Along with smaller cable size, one of the biggest benefits of Serial ATA is its ease of installation. Because it uses a point to point connection, setting jumpers has become a thing of the past. In most cases, installation is as simple as plugging in the SATA and power cables and turning the computer on. Needless to say, it took only a couple of minutes to install ASUS's DVD writer in our test computer. After making sure that the DRW-2014L1T was recognized by Windows, I was ready to start installing the software.
Software Installation:
As I mentioned earlier, the DRW-2014L1T comes with a CD full of software from Nero. If you have autorun enabled on your computer, the menu pictured below will automatically come up when you insert the disc.
By default the setup program for Nero 7 Essentials will install everything but InCD onto your computer. If you don't want to install the entire suite, select the custom installation. From here you can choose the components you want. Once you reboot, you'll be ready to start burning your own discs.
The Documentation:
Like the DRW-1814BLT, the DRW-2014L1T doesn't offer much in the way of documentation. The closest thing to a manual is the drive's "Quick Installation Guide". This small, fold out guide is broken up into 20 different languages with each language getting about a page worth of instructions. While these instructions take the user step by step through the installation process, the small size of the diagrams keeps them from being very useful. Also, if you're looking for things like the DRW-2014L1T's specs or system requirements, you'll have to check the back of the box or visit ASUS's website. You won't find that information in the guide.
In the end, installing the DRW-2014L1T was very easy. I had no problems getting the drive or the software installed and working. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the documentation. The brief instructions probably won't phase more experienced users. However, they might leave others in the dark. With this in mind, I give the installation a 7 out of a possible 10.
