Am using an OmniWriter here at work with a clone Pentium (I think with a
VX mobo.) without one moment of difficulty.  Since I'm already using an
old Adaptec ISA SCSI card for a Microtek scanner, I've hung the
OmniWriter off the SCSI chain directly instead of using the
Parallel-to-SCSI cable that came with the OmniWriter.

Actually, I take it back, there has been one problem.  There is a known
bug between the version of Adaptec DirectCD software that comes with the
drive and some Microtek scanners.  The upgrade of DirectCD (avail. from
Adaptec's web site) fixes it, but be absolutely sure that you have the
current firmware version for the OmniWriter before doing the upgrade.
You can get the current firmware and flashing program off Philips web
site.

One neat thing about this drive, being the external version, I was able
to figure out how to create a boot disk with the EPST software (the
drivers that come with the included Parallel-to-SCSI cable) and a copy of
APTICD from an old copy of Adaptec's Easy SCSI software, and using the
EPST cable, I can take this drive to any PC, boot from this special disk
I made, and have regular (read-only) access to the drive (almost like an
external, but read-only, ZIP drive).  Works great for installing software
that comes on CD onto standalone PCs that don't have their own CD-ROM
drives.

-JOWj.

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"The Pledge of Allegiance says, 'With liberty and justice for ALL.'  What
part of ALL do you not understand?" - Rep. Pat Schroder.

On Wed, 25 Feb 1998, William L. Kinsey wrote:

> Yesterday I purchased and installed a Philips OMNIwriter on my P MNX 200.  I
> used the parallel port because I do have a SCSI cable on hand.  It seems to
> work ok and I was able to write to a CD-ROM.  After I used it, my hard
> drives started acting up.  I would get cannot write, data may be lost
> message on more then one drive.  Also, when one of the drives runs, it sound
> like someone plucking on a tight spring.  Has anyone installed one of these
> CD-ROM write/rewriters?  Was there or have you have had any problems with
> your other drives?