nec 4550, used?

[slimpickins]

i bought an nec 4550 for micro direct, but it jsut came in a maplin bag, it wasnt factory sealed and it had no components, can i ask, is there a way to find out if it had ever been used befor ecos it hads a few scratches were the plugs were and i expect it was returned, i badly need to empty my hard drive so need to know if i casn perforem a siomple test to see if it has been used
p.s is the 4550 a good burner

[laspis59]

i bought an nec 4550 for micro direct, but it jsut came in a maplin bag, it wasnt factory sealed and it had no components, can i ask, is there a way to find out if it had ever been used befor ecos it hads a few scratches were the plugs were and i expect it was returned, i badly need to empty my hard drive so need to know if i casn perforem a siomple test to see if it has been used
p.s is the 4550 a good burner

I've bought quite a few components from Micro Direct and have never received the products in a Maplin bag.

If its OEM then it wont come with anything apart from the drive itself in a plastic bag (Not a Maplin one though)

It sounds to me as though its second hand .I bought a Plextor from there and it was broke,it would make a loud vibrating noise that you could hear even from in my garden. Other have been junk too.

The NEC 4550 is supposed to be good,according to other posts I have read,but I'd recommend buying a LG GSA 4167B retail boxed or BenQ 1655 retail.CDRInfo

[budz]

If you don't need to use Lightscribe Technology then get a BENQ 1650.

[laspis59]

Oh and I forgot if you would like Lightscribe Technology then forget the LG 4167B and get the 4166B

[slimpickins]

sorry, it didnt come in a maplin bag, just a clear plastic bag,
yes, i purchased a benq1650 a few weeks ago, found it good although it a few dvd-rs have got some skips in, which would be better for backing up my dvd's, some of them have small-significant scratches that im not gona bother with (i.e buffering them)

[waheed]

sorry, it didnt come in a maplin bag, just a clear plastic bag...

Then its an OEM product. OEM usually will NOT include box, cables, software, etc...

Micro Direct is only round the corner from where I live, ive bought all my components from there, never had a problem.

[laspis59]

Micro Direct is only round the corner from where I live, ive bought all my components from there, never had a problem.

I must have been very unlucky because all the dvd drives I've purchased from MD in Manchester have ALL had defects.
I now buy from OverClockers and have had no problems at all.

(Touch Wood)

[KBeee]

i bought an nec 4550 for micro direct, but it jsut came in a maplin bag, it wasnt factory sealed and it had no components, can i ask, is there a way to find out if it had ever been used befor ecos it hads a few scratches were the plugs were and i expect it was returned, i badly need to empty my hard drive so need to know if i casn perforem a siomple test to see if it has been used
p.s is the 4550 a good burner

I bought 2 4550's, a few months back, and both have worked flawlessly.
My problem is that WinXP identifies them both as 4551's, so I've no idea what I've got now.

[laspis59]

I bought 2 4550's, a few months back, and both have worked flawlessly.
My problem is that WinXP identifies them both as 4551's, so I've no idea what I've got now.

They are basically a newer model of the 4550's with LabelFlash technology.So your fine.

[KBeee]

Unfortunately the flash updates are not interchangable between the 4550's and the 4551's, so I've no idea what firmwear updates to apply