Drive Choose'n

Many people have been writing their own CDs for some time now, and more people are choosing to write DVD media as well. There are many advantages having a DVD writer with good software - especially if you have the time (and need) to put various media presentations together. They also make a great way to archive all those digital pictures that are on the increase. My main purpose has been as removable storage (1 DVD holds more than 6 CDs worth of data). There are a couple of things to check when choosing a writer:

Format - there is DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, etc. If you plan to use the written disks in your DVD player attached to your TV then check that manual to see what formats it will read. These formats are not interchangeable! The rewriteable format will allow you to write and rewrite files to the disk. Also get a drive that can read and write CDs as well - most do. There are dual layer drives available now but I'd wait another year before going that route.

Speed - try to get the fastest drive you can. The disks have speed ratings as well. You can not use a disk that is slower than what the drive is attempting to write at. Some software will allow you to set the write speed - this is a plus.

Cost - cheap. Just make sure you buy from a reputable outlet and buy a known name that has been around for awhile. I bought one online from such a place and after I send in the $30 rebate my net cost for this full multi-format fast drive will be $84.99. I got the free shipping (Buy.com) and Oregon has no sales tax so that was my full price. If you get an internal drive with an ATA interface (most internal drives are) then you can simply swap it out with the current CD drive if you have one - just set the master/slave jumper to match.)

BTW I hear that Microsoft has started offering their own blogging environment. The catch is you will have to make your title and your content Microsoft approved because they have their own concept of what people should be saying.