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 Lite-On's new DVD writer in our test computer. After making sure that the LH-20A1L was recognized by Windows, I was ready to start installing the software.
Software Installation:
As I mentioned earlier, the LH-20A1L 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.
As you can see, this menu is pretty straight forward. To install the writing software, you will want to choose the "Install Nero Essentials" option. After that, you will be taken to the Nero installation menu.
By default the 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:
Most of the LH-20A1L's documentation is located in the "User's Manual." Similar to the ones included with Lite-On's other drives, this manual covers a number of topics. It starts out by getting the user familiarized with their new DVD writer. The first section goes over the drive'ssupported formats, recording modes, and system requirements. The manual also spends a few pages going over the locations and the functions of the buttons and connectors located on the front and back of the drive.
From here, the manual jumps right into the physical installation of the LH-20A1L. With no jumpers to configure, this section is relatively brief. Nevertheless, it covers all of the basics including how to install it into an empty drive bay and hook up the cables. The manual continues on by going over the basic operation of the LH-20A1L. Along with information on how to use and maintain the drive, it includes instructions to create and burn your own LightScribe labeled discs. Last but not least, there is a short troubleshooting section containing a list of common problems as well as their solutions.
Lite-On's new DVD writer also comes with a "Quick Start Guide." While I normally find these guides useful, the one that came with my LH-20A1L was for an IDE drive and did not include anything related to its SATA interface. With this in mind, you're much better off with the instructions in the manual than the ones in this guide.
Like Lite-On's previous DVD writers, the LH-20A1L was very easy to install. With its Serial ATA interface, most people will have it up and running in no time. If you do run into trouble, the documentation Lite-On has provided is more than sufficient. However, I would have liked to have seen a little more drive specific information. With this in mind, I give the installation an 8 out of a possible 10.
