external DVD R/W drive Dell, which is universal for any computer with a USB port.

I was thrilled with the service. I ordered it one day and it was delivered the next day. I did see some of the reviews commenting on how flimsy it was and I do agree with this. I have the most difficult time pushing the little button to get the drawer to open and have resorted to going to the drive on my computer and clicking on the eject button.

It is very lightweight. However, it does do the job! I have burned several CD’s since hooking it up and it works just great so I am very pleased with that. The unit does not come with instructions and I’m a senior so it would be nice if written instructions were included for those of us who are not so tech savvy.

Thankfully my sister was able to sign on remotely and get it all set up and working for me.

Honestly this is one of the best Bestbuy purchases I have ever made. I had been looking for an alternative method instead of spending thousands of dollars to buy a computer/desktop combo like an all in one of something similar to play older style computer games since most modern laptops don’t come with them anymore.

I’m happy to find this product and I bought it during the recent Black Friday sale though it’s current price ($59. 99) is worth it and has exceeded all of my expectations. For example: I own an HP laptop with Windows 11 and I was able to install and play an older style game (Black and White released 2001) which was only supposed to be for Windows 95/98 perfectly without issues.

I highly recommend this product if anyone is looking for decent way to play games on your laptop.

So far it works great , hopefully it will last a long time. I had a different brand before and although it was still new , the connector broke off inside leaving it useless. I dont use it everyday , just when installing new software on my laptop.

It seems to read cds without any hesitation and reads the discs for installation of software without any issues what so ever. I havent tried any DVDs yet but I dont expect any problems. I would recommend this for installing software on laptops or PCs that dont have a cd drive , its convenient and its fast.

Its small so its easy to store away when not use. Can easily fit inside a laptop case along with the laptop. No external power needed which eliminates the need to carry a power adapter. Nice little drive.

After an extensive look into the world of poorly-reviewed external disc drives, I decided to see if there was anything at my own friendly neighborhood Walmart, and sure enough, I was lucky enough to find that the only one there was this worthless piece of c r a p.

Most reviews are good, as you’ll see, but don’t be fooled. Directions were easy to follow, installation went smoothly, and the product wouldn’t work. It would only recognize that I had a DVD in, as it would show the title of it in the Media player, but would not play it at all.

As for the comments about this being a quiet product, it sounded less like it was attempting to play my disc and more like it was trying to kill it. No actual damage done to the DVDs I tried, but it is a failure, plain and simple.

Another nice surprise was how this little bitty player was able to slow my brand new barely-used computer with an i7-6500U processor to a crawl, when I’d had no previous issues with it. Seriously, don’t get this product.

Get anything else.

Necessary when on-site upgrading NPO’s who only have CD drives in their older, albeit still useful, desktops. About us: About us: Our focus is R3 (Recovery, Rebuild, Reuse). We rebuild Tablets-Netbooks-Laptops to gift to needy children & the disabled via NPO’s (Non-Profit Org’s) for OTG, to connect and learn; >2800 gifted.

Our hope is to make a positive difference for those in need. My disabled dragon son QC tests and ships our gifts through NPO’s to the needy, and has the difficult responsibility of managing our small profit center (See below).

I fund this work with my veteran’s benefit + working capital from sales of high-end tablets in our small profit center. This model fits “Capitalism for a Cause;” a concept I developed wherein the profit center funds its Not-4-Profit partner, creating Nature’s perfect symmetry, a circle, of self-reliance.

handy product. I still use a burner, they are more reliable that thumb drive. a thumb is much faster than a burner but I still use both for backing up data. the software that comes with the drive is out of date a newer version is available I don’t use it for that reason.

I have my own brand of burning software which I have used for years. reliable product this is my second one. it sits a little low on the desk for me, the drawer what’s to drag a bit, so I take small round plastic circles and stuck them on the bottom that helps.

comes with a split y cable which is really to short to be of practical use could be a little longer for those who don’t side ports. have usb 3 ports on my computer only use one cable. as far as the product goes I would buy it again this is my second burner same company.

I have had no issues what so ever with this product. slim, compact, reasonably priced and available.

Works great but it’s not like a “fixed” in place Reader. You will need to hold the player with one hand and load with the other. Being lite it moves about when you are trying to load a DVD. When operating it stays still, does not move around.

It has 2 USB power cables rather than one, and it will work with just one but the manufacturer recommends using both. So you need 2 USB PORTS. The cables themselves are a little short Otherwise, it works excellent and is perfect for loading programs, of yesteryear and music etc from CDs.

Cheap but will do the job- no worries.

Nothing fancy, works well. I’ve only used it once thus far, and it was easy and efficient to use. Finally replaced my 8 year old MacBook and the new ones have no CD/DVD drive; I put off dealing with it till it became crucial.

B&H salesperson was very helpful in guiding me to this product as the best one for my simple needs. Gotta LOVE B&H Customer Service – the BEST!!!.

I got this drive to add occasional optical functionality (disaster recovery) to our laptops. The drive works well straight out to the box, but it does want to eat up two USB ports to do it. I know this is because it is a little power hungry and a single USB port might not have enough juice to do the job.

It is also a little slow to initialize and show up as a device on the laptop (as compared to, say, a USB memory stick). It also doesn’t read blindingly fast, but for may application it does not matter for my application.

It is also fast enough to stream audio CD’s and DVD movies, so all good in the long run. Just don’t buy it if you want to transfer a lot of data to or from data discs as you will be at it all year (This device isn’t meant to do that full time so why would you).

Device is light, but that means the door mechanism is made of very thin materials so treat it gently if you want it to last.

I purchased this item thinking it would be of high quality since it is made by HP. wrong. It didn’t work directly out of the box. I tried using the DVD they provided for software download, and it wouldn’t even read that.

I tried another DVD, and I saw the first screen, but it would not actually play the DVD. I tried holding the door of the DVD player, and was able to get it to read the DVD for a short time, but even then, it stopped after a few minutes.

Don’t waste your time with this product. Office Depot is making good on crediting me for this purchase, so I don’t have any issue with them.

Surprisingly light and sturdy, this LG external CD/DVD reader/writer was just what I needed, when I had to transfer files from my old computer to my new one, the latter of which does not have an optical drive (as is the case with most computers, these days).

Even though it comes with a disc pre-loaded with a few programs, I had no trouble using the device without it (attaches via a standard (type A) USB cable). I have read and written text files, images, and videos, both of my own creation and from previous discs, and have checked the written ones on another computer and CD/DVD player with no issues.

It is surprisingly quiet, and I appreciate the LED indicator flashing as it processes (when I watch a movie using it, I turn the unit so the LED is away from me to avoid the distraction). FWIW, I selected it for two reasons: It was half-off during a sales period, and because of the LG brand, which I have, happily, used with numerous products over the years.

When not in use, I unplug it and store it in its original box.

Love this and its easy to set up very simple to use. These days laptops don’t come with a disk drive so we have to buy one luckily for me one that still uses a cd disk that they offer a way to do this.

Its very small and very lightweight. It is a bit slow but I didn’t need anything fancy to use. This is very affordable for those on a budget and those that are just not needing anything really expensive and not all the bells and whistles.

I really only needed it to be able to get my software onto my new laptop in which I love it. Most these days everything’s in the Cloud lol. Its a bit noisy but not over noisy. Readon for saying its noisy is I have had a lot quieter disk drives.

Its basically plastic but it serves it purpose. Would I buy again if I needed one well yeah I would and would I recommend it to anyone yes again I would, besides anyone on a budget or didn’t really need anything fancy its an alright machine.

This has done a fine job and is working as advertised. So far we have played back commercially released movie DVDs, burned a DVD-R of home movie recordings, and burned an audio CD. We have not tried the many other supported disc formats.

Seems to be plug and play with Mac operating system. The eject button on the front only worked when there was no disc or after “disconnecting” the drive in the Mac Finder window (but not physically disconnecting), but not while paused or stopped with an active disc in the device; however, I believe this is a quirk of the Mac OS and not the burner.

Would have liked the eject button on the DCD drive to also be an independent manual override any time, but there is the usual pinhole for that, if needed. And it may behave differently with other operating systems.

Needed to get this HP USB External DVD-RW Drive for my HP Chromebook after checking its compatibility from the list on the HP website. Works fine with no issues so far.

As new pristine item which worked perfectly at once. Great value. Very well made. Easy to use. Packaged very well and posted at once. Really delighted. Many thanks!

Basic setup. I just needed to download the drivers. Picture quality is beautiful. Very handy for viewing old files burned to disc or playing movies during a power outage. Multi-regional!!! I can play my DVDs from the UK (region 2) no problem!!!.

The first one arrived in like new condition, the second one was used looking, but both work perfectly with my two m900 tiny lenovo computers. Better than paying full price for this device.

Purchased this to play some DVD’s thru my laptop. Installed the CyberLink program following the steps/instructions. Eagerly attempted to play the particular DVD I had specifically purchased this player for.

There was no audio available. “Unsupported Audio” and the video was presented as 8 separate tiles which would only play individually – after playing thru each tile it would return to the menu to play the following tile.

Wasted several hours searching internet attempting to understand what was wrong. Operator error?? Possibly. but most likely not. I eventually downloaded a free DVD player from Microsoft store and the DVD player instantly started playing seamlessly thru all the programs without interruption and WITH audio.

Hence the 3 stars. DVD player appears to play fine – we’ll see how long – but the CyberLink software stinks. P. S. I have no idea why or when I titled myself ‘Resentful’. must have been a pretty bad day – I’m not :).

Specifications say this drive requires Windows or Mac OS X, but I find it is compatible with Linux (Linux Mint 20. 2). It will play audio CDs (with Rhythmbox), movie DVDs (with Celluloid), and burn CD-R and DVD-R (with kb3).

But be careful which software you use for burning: brasero was unacceptably slow. Like many DVD drives today, the disk drawer does not open fully enough to completely uncover the disk. The box I received says made in Malaysia.

Full review: https://vitarustica. wordpress. com/2021/12/26/review-of-lg-ultra-slim-portable-dvd-writer-gp65ns60/.

Still haven’t cracked the code of exactly when this device will decide to work. Sometimes you need to plug directly into a computer, sometimes it works through a hub. Sometimes it plays your movie, sometimes not.

Sometimes it reads your files and allows you to drag them over, sometimes not. Tried on multiple Apple machines–it seems to be more consistent now, a few weeks after purchase, but if you are in a serious time crunch, you might want to go with a different brand or price point.

Plastic construction seems a bit flimsy. Was expecting a bit more out of LG.

When my new computer did not have an installed dvd player/writer, I had to buy an external drive. I went through three flimsily cased dvd that had problems from the start. None lasted more than a year.

I found this dvd writer/player on Staples, and it looked like it had a decent case. When I received it, I was pleased with the case, as it was made of metal and was heavier and more solid that the lightweight plastic, easily damaged ones.

This one cost twice as much, but it’s worth it. Time will tell. When it opens and closes, the sound of the mechanism sounds pretty solid, not plastic clicks. The door is plastic, yes. But overall I like this writer/player.

I am no longer computer literate. This was almost plug and play. The manual is in very small print which gives me a little problem. I did get it up and operating. I haven’t done everything with it yet, but it appears to be what I need.

I may need to get more software. Verbatim products have always been good to me, so I hope that will continue.

Replacing a drive that was built into my old computer that is soon to be deactivated. Very compact. Does not need a separate power brick but does need at least USB 3. 1 to operate. I have hardly used it.

Only put a DVD in it to make sure it works.