In message , Brian Gaff
writes
Why not get a powered usb hub and then there will be no issue with
power from the usb.
Not sure what you mean about rated 110v, that would be silly in this
country and would probably go bang when you plugged it in. I do feel a
little more pressure at Amazon might convince them its their problem
unless he bought it from a marketplace vendor not in the UK of course.
always pays to look at the supplier name in the checkout you know, it
normally says supplied and sold by bloggs inc of china or something
rather than the usual Amazon info.
The fact is it should not fail in such a short time.
I was going to mention that 52X is the fastest accurate reading speed
you can expect and thus 48 seems not too bad. Some music cds seem to
keep throttling back and retrying so one supposes these do not like
being read
fast.
Brian, he has decided what to do now, so this is just to reply to your
points.
1. I suggested he tried a powered usb hub. He found one, but not the
correct cables. Meanwhile, I read some adverts for external slimline usb
drives that stated they may not work via an external hub. I have no idea
why this may be.

2. The reference to 110 volts was in the context of this being supplied
by Amazon US and coming with an American plug. I was getting him to
check that the psu did state 240 volts as well as the native 110.
It appears that if you place an order with Amazon UK for an item
supplied by Amazon US, you are hit by a bunch of different terms and
conditions. One specific condition in this case was that the item was
not covered by the manufacturer's warranty. All this was a surprise to
me, and to him.

3. He is hoping that he will get a refund if it is agreed it has failed.
One just hopes that Amazon in Kentucky does actually test it and agree.

4. Yes, the 52x max speed seems to ring a bell here, and 48x seems to be
a reasonable expectation for a 5.25" drive. But all the slimline drives,
as currently available in external cases, seem to max out at 24x.

This threw up a lot of interesting things I had never thought about. I
do wonder whether Amazon's t & c's comply with British law in this case,
but I'll leave that up to him to worry about..
--
Bill