Will a 2.0 usb DVD-rw work with my laptop's 1.1 usb port?

Question

I want to get an external dvd-rw for my laptop which is about 4 years old. Will they be compatible?

Answer 1

I would not recommend connecting a USB 2.0 DVD-RW drive to a USB 1.1 port. If you were connecting a hard drive, camera, scanner or printer, then I would say it would not be a big deal. But, since high data transfer is important to burn DVD's successfully, I would not recommend it. USB 2.0 has a maximum 480 megabits per second, where USB 1.1 is 12 megabits per a second connection. 40 x faster than 1.1. Even if it did work, it would take you forever to burn a DVD at such a slow data rate.

The better solution would be to purchase a PCMCIA USB 2.0 card. Then, connect your DVD-RW drive to this. Then, you will get the maximum speed. As long as you have a Type II PCMCIA slot, you would be okay.

Here is a link to what I am talking about.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=415278

Answer 2

As long as the DVD-rw drive itself is compatible the usb port should be fine. You will likely get a message that says something to the effect of this drive could be performing faster if connected to a 2.0 port. It will work just not be able to transfer files as quickly.

Answer 3

I've never run into any USB 2.0 devices that were not backwards compatible with USB 1.1. The speed will be significantly reduced from 480mb to 40mb if my memory serves me correctly.

You can verify backwards compatibility by contacting the manufacturer. You should also check which operating systems the drive will work with if you have an older PC.

Answer 4

If you have a PC Card slot, you can buy a PC Card with USB 2.0. The greater speed will probably be worth it.

Answer 5

USB 2.0 devices are backwards compatible, but with a burner you may experience slower burn times, and if you don't let the program choose the burn speed you may get buffer errors.