IBM/Lenovo X31 & satellite DVD-ROM issue

[L8 APEKS]

Hey gang!

Love the forum, learning a lot reading posts but this one escapes me!

This is my first IBM laptop and I just wanted to confirm that it was working properly. The X31 is one of their compact machines and all the drives are satellite drives (floppy, CD/DVD). The problem (or at least, the nagging issue) is that in order to power up the DVD drive, it has to be plugged in to BOTH the laptop via USB, AND a wall outlet via separate power cord.

This is INCREDIBLY inconvenient. Is this the way ALL IBM's are? I had an old Dell with a satellite drive that got power via the USB; this separate cord (and need for a second wall outlet in addition to the power cord for the machine iteself) is a huge annoyance.

Can anyone advise? Thanks so much!

 

[max347]

itdepends on the age... its probably a 1.1 port

 

[robisbell]

it's a dvd drive, a usb port can not provide enough power for it. how long have you had it and where was it purchased?

 

[corkyg]

USB only provides 5 VDC. Not enough for opticals or HDDs (3.5 in). You need to work on making your inconvenient A/C access more convenient.

 

[mrblotto]

I would get the optional 'slice'. That way your CDROM drive is always there. Plus you can add another HD if you want. Or, you can just live with the fact you have to carry around an AC adapter.