ValuStor 1045-XX-IDE/Parallel Port CD Drive Transformer

Emedia Professional, April, 1998 by Ron Gustavson

The IDE/Parallel Port Transformer drivers install from the supplied floppy disk, with separate procedures for either DOS/Windows 3.x or Windows 95. Under Windows 95's "Add Hardware" wizard, the ValuStor Parallel IDE Drive appears as a SCSI controller. This driver will detect the correct IRQ, but in case of conflict, there is a CDTEST.exe utility on the floppy for detecting where the transformer is found. This IRQ can then be entered in the Windows Control Panel as a command-line option. Generally, the IDE CD-ROM will then be recognized and operate under Windows 95. DOS and Windows 3.x drivers also come with the ValuStor kit. Windows NT drivers are available upon request, making the Transformer one of the most flexible and affordable options for a portable CD-ROM. An eight-page manual is supplied with the ValuStor kit; it isn't fancy, but it proves sufficient, especially for those only wrestling with adding the drive to a Windows 95 system.

One great advantage of the ValuStor Transformer is the printer pass-through port built into the back of the unit, side-by-side with the parallel port used to connect the CD-ROM drive to the PC. Printer pass-through is a must-have option for any device connecting to PCs through the parallel port; one need only consider that "printer port" is an often-used synonym for a PC's parallel port to understand why this is critical, since pass-throughs allow a printer to still function. For office LAN settings, where the "printer port" is often open, because the PC is networked to a remote printer, the use of the parallel port connection provides one more sharable CD-ROM drive for the network.

Other features of the ValuStor kit include back panel analog audio ports for plugging the unit into a stereo or boombox, a 36-inch parallel port cable, and a 16-volt 1.1-amp external AC power adapter.

But the best feature--for those with an extra IDE CD-ROM drive--is the price: at $89 for the kit, the ValuStor option is a value that holds its own.

RELATED ARTICLE: ValuStor 1045-XX IDE/Parallel Port CD Drive Transformer

Synopsis: ValuStor 1045-XX-IDE/Parallel Port CD Drive Transformer provides a case with parallel port cable and drivers to transform any internal IDE CD-ROM into an external parallel port drive. ValuStor has done a good job creating a simple kit that offers "portable" CD-ROM drives for far less than off-the-shelf portables, assuming, of course, that you have an internal CD-ROM drive kicking around.

Minimum Hardware Requirement: 286 PC and above, with 100 percent IBM compatible printer port or Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP). MS DOS version 4.0 or above, Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.

Price: $89

For more information, contact: ValuStor, Inc. 1609B Regatta Lane, San Jose, CA 95112; 408/437-2300; Fax: 408/437-9333; http://www.members.aol. com/ValuStorcw/; INFOLINK #448

Ron Gustavson (rongus@tiac.net) is a freelance writer based in Medfield, Massachusetts and a frequent contributor on CD/Online technologies and products.

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