Like the other Plextor drives we've reviewed, the PX-716A was very easy to install. From start to finish, it took me only a few minutes to get it up and running. After taking the drive out of the box, I left the jumper set to master and installed it on the secondary IDE chain by connecting the IDE cable and power connector. When I turned on the computer the BIOS detected it as a drive supporting UDMA 66. The only thing left to do was to go into Device Manager and make sure DMA was enabled. With a drive like the PX-716A, enabling DMA is a must if you want to get the best reading and writing performance possible.
Software Installation:
The PX-716A comes with a CD full of software from Roxio and Dantz. If you have autorun enabled on your computer, the menu shown below will appear when you insert the disc. From here you can choose to install the Easy CD & DVD Creator (Easy Media Creator) suite, DVD Max, PlexTools Pro or RetroSpect Backup. Simply click the name of the application you want to install, and its setup program will start up automatically.
I was a little surprised by the lack of installation options available for Roxio's Easy Media Creator suite. Unlike earlier versions of this software, you are not given the choice of doing a full or custom installation. After selecting your preferred language, the setup program automatically installs the entire suite. Personally, I'd like to be able to choose whether or not to install things like Drag-to-Disc or PhotoSuite, but as integrated as the Easy Media Creator suite is, it might not be possible to omit these components.
Installing the rest of the bundled software is pretty straightforward. In most cases, it's as simple as choosing the location where you want to install the program, clicking next a few times and waiting for the setup program to copy the files over. After rebooting you'll be able to do things like play DVD's, control your drive's functions and backup the data on your computer.
Documentation:
For the North American market, the PX-716A comes with not one, but two, fairly large user manuals in your choice of English or French. The manual starts out by getting the user familiarized with their new DVD writer. The first section goes over the drive's capabilities, features and system requirements. Plextor has also provided some pretty good diagrams showing all of the different buttons and connectors located on the front and back of the drive. Everything is labeled clearly and the functions of each are easy to understand.
From here, the manual jumps right into the physical installation of the PX-716A. It starts out by going over how to open up your computer and determine your existing IDE configuration. If you're not sure about how to configure your computer, Plextor has provided a few examples along with the corresponding jumper settings. For more experienced users, there are also a few recommended configurations that will get you up and running quickly. The rest of the installation section walks you through the process of mounting the drive in your computer and hooking up the cables. Unfortunately, Plextor doesn't have any information on how to check whether or not the PX-716A is recognized by the OS or do things like enable DMA.
The nextfew sections of the manual cover a number of topics including how to use and maintain the PX-716A. Plextor has provided a lot of good information on some of the more advanced features like GigaRec, SecuRec, VariRec and the Q-Check tests. However, I must admit that I was a little disappointed with the section on AutoStrategy. As one of the PX-716A's biggest features, I expected to see a little more information. The manual also has a few short sections on firmware updates and the drive's self test diagnostics. You can use these diagnostics to see if the problem you are having is with the drive or somewhere else. Last but not least, you have a list of specifications and recommended media for the PX-716A.
The PX-716A also comes with a small, fold out "Quick Reference Guide." On one side of the guide Plextor has provided some instructions that walk you through the installation process. While brief, they cover all the basics including how to set the jumpers, hook up the cables and install the drive in your computer. If you flip over the guide, there are instructions on how to install and use some of the bundled software.
When it comes down to it, installing the PX-716A and the bundled software was as easy as they come. For those that might need a little help, the documentation Plextor has provided is quite good and contains a lot of information that should satisfy the needs of both novices and professionals alike. Personally, I would have liked to have seen some information on how to enable DMA in Windows as well as a few more options when installing the Roxio suite. However, this didn't keep the PX-716A from scoring a 9 out of 10 for the installation portion of this review.
