Originally Posted by AlkS14

What does it men when a product is "an internal Drive placed in External casing"? Does that means it functions as an external drive? Also, how long does a lite-on Drive usually last? How long for Samsung?

An "external casing" is a plastic shell with a big slot in the middle to fit a standard internal CD / DVD drive inside it. It sits outside the PC. It usually connects via a USB port but it might use a parallel port or serial port. Personally, I would prefer to buy a proper external drive designed for that purpose.

Samsung CDROM drives generally last many years (I've got some that are 5 years old and still good as new). DVDRW and Combo drives are too new to know whether they will last that long. I've had a Lite-On drive for a couple of years that never gave me any trouble but I sold the system that it was in some time ago so I don't know how long it lasted or whether it is still running.

Originally Posted by AlkS14

The thing is, my E: Drive (DVD/CD-RW combo drive) still works- its just the power supply thats the problem as I explained earlier. So, in your opinion, should i get a new power supply or an external drive. Whats better quality-wise, and price-wise?

I didn't quite follow what the problem was with the power supply (PSU). It sounded like it didn't fit properly and, as a result, the cables didn't reach. If it didn't fit properly, then it was either fitted badly or it wasn't the right type for your PC. If it was from a desktop case rather than a tower case, you often find that these are only rated at 200 watts, which isn't very much. If the PSU is indeed the wrong type, it would be best to buy the right one and then you can also continue to use your existing combo drive. The down-side is that these need to be fitted properly and so you may prefer to take it to a shop to do this, which could be expensive. If you fit it yourself, a new PSU will cost about the same as a new internal combo drive and probably less than a new external combo drive.

Originally Posted by AlkS14

ALso, how am I supposed to know what replacement power supply to purchase? How many watts? fans? What is compatible with my PC (a Micron PC Millennia RS 2100 w/ Windows mE)

Haven't been able to find anything on your specific PC but here's a good "rule of thumb" to use: If your keyboard and mouse ports on the back of your PC are coloured purple and green, you need an ATX power supply. Make sure you get one for a desktop PC if your base unit sits flat on your desk under your monitor or a PSU for a tower PC if it is designed to stand upright on the floor with the CD drives mounted horizontally in the standard way. Doesn't sound like your PC is a particularly high-spec system but it does have 2 optical drives (DVD / CD) and that takes more power. Therefore, I'd recommend a 350w PSU. 350 watts is pretty small these days so it won't cost the earth

Thanks a lot for your help. In case I get an external drive, how would you rate the quality of a Memorex External CD-RW drive?

The keyboard/mouse are purple and green. So I would just need a 350 wt PSU, and that would fit inside my PC?

I've never used Memorex drives before so I'm afraid I couldn't give you an honest opinion.

Originally Posted by AlkS14

The keyboard/mouse are purple and green. So I would just need a 350 wt PSU, and that would fit inside my PC?

Yes, that's right - you need a 350 watt ATX PSU (almost all new PSUs are ATX but check before you buy). A 400 watt or even higher-rated model will do the job just as well but they are likely to be more expensive than what you need. Bear in mind that you MUST get one designed for your style of PC (desktop or tower) as explained earlier.

Glad we could help