Originally, I purchased an Amacom slimline, bus-powered, combo CD/DVD drive because it was light-weight and cheap. What a mistake. The Amacom simply cannot transfer data to the PC/laptop fast enough and the CDs/DVDs I loaded into it simply froze.
I bought the Freecom FS-5 as a replacement. It worked perfectly straight from the box. Yes, it is more expensive than the Amacom but not by very much. And, so what, at least it works and does exactly what it promises to do !!
The only (slight) complaint I have is that the quality of the plastic used for manufacture of the casing seems a little fragile. Therefore, I do not think it will stand up to very much travelling. Still, it is a great product and well worth the money I spent on it.