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 LG's Super Multi Blue drive in our test computer. After making sure that the BH12LS38 was recognized by Windows, I was ready to start installing the software.
Software Installation:
As I mentioned earlier, the BH12LS38 comes with a CD full of software from CyberLink. If you have autorun enabled, the menu pictured below will automatically come up when you insert the disc.
As you can see, this menu is pretty straight forward. To start the setup process, simply click on the "Install Now" button. After selecting your preferred language and entering your customer information, you'll be presented with a list of components to choose from.
From here you can choose to install the BD Advisor, LabelPrint, MediaShow, LG Burning Tool (Power2Go), PowerBackup, PowerDVD, PowerProducer, YouCam or LG's firmware update utility. To complete the installation, select the components you want and click next a few more times. Once the files are copied over, you can start burning your own discs.
The Documentation:
Most of the BH12LS38's documentation is located in the "Owner's Manual." Similar to the ones included with LG's other drives, this manual covers a number of topics. It starts out by going over the system requirements and the functions of the various buttons and connectors located on the front and back of the BH12LS38. While the diagrams are small, they are clearly labeled and easy to understand. You will also want to pay special attention to the system requirements, especially if you plan to play Blu-ray movies protected by AACS.
From here, the manual jumps into the physical installation of the drive. The instructions cover all the basics including how to install the BH12LS38 into an empty drive bay and hook up the cables. The manual continues on by going over the basic operation of the drive. It explains how to insert and eject a disc and how to get one out of the drive in case of an emergency. Last but not least, it finishes up with a short troubleshooting section and a page full of specifications for the BH12LS38.
Like LG's previous Super Multi Blue drive, the BH12LS38 was very easy to install. I had no problems getting the drive or the software installed and working. If you do run into trouble, the documentation LG has provided is more than sufficient. With this in mind, the BH12LS38 scores a 9 out of 10 for the installation portion of this review.
