Reader Comments (114)

James

January 26, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

I've had a Que Fire 8x4x32x CD-RW drive since last May. Actually, I've had two. My first one stopped working after about 25 discs burned. Then, the QPS customer service nightmare began.

Word of warning one: if you have to return your drive for repair, make absolutely sure you go through their inane RMA procedure properly. I apparently didn't and it took 4 months, 15 e-mails, and at least 3 hours on hold before I got mine replaced. QPS tech support, on the other hand, is fairly responsive. QPS upper-management is NOT.

Word of warning two: be advised that QPS suggests using the following CD-R media only: Ricoh, Mitsui, Taiyo Yuden, Kodak, TDK, and Pioneer. Maxell and Fuji are also pretty consistent. I had to give away a 50-pack of Imation 700MB/80Min CD-Rs because the drive wouldn't recognize them. It didn't like Sony very much either.

Word of caution: if you have a Maxtor external FireWire drive, disable all the Maxtor extensions when using your QueFire or you'll be pulling your hair out in no time. The Apple FireWire extentsions (2.7) will handle the Maxtor drive just fine.

Good Luck.

Dennis T Cheung

January 26, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

QPS has started shipping these drives with a SAMSUNG mechanism instead of the Plextor one. Retrospect DOES NOT WORK with these new mechanisms.

William McHargue

January 27, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

Dear Mr. Ozab,

In your article "Que! Fire CD-RW Drive" you state:

"Since higher burn speeds result in higher quality audio, USB (at least Apple's implementation) turned out to be inadequate for audio CD burning, which, as a musician, was my principal reason for buying a CD burner."

This is plain false. You could burn a CD at 1 bit per hour and it would be the same data, and hence the same quality audio. USB just makes it take longer, which I agree is reason enough to use Firewire, but you should not mislead people in thinking they will get poorer audio quality because they use USB to transmit the data to the drive.

Regards,

Bill McHargue Physicist

David Ozab (ATPM Staff)

January 28, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

First off, a warning. OS 9.1 and Toast do not work well together (for some they don't work at all), so wait to upgrade. I just had to downgrade back to 9.04 for this (and some other) problems.

Second (this is in response to Mr. McHargue), I am not trying to mislead anyone. I have read in several sources (including the specs for Digidesign's Master List Pro) that faster burn speeds are better. Maybe it has something to do with error correction schemes. I will check into this and post a more detailed follow-up.

Finally, I'm sorry to hear about the problems that others have had both with the drive and with QPS's tech support. I suppose I got lucky on both counts.

Arkady

January 28, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

Just a quick note regarding the CD-RW media. Most likely the reason for being unable to burn at above 2X is that the particular CD- RW included with the drive is only rated for double-speed burning. You specifically need a 4X certified CD-RW media to burn at 4X. The CD-RW drive automatically detects if CD-RW media is 4X certified.

David Ozab (ATPM Staff)

January 29, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

My promised follow up. I quote from the Digidesign Masterlist Pro Manual (a pro audio burning app, comparable to Adaptec Jam): "It is a fact that faster disc rotation increases the quality of the data writing to the disc." According to Digidesign's documentation, error rates decrease as the disc spins faster. As for the problem with older players not playing discs burned over 4X, I had heard that the lasers can't track the bands when they're wound so tightly around the surface of the disc. I've never seen direct evidence of this, but I wanted to pass on the warning anyway.

In response to Arkady, the included disc was rated at 4X.

Sarah

February 04, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

Apparently, we have had very different experiences. When I purchased my QPS FireWire CD-RW Drive, it did not work. I was extremely frustated with it. Customer Service at QPS treated me like I was an idiot and they kept blaming Adaptec, saying that the problem was with Toast. (Adaptec said the problem was with the drive.) I finally was able to resolve the problem by finding the QPS people at the MacWorld Expo and telling them that their product was a piece of crap. They then sent me a returns authorization by e-mail which I could not open because it contained a virus!!!! Finally, they allowed me to send back the drive and they sent me a brand new one, which works perfectly. QPS is a company I will never deal with again.

David Ozab (ATPM Staff)

February 04, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

It's beginning to sound like QPS's customer support leaves a lot to be desired. Experiences like these are not uncommon, though yours is certainly extreme. The rule in customer support seems to be "anybody's fault but ours." Just getting them to admit that the product you ordered might be defective is almost impossible. I'm truly sorry to hear about your experience, Sarah. I hope you fare better with other manufacturers.

Dennis O'Coyle

February 05, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

Having been in tech support for many years, I believe that the experience is dependent upon the techee as much as the company. All companies have some good and some not so good. You take your chances. On the other hand, some companies have return policies that would frustrate the best techee. For having good techs shackled with the worst return policy, I, from personal experience, nominate Iomega. For the very best customer service, with excellent techs, I nominate LaCie. I have not yet purchased my CD-RW. It is next on my list, It will be a LaCie because I know that, if there are any problems, I will get great service.

David Ozab (ATPM Staff)

February 05, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

That is true. Personally, I had a very good experience with QPS, but others obviously haven't. The question is this: how do the experiences balance out? If a vast majority have bad experiences, it shows that the company doesn't take enough care in hiring support people. Company return policies, of course, are another matter. Any other nominees (both good and bad)?

Bob Whitney

February 10, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

I bought this Que drive thru Outpost.com, thank goodness. I believe the CD was defective, but in any case I could not get drive to mount and could not get answers or correct driver or CD from Que. Outpost sent me a second drive and CD to try; same result with driver; returned both to Outpost with full refund - no THAT is customer service. I cannot say the same for Que, though they were friendly enough, just ineffective.

Richard Simonite

March 18, 2001 - 01:01 EST #

I will just add that when I purchased my Que! Fire CR-RW Drive and had problems with it, I too got terrible support from this pathetic company. Calls ignored; broken promises; hours on hold; dozens of e-mails and calls. Almost 3 months of regular calls including 6 to the President of the company (never got one returned). Finally I got a RA number and returned this piece if junk. They promptly lost the $500 drive and I got to spend another month fighting to get a drive back. Never mind the rude and combatitive employees!! I also will NEVER buy another product from these people and recommend that you don't either.

todd hicks

April 07, 2001 - 01:37 EST #

My CD burner in the dialog box says no CD burner exists and when I turn it back on I can't open the drive.

Sp@nge

May 07, 2001 - 10:41 EST #

External CD-RW? No way... Well, that's what I thought at first... I have the Que! Fire 12x10x32x FireWire with the B.Ur.N. protection and it rocks. The first data CD I burned about 600 megs in under 10 minutes. Now, the most amazing thing is that I shook the thing for a good 10 seconds and it still burned correctly. NO FLAWS... If you have a Mac, buy this. It is a top-notch product.

Dann Yuen

May 23, 2001 - 16:31 EST #

I purchased a Que! Fire drive almost a year ago. It has worked fine for the past 11 months ... until now. Thankfully, it seems that I won't have to ever contact QPS (I'm in the UK) - a replacement should come from my local supplier. If you're in the UK and have also had problems with your Que! drive, be sure to check the Trading Standards website in order to fully understand your consumer rights. (www.tradingstandards.gov.uk)

Michael Geib

June 20, 2001 - 17:16 EST #

I just changed from my Mac G3 to the Dual Mac G4. With the interanl burner. I have the external Que Fire 12x10x32 and it works great on the G3. My problem is, how do I get it work on the G4. Toast wants to burn the CD on the internal burner. Please E-mail with suggestions. Thanks

Luke Jones

July 10, 2001 - 23:25 EST #

Just sharing some frustration. My Que! Firewire 12x 10X 32X doesn't work....period. The loading tray wouldn't even open. I spent 5 hours checking, rechecking, installing, uninstalling. Checked extensions, software, drivers..yada, yada, yada. Waited an eternity (45 minutes) on the customer service line just to reach a human being. I feel the tech was very knowledgeable, but that the unit was faulty. Returned it for a new one today. we'll see how long it takes to receive a new one. Never again QPS. Luke

Gene Robins

August 13, 2001 - 11:58 EST #

My Que! Fire 8x4x32x CDRW won't work. I turn it on, put in a CDRW but can't get Toast to see it. Spoke to the company tech man at Mac show. He said it won't work if I have iTunes. I have iTunes. What do I do?

Kevin

August 25, 2001 - 13:00 EST #

It seems my drive has died on me after about 5 months of use. It wont open any longer, nor recognize a CD. All it does is flash its green light me. This thing was working fine. Last thing I did with it was attempt to burn some tracks off a CD. I am so frustrated. This is like the old Iomega "click of death" Zip drive problem.

Steve

August 31, 2001 - 13:02 EST #

I'm so glad to read everyone's having problems with the Fire CDRW Burner. The tech folks at Que Blamed Toast folks, who said it was a firmware issue. The Que folks were no help saying call Teac for firmware. Teac offers firmware for Windows but not Mac. I've had a 10% success rate burning CDs and wouldn't buy another Que Product or Teac Product as long as I live. Neither will my chiildren. These folks only have problems and offer no solutions. Look for them to tank soon.

Dean

September 03, 2001 - 22:19 EST #

I purchased the Que Fire drive. I have loaded and reloaded the software, talked with customer service, tech service, and after many hours of frustration, I feel that they should destroy the whole company. They are a big group of idiots. They make promises and tell you one thing then do another. Now I have a piece of junk that I don't even want to use as a paper weight. I hope this company goes under.

Brian

September 10, 2001 - 17:41 EST #

I have a Que Fire 12x10x32 and it worked for about 30 days. I first called and thought I got excellent service. I was told I needed a new power supply and they where sending it right out. Nothing. Called again and got a lot of apologies and they said they where sending it right out. Nothing. It now has not worked for 2 months! Depressing.

Sheila Ravendhran

October 03, 2001 - 01:08 EST #

I recently bought a G4 through a package at my medical school. There was no internal DVD drive, so I opted to get the Que! Combo Firewire IEEE 1394 4x4x24x/4x to serve as the external DVD drive. The software I'm using doesn't really seem like it works for Macs. What am I doing wrong? How can I watch a DVD on my computer? What software should I use? I am so confused!

Ellen Lafferty

October 03, 2001 - 17:59 EST #

Anyone had any success switching operating systems (e.g. OS 9.1) and getting the Que Fire CD burner to work? My Toast program suddenly does not recognize any CD burner attached. Suggestions?

C Cot

October 09, 2001 - 19:09 EST #

I bought a Que Fire 4x4x24 and it has never worked. I keep looking for fixes and it just gets worse. After installing MacOS 9.1 it doesn't even show up in the Apple System Profiler

Christopher

October 10, 2001 - 18:38 EST #

I bought a Que Fire 12x10x32 about six months ago. It worked perfectly for a couple weeks. Then it started freezing mid-copy and finally became invisible to my PowerBook. The System Profiler says there's nothing there. After going through the customer service nightmare others mentioned, I finally got my replacement about a month ago. Last night the same problem started again. STAY AWAY FROM QPS.

Bill

October 23, 2001 - 12:22 EST #

Here's a weird one. Running a G4/400 with OS 9.1. My 12x10x32 ran fine for a month or so. When I returned from vacation, if I turned on the CDRW before booting up (recommended sequence), the G4 would not boot up! It started to and then just stayed with a dark screen. When I switched off the CDRW, boot-up continued. Of course, if I turned on the CDRW after booting up, Toast would not detect a drive. I tried several things: spoke with Apple, zapped my PRAM, etc. The problem remains. QPS has been slow to respond, but gave me a case number and we'll see what happens next.

George

November 09, 2001 - 16:13 EST #

I have been using a Que Fire CD-RW for about a year. It has a problem that I have not seen mentioned before. On about every other disk burn, it prints a burst of audio distortion after the first and second tracks. Then the rest of the disk is fine. (It is a frustrating waste of disks.) I use Adaptec Toast on a G3. Anyone have any idea why? I was searching for QPS customer service when I happened upon this discussion group. After reading the previous posts, I'm afraid to contact them. Thanks for any advice.

Nathan

November 15, 2001 - 21:45 EST #

I have been trying to convert old VHS tapes to Video CDs. There are, of course, problems inherent in this, most importantly my DVD player only reads CD-RWs. All right, I have a burner for those. I use Memorex brand CD-RWs and the first few burned just fine. But now the burner won't recognize the disc. I even tried another from the pack and it won't recognize that one either. Is there something I can install to make Toast see more kinds of discs? Any tricks? I have since burned a CD-R so I'm pretty sure the machine is fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jan

November 25, 2001 - 12:54 EST #

I am about to buy a CD burner for my Mac G3. If you are not recommending a Que, is there another brand that is recommended?

Pete

November 25, 2001 - 15:51 EST #

I am new to CD burning. Would the Que! CD-RW with software allow me to put my vinyl records on disc? Would I be able to use them in my car's CD player? Thanks.

Janie

November 28, 2001 - 14:08 EST #

My situation is a very sad and sorry one. I purchased a Que firewire drive about a year ago (November 2000) to run with my Mac G3 tower. Unfortunately, I didn't have OS 8.6 yet and was struggling with all kinds of other system problems at the time, so I was afraid to upgrade and load my CD burner until I got those problems worked out. One year later (don't ask) I'm finally ready to load my CD burner. Last night, I hooked it up just fine. That part was easy. Then I popped in the software disk, but there weren't any drivers or Que software on the disk to load (as the directions indicated), only the Adaptec software (which was acting very strange - the logo was breaking up into small pieces and blanking out the screen whenever you clicked on it with your mouse). So, I left it for the night and decided I would call tech suport the next day. In my search for answers, I thought I would look on the internet first. I happened upon this web page. My heart sank after hearing all the trouble everyone has had and now I'm dreading calling QPS or Adaptec. What should I do? I'd like to just send the whole thing back right now and get my money back. I ordered mine through MacMall and was supposed to get a $50 rebate which, come to think of it, I sent in for a month or two after I ordered the drive and never did get that rebate! Would they even honor support or replacements after year? Especially since it was just sitting in the box unopened. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone tried any more serious measures or legal actions?

Bill

November 29, 2001 - 09:16 EST #

Well, I will admit I sent my Que Firewire in for replacement and they sent me a new one which is working (for 3 weeks so far). I think they are pretty sticky about warranty periods, but you don't have much to lose by asking. Perhaps they will fix it for a nominal sum. Anyway. I was discouraged by reading the notes on the web, but so far I have to say they have made good on their warranty. Stay tuned.

Jeff

December 08, 2001 - 20:00 EST #

Recommendations for a reliable CR-RW drive? I currently have a prehistoric external CD-RW drive that writes at 2X but is very reliable. I have been considering upgrading to something faster. A few minutes ago (before discovering this bulletin board), I was all set to go out and get a QUE firewire CD-RW drive. Now I am reconsidering as I avoid companies with bad customer service like the plague. Can anyone recommend me a good model? Thanks, Jeff

Patricia Lee

December 10, 2001 - 11:07 EST #

Wow, I thought I was the only one with so many Que-related problems! When I bought my external 8x4x32 FireWire CD-RW burner, the unit worked only intermittently. After a short time, even pushing the manual eject button failed to get any response, let alone burning a CD. Of course, I called Que; they were frustratingly unresponsive. Finally, I got them to ship out a new replacement unit. Well, that one didn't work consistently, either! After several attempts at connecting with a live human being, I finally talked to a tech rep who said I needed to upgrade from OS 8.5 to 8.6, even though the product box said the burner would work with OS 8.5! Downloading OS 8.6 on my slow connection took two attempts and an entire day (first attempt crashed after a few hours). But eventually I got OS 8.6 downloaded and installed. The CD burner then seemed to work...as long as the other FireWire device (an Indigita external hard drive) was shut off and one extension required for the external hard drive was turned off. It took me many days to figure this one out. If I left the extension on, Toast would tell me it could not find any CD burner. So I ended up with a functioning CD burner but had to turn an extension off and restart the G3 before I could use it. Likewise, if I wanted to use the external hard drive, I had to turn the extension on and then restart or else the hard drive would not mount. Last week the Indigita hard drive began making awful noises, so I backed up all those files elsewhere and got a new Maxtor 40GB FireWire hard drive. I was hoping I could run both FireWire devices without doing the extension/restart dance, but no luck. My boyfriend's iMac can use both without this peculiarity; I noticed he had several extensions named, "Toast USB Iomega Bridge" or something similar... extensions that I did NOT have. So I'll try installing those on my G3 and see if that fixes the problem. But here's another weird thing. When I switched to the Que extension set/restarted, the Maxtor hard drive continued to show up and to function! This even though all the Maxtor extensions AND the FireWire 2.3.3 Enabler and Support extensions it supposedly requires were turned off! But maybe it's not stable, or maybe not all the Maxtor utilities will work in this mode. I have not yet had the unit long enough to know. Oh, yes, my Toast USB Support extension is turned on in both sets of extensions. That's yet another thing I'll have to try. This is ridiculous!

AA	January 04, 2002 - 12:07 EST #

I echo all the negative statements outlined above. I have zero things thus far to say about QPS, their compatibility with Toast (which comes with the unit), iTunes, Mac OS X 10.1, a nonexistent tech line, and e-mail help. My G4 will not recognize my QPS CD-RW 24x10x40x external Firewire drive. SO MUCH FOR THAT QUICK SET-UP. I have searched everywhere, done all the extension options, run OS 9-10.1, looked for updates, checked the Roxio and QPS websites, and checked Mac forums. All left me with no answers or dead ends. My only hope is that an answer comes soon or that I can receive a full refund from this company. A company that seems to own empty rooms filled with phones and e-mail black holes. If anyone has contacted QPS and recieved info in getting a G4 with OS 10.1 to recognize the burner using the Toast Software, please e-mail me. I feel that it's more productive this way instead of hoping I will get answers on my own from tech support or e-mail. Thanks.

Bill Lewis

January 04, 2002 - 20:11 EST #

I had this problem (Toast not recognizing the CD burner) with OS 9.2. I turned off "Firewire Authoring Support" in the extensions folder and it has worked fine since. My replacement 12x10x32x has been working fine, with the exception that it doesn't like Pioneer CDs. Have you tried using the e-mail tech support? They were very helpful. My only problem is, I never got my $30 rebate.

Larry

January 09, 2002 - 18:03 EST #

I bought a Que 16x10x40 CD burner. It worked great for about 10 CDs, then nothing. The drive can't be recognized anymore. I have tried every remedy I could find online before trying to get in touch with the manufacturer. Now that I have read all the horror stories about customer service, I am beginning to wonder if I will get any response before my warranty is up. I may have to buy a different drive because I can't afford to wait six months. It was good while it lasted, but definitely not worth the hassle.

Burnout

January 15, 2002 - 06:15 EST #

If your drive is no longer recognized and you have Toast 5.02 - which should mean no clashing extensions - then the first thing you should check is that your FireWire ports have not burned out. This is becoming a very widespread problem, particularly with G4s.

Daniel Weix

January 29, 2002 - 16:42 EST #

I noticed that some of the problems mentioned above remind me of a friends recent problem with her Que 12x drive. I had a Que 16x, so I took hers home and did some basic troubleshooting. It turns out that the power supply was the problem (eg when I used my PS with her drive, it worked without trouble). This is interesting since the LED on the PS still lites and the drive power LED still lites. However, the drive behaves erratically when connected to a computer. The tray will not open, the drive light will sometimes go on and flicker, it will freeze up the computer when connected, etc. I wonder how many "dead" Que drives just have a faulty power supply? E-mails to QPS have gone unanswered as to purchasing a new PS, does anyone know where I could purchase a new one? Thanks.

Also, QPS sells replacement PS. At $29.99, the price is a little steep, but it gets the job done.

Marilyn Ward

February 17, 2002 - 09:14 EST #

I am very frustrated, but I am glad I read that everyone is having problems. I have an 8x4x32 Que fire drive (external). It had worked when I first got it, though it was a little touchy with problems recognizing the drive.

I recently upgraded my iMac to OS 9.2.2 and also have Mac OS X on the computer. Now, Toast cannot find the drive. Keeps saying to check cables, etc.

If I have a CD in the drive to play, it does recognize it. Any solutions? Thanks.

Bill Lewis

February 18, 2002 - 17:45 EST #

Go into the Extensions folder and disable "Firewire Authoring Support." I had the same problem and it went away when I did this.

Maryanne

February 25, 2002 - 21:01 EST #

I say class action lawsuit. Everyone gets their $260 back and QPS gets fined for bringing a faulty product to the market.

Bill Lewis

February 26, 2002 - 16:02 EST #

Well, in my personal experience, they DID replace my 12x10x32 Firewire and it is still working, so I really don't have a bone to pick with them. They honored their warranty. Unfortunately, many consumers have not had the same experience.

Good luck!

Greg

March 25, 2002 - 14:13 EST #

I purchased a QPS, Que CD-RW. I mailed in the rebate certificate in November 2001. To date, all I have gotten are lies and promises. I would never again purchase anything they sell. Too bad, because the unit does work good. If they don't plan on honoring their rebate they should not state that there is one.

Roderic Linguri

April 05, 2002 - 00:28 EST #

Well after two hours, I finally managed to figure out how to get my new Que! FireDrive to work with OS 9.2.2. First, I installed OS 9.1 on a blank hard drive, then installed my old Toast 4.1 and Apple's FireWire support 2.3.3 (Perhaps the Que! does not seem to think that the newer version 2.8.5 is any good at all). I then downgraded my OS 9.2.2 disk with the freshly installed old extensions for Toast and FireWire (remembering to NOT copy the Toast USB extension. Works like a charm now. Only problem is, I guess my old 4x USB Burner will have to be retired... God forbid I'd want to have more than one CD Burner hooked up to my computer.

Randy

April 11, 2002 - 02:00 EST #

I just recently bought a Que firewire 24X-10X-40X CD-RW external for my G4 (early series / 400mhz). I am running OS 9.1. It installed very easy and I burned one (count them...one) audio CD. It was impressive, the whole CD was burned in about a minute and a half. I then shut down my system for the night. The next day I discovered that my G4 will not recognize ANY audio CD. It says 'This disk is unreadable by this computer. Do you want to initalize the disk?' WHAT!!! I have checked the Extensions Manager and can't find what the problem is. Any ideas? I like the unit, and it works great on my PC. But I got the stupid thing for my Mac. HELP!!

David

April 16, 2002 - 18:09 EST #

The gist of this forum seems to be "stay away from QPS!" And I would have to agree. My Que Fire 12x10x32 is six months out of warranty and completely useless (the tracking mechanism is toast).

Here's a question: Is there any reason why I can't just replace the dead Plextor drive inside with another ATAPI burner? Or is the bridge in the QPS enclosure proprietary?

Sprog

April 22, 2002 - 08:02 EST #

Following a recommendation, I was going to buy a Que to replace a returned Formac, but these comments sure are food for thought.

There is a disturbingly high number of G4 desktop and PowerBooks out there with burnt firewire ports - primarily thanks to using bus power.

Surely an Iomega USB drive - great, works perfectly but paint dries faster - is not the only answer?

Mark

May 27, 2002 - 10:20 EST #

I have a Que! 4x USB burner in a cute green shell, but it works like hell! I have an iMac G3 DV and OS 9.2.2 but the drive is not recognized, although the Apple System Profiler sees it. Can someone please e-mail me and tell me what to do? Thanks. I'm using Toast 5.1.x

anonymous

May 28, 2002 - 19:03 EST #

Turn off "Firewire authoring support" in extensions or preferences (I can't
remember which).

Demers

July 11, 2002 - 22:04 EST #

Hi. I'm trying to install a new Maxtor hard drive (EIDE) in an old QPS Que firewire enclosure (Model QPS-525). Does anyone know if the firewire bridge is compatible with this newer hard drive?

Warren

July 26, 2002 - 23:53 EST #

I, too, had an incredibly bad tech support experience with QPS. Months without a drive and lots of broken promises. I heard somewhere that there was, indeed, a class action lawsuit against them. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to find out more about it. Does anybody know if it's still going on and how I might join?

Ryan

August 01, 2002 - 16:55 EST #

Dude, what gives? I recently had a system error and one of my drives went bad, so I got a new one. I'm trying to get the Fire CD-RW to mount and it says "check cables." What the heck?

Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff)

August 01, 2002 - 19:57 EST #

Ryan - So, uhh, check your cables!

Seriously, did you perhaps knock loose something inside your computer when you swapped out the hard drive? Are you sure your cable connecting the CD-RW drive is secure?

Randy

August 16, 2002 - 01:26 EST #

Regarding my comments and questions I placed here back on April 11 about my Que firewire 24x-10x-40x CD-RW, I never did get it to work on my Mac. I could only use it as a 'read only' unit and that was it. The thing worked great on my PC. I recently installed OS X on my Mac G4/400. A week later, I plugged in my QSP and a miracle occurred! It was fully recognized and installed by the OS. WOW! Now it works great and is incredibly fast--much faster than burning CDs on my PC. I'm not sure what to think about this whole experience, but I can say that, for the moment, I am happy. I'm not too crazy about the Toast software, but I'll give it a chance. It's ironic that I bought this unit to help me out with my last quarter in college. I graduated in June and NOW it works. Go figure. Anyway, just wanted to pass that along. My thanks to those of you who sent me e-mails with suggestions about my problem. It was appreciated.

Murlin

September 02, 2002 - 04:09 EST #

I purchased a Que! CD-RW/DVD for a bunch of bucks about a year ago. It up and quit one day this summer and two months of phone calls and emails to QPS has resulted in nothing. These people at QPS are obviously criminals because it is criminal the way they treat their customers.

So here's what everyone has to do: Buy nothing from QPS. Tell your friends to buy nothing from QPS. Tell your local computer stores to save their customers a lot of grief by pulling QPS items off the shelf. And if anyone is a lawyer out there, start a class action lawsuit. I'll sign on as a plaintiff.

Oleg

September 10, 2002 - 15:19 EST #

I totally agree with Murlin. I have the same situation with only one difference. Instead of CD-RW/DVD, I own the CD-RW 201040I. I've spent two months of effort trying to reach customer service using e-mail and phone. Nothing. And CompUSA people (where I bought this device) don't want to discuss warranty issues regarding QPS.

Dorsey

October 23, 2002 - 02:51 EST #

I purchased my Que 12x10x32 and it only worked with Mac OS 9. When I updated to OS 9.2, it didn't work. When I updated to OS X, it still didn't work, and once again...I updated, and it still doesn't work. GO FIGURE.

So here's what everyone has to do: Buy nothing from QPS. Tell your friends to buy nothing from QPS. Tell your local computer stores to save their customers a lot of grief by pulling QPS items off the shelf. And, if anyone is a lawyer out there, start a class action lawsuit. I'll sign on as a plaintiff.

WHAT A RIP OFF!

Until next time.

Daniel

November 15, 2002 - 04:19 EST #

My 8x8x32 drive works fine, but I have to reboot back to OS 8.6 every time I want to burn a CD. I have OS X 10.1 and I would prefer to not have to restart it all the time. I share all your frustrations.

Robert

December 10, 2002 - 14:59 EST #

I had the same "no burner found" problems. After reading all these messages, I figured that it couldn't be that difficult to cure. I'm working on a G4, OS 9.2.2, and Toast 5.0, so I upgraded to Toast 5.02 and IT WORKED. And yes, it even works now in OS X.

I hope this works for everyone.

Anita

January 20, 2003 - 17:59 EST #

I need to know what the first chemicals of a CD-RW drive were and who was its maker.

Joe

February 11, 2003 - 19:39 EST #

All I can say is, "wow."

My problem is this: Toast recognizes my CD burner, but the drive does not read a CD-R when I put it in. It says "No CD in Recorder" or something to that effect. Can someone please help me?

Bernard

February 24, 2003 - 22:37 EST #

It works fine on OS 9 but not on 9.1 or 9.2. PROBLEM! I need these upgrades and I need a burner. The two suggestions I'm hearing are to disable "firewire authoring support" and/or upgrade to Toast 5.02. Any other suggestions?

Jamie

March 04, 2003 - 18:45 EST #

After reading all of this, I feel like giving up, but it's just not in my nature. I am working on OS X 10.2, have upgraded to Toast 5.02 and disabled the "firewire authoring support" ... still "No CD-Recorder Found." Any new suggestions? Sell the thing on eBay?

Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff)

March 04, 2003 - 22:48 EST #

Jamie - before going the eBay route, you may want to bump up to Toast 5.2.

David

March 10, 2003 - 20:41 EST #

Well, it's been two years, and finally, after reading this forum, I am finding the real reason this Que drive doesn't work. It sucks after about 15 burns. Mine is dead and I can't wait on hold for QPS any longer. Sue these people for their faulty product!!

Joseph

April 20, 2003 - 05:22 EST #

I recently inherited a G4 with an external Que!Fire burner. It makes a lovely paperweight. The G4 doesn't know the Que is attached and Toast can't find it either. Does anyone know a solution? Or, what does QPS stand for and how are they contacted?

Thank you.

Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff)

April 20, 2003 - 17:02 EST #

Joseph - I'm not really sure what QPS stands for, but their web site does have this contact page.

Em	June 12, 2003 - 08:28 EST #

I am discouraged! My first Que Fire didn't last long and was immediately replaced. Although this one has worked just fine until now, I am getting the error message -34. It says the start up disk is full. What??? The CD to be burned does not show up on the desktop and, when I select OK to the error message, the disc is ejected. I am using a Blue and White G3 with OS X 10.2.6 and Toast 5.1.4. Any ideas?

Lisa L.

June 16, 2003 - 19:03 EST #

I have had similar experiences. I have a 16x10x40 Que Fire which died recently after about a year of very intermittent use. It is still recognized--in fact, everything works perfectly except for the ability to actually burn a CD. When I look at a CD it has attempted to burn, it seems like it was very "faintly" burned. Of course it fails in the verification stage and no CD drive can read any of these "burned" discs. I have done various tests and it is most certainly a failure of the hardware. I'm just going to go buy a new one, a different brand. Sigh.

Angel Villalobos

July 04, 2003 - 02:38 EST #

My problem is that Toast recognizes my CD burner, but it does not read a CD-R when I put it in. It says "No CD-Recorder." Can someone please help me? I have a QPS 525 8x4x24.

Gregory Tetrault (ATPM Staff)

July 07, 2003 - 10:35 EST #

I suspect that the problem relates to which CD-reading extensions are loaded. Toast often can recognize and write to external CD burners even though it cannot read all CD-R discs. I have some CD-R discs that work fine in my internal CD drive that my external Yamaha drive won't mount. It's also possible that some of you who are reporting the "not recognized" problems haven't installed the latest Toast CD Reader extension.

Also, some setups might benefit from using the Joliet Volume Access software. I use the UDF/ISO/Joliet Enabler control strip module. Switching modes from Apple to Tempel sometimes helps with CD mounting.

Ueli Hans Jürg

July 19, 2003 - 06:54 EST #

I have the same problems with Toast 5.1.4 on Mac OS 9--no drive found. But I am not giving up.

Greetings from Switzerland.

Chris Dalliston

July 28, 2003 - 04:13 EST #

I am running a Que! Fire 4x4x24 that works well in OS 9.0.4 and OS 9.1, but is not recognizing in OS 9 Classic through OS X 10.2.3. I have tried extension suggestions without luck and am unwilling to give up on something that works fine on the other partitions of my hard drive. I read earlier that the fault was iTunes. Is this still the case? Suggestions, please, as I would hate to think having a PC would be better. I love my iMac DV SE.

Carla

August 01, 2003 - 20:18 EST #

I have all the same problems Angel V. has had. If I can get Toast to recognize my burner, it will not recognize the media. Ugh! I have pretty much given up. I can't waste another hour on this. I work in management at a large design firm and have relayed my frustrations to IT support to never buy these drives. I suppose I will be shopping soon.

Hillary

August 22, 2003 - 19:28 EST #

QPS - quality, performance, service.

Hah.

I have similar problems - iMac DV, OS 9.1 and OS X, Toast 4.1.2, and Toast 5.0--and the computer will not recognize my Que! Firewire 4x4x24. I've tried extensions on and off, firmware updates, etc.

Dave

September 13, 2003 - 05:45 EST #

Wow. I'm yet another disgruntled owner of a Que! Fire 8x4x32x CD-RW paperweight. It sounds like my story is not unique. The drive seemed to work fine for a while (OS 9 and then OS X) and then it just...died. First, I found myself throwing away a lot of error-ridden CD-Rs, then the door stopped opening intermittently, and then the drive stopped showing up in the System Profiler. It's too old to try and return, but it was probably the biggest waste of money on a computer product I've ever spent.

Oh, and the Q in QPS stands for Quality?!?

Rob Koetsier

September 28, 2003 - 12:49 EST #

I am having a problem on my Blue and White with Mac OS X using the Que! Fire 12x10x32 with a Teac CD-W512EB, firmware version 2.0B.

It works fine when I reboot in OS 9.1. Then, I tried it on a friend's G4 running OS X 10.2.6 (same version as my Blue and White) and it worked fine. Does this mean it has to do with the firewire card in my B&W? I can't find anything about it at the Apple site.

So, I tried I new firewire card but, this time, it wasn't even recognized. Then, I found this story.

"For example, say you purchased a Que! Fire 12x10x32x CD-RW drive. You may have either a Plextor or a Teac mechanism inside of it. If you have a Teac mechanism (CD-W512EB), you can't burn with iTunes. If you have a Plextor mechanism (PX-W1210A), you can burn with iTunes unless the drive's firmware is before 1.0.7 and it won't work at all. These aren't different models, just drives that were assembled by Que! at different times. Confused yet? Well, you're not alone..."

Then I looked at Teac's site and found out that I could update (with a little help from a friend with a PC--no updaters for the Mac, of course), but only when I update from from at least firmware 2.0E, and I have 2.0B. No solution was to be found.

Tonight, I'm getting a new firewire card for the second time, but I'm not too optimistic. Maybe I should buy another burner to avoid further disappointments.

I'll keep you informed.

Rich

October 06, 2003 - 10:53 EST #

I have a Plextor drive PX-W1210TA (Dec. 2000). How can I determine the firmware version? {I'm assuming this will be a catch 22, since my iMac can no longer see the drive.} Is it written anywhere?

My QPS QUE!FIRE 12x10x32x quit being recognized by OS 9.x as well, after about a year and about 30 Fuji CD-Rs. I've been living without it for more than 6 months now. I thought that maybe Toast needed to be reloaded, but I lost the original disk and cannot get a replacement (or response) from anyone, even though the drive came with the Toast "controls." Who ever heard of losing the freakin' BUTTONS from a product? It's like having the steering wheel, brakes, and gas pedal from your car just disappear one day. Anyway, I've spent more than 20 hours trying to get this thing working again. I see from this forum that my problem is likely not Toast-related. Please suggest a new burner if you know of a good one.

Good day.

Mark Buselli

November 09, 2003 - 12:15 EST #

My G4 400 with OS 9.1 was working fine for 2 years! Last night, I had this problem (Toast not recognizing the CD burner) with OS 9.2. I turned off "Firewire Authoring Support" in the Extensions folder and it works. I have a 12x10x32x.

Good luck!

Cheryl

December 28, 2003 - 06:18 EST #

A solution for problems with G3s:

If you're running a blue and white G3 with a Que Fire burner and are having problems burning from Toast, you need to buy a separate PCI card that can snap into the G3. Then, plug the firewire cable into the new slot in the back of the G3. For some reason, Que Fires don't like to plug directly into the stock firewire port. You can buy these PCI cards for about $20. I took the risk and now everything works great.

Rudy Garcia

January 03, 2004 - 06:14 EST #

I recently updated to OS X Jaguar from OS 9. When I try to use this drive, it says "No CD Recorder Found." I've tried disabling the Firewire Authoring Support extension in OS 9--still nothing. Is there another way I can disable these extensions? What else can I do?

Mary E. Tyler (ATPM Staff)

January 03, 2004 - 12:54 EST #

Rudy - you're going to kick yourself. :-)

I own the same drive. Turn the drive off. Unplug it. Shut down the computer. Plug it back in. Turn it on. Start the computer.

In short, there's probably nothing wrong with the drive, nothing wrong with the extensions, and nothing wrong with the computer. It's freakish but, sometimes, the drive just doesn't "show up" when you hot plug it, even though you're supposed to be able to. Cycling the power and unplugging the drive and plugging back in seems to work for me. Sometimes it takes more than one cycle. Sometimes Disk Copy can see the drive and iTunes can't. It's just a wonky connection.

Mary

Rick

January 13, 2004 - 23:24 EST #

I have a G3 and have had a Iomega USB burner that worked fine under OS X 10.2.8 I sold it and got a Firewire TDK VeloCD 48x24x48 and it's now been 6 months and I still have not gotten it to work. everything from rebuilding permissions, re-installing Toast v5.2.1, removing extensions etc... I think I will sell it on e-bay and ge the Iomega USB burner. Unless someone has a suggestion? I think it's a real waste of time and am so frustrated that I may just jank it out the wondow and get some pleasure out of it. I just wish there was a solution.

rudy garcia

January 27, 2004 - 19:01 EST #

for those who are having "THE NO CD RECORDER FOUND" this will help or your money back! I was having the same problem and all I did was upgrade to "TOAST TITANIUM 5.2.3"

Wendy

February 21, 2004 - 21:02 EST #

Mine worked fine for about a year and a half even through the upgrade to 10.3 but I then tried to use it on a PC and couldn't get it to work brought it back to my mac and now the tray doesn't open, the computer doesn't see it and all I get is a stupid blinking light. I have spent all afternoon trying to get to the support sire for que and their stupid websire doesn't even work. I would love it if someone with the same problem can tell me if they fixed it. I am thinking about taking it apart and checking if the open/close button has wiggled loose or something.

anonymous

February 26, 2004 - 10:32 EST #

I have had my CD burner for a year now with no problems. It's the Que! 32x10x40 CD/RW. Just the other day, it stopped working. I have plugged and unplugged both the computer and burner. Nothing happens. Is there anything else I can do?

Randy

March 15, 2004 - 23:42 EST #

I placed my last comments back in August of 02. To date, my Que Fire 24X 10X 40X firewire CR/W external is still working fine. I swap the unit over from my G4/400 to my PC on a regular basis. I use OSX Jaguar now on my G4 and it seems to be happy. I guess I have one of the rare QueFires that works (knock on wood). I may be looking for another unit soon, but I doubt that I'll press my luck and purchase another QueFire. Just thought I'd give an update on my QueFire.

Damien

March 16, 2004 - 22:07 EST #

i have a 12x10x32 and the burner works fine through the entire burn and then it error's during verification and then the cd is not readable by the burner nor my computer. i am running OS 9.2.2. i was using Memorex CDs and have heard that Maxell's work better? Why can't all CDs work on the burner. Seems kind of picky for a burner to me. Any suggestions.

Dean

March 30, 2004 - 14:18 EST #

I have had my Que!Fire 8X4X 32X for awile and have gotten good use out of it, but when I recently upgraded my computer (iMac) it stopped working meaning the computer wont recognize that there is a blank cd ready to be burned. (I though I might need some upgrading software but I searched and found nothing)

Milez Davis

April 25, 2004 - 14:06 EST #

To Dean: If you are using Toast, try disabling the Disc Burner Extension,(which, I believe, iTunes uses), and/or the Firewire Authoring Support Extension. I have this same drive, and had the same problems, but when I did this, I had no problems seeing the blank disc in my Que! drive.

Marcus Patterson

May 11, 2004 - 06:33 EST #

I've got a QUE-QPS 525 SCSI CD writer and have recently upgraded from Mac OS9 to OS 10.3 Panther. I can't seem to find any support for this drive with OS X. I checked out the list of compatible drives with Toast 6 and it isn't listed. Is there anything else out there that will fire up this drive off OS X.

Robert Kolar

May 23, 2004 - 19:13 EST #

Que Sucks!

Milton Pulis

June 03, 2004 - 04:05 EST #

I just upgraded from 10.2 to 10.3 and my USB Que CDRW drive no longer works. It was not working real well under 10.2, so I thought 10.3 would resolve the issues. Going to the QPS web site reveals that the company that provided the interface chip will NOT support OS 10.3. So - anyone wanting to do a natural OS point upgrade and has any QPS drives should think twice. Here is the text from QPS:

"Cypress, which is the company that writes the drivers and made the chipset used in the back panel for these drives will not be making any more drivers for this chipset, so unforunately the drive will not be supported on OS 10.3 and later.
There are no drivers available for download."

My sense is QPS is garbage. A real company would secure the tech data and driver source code to assure continued support. Chnaces are that 10.4 will knock out even more of their products. Anybody have luck pulling the drive out and using a different interface?

Bottom line, avoid anything from QPS and Cypress.

Bob Jones

July 19, 2004 - 00:41 EST #

well,,,what can i say that has not been said...I am so glad I did not buy one new ...and I though it was just me with all the problems.
I feel a lot of sympathy with all the above people and hope they solve the same problems we all seem to have ..or get rid of the paper weights QPS calls a piece of hardware...

Mark

August 27, 2004 - 03:07 EST #

I have an external que! fire cd-r burner that I would like to convert to either an external dvd-r or external HD - is this possible with this plastic beast?

Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff)

August 27, 2004 - 09:38 EST #

Mark - I don't see why not. As long as the CD-R that Que! shipped uses the industry-standard connection and the case is easily opened by removing screws, usually on the bottom.

Jeremy Root

October 26, 2004 - 17:39 EST #

I have a different problem than anyone has mentioned here. The drive works about 60% of the time, but the quality of the audio has always been bad. There seems to be some kind of digital distortion or compression that makes the quieter passages of music sound very hissy.

I got the Que Fire at Fry's about 6 months ago and it came with a burner program called "Dragon Burn". I've never heard of it, and no one else seems to have gotten this software with their drive. I have iTunes and toast, as well. iTunes won't recognize the drive without a firmware update, and Toast doesn't recognize it at all, even though I've tried turning the extensions on and off. Any suggestions?

Fiona Jackson

November 18, 2004 - 01:17 EST #

Wow, I wish I had seen this site BEFORE I bought a Que drive. What a pile of... trash. I have NEVER received a response from customer services and have sent several email with problems. Now it has decided it will never open again. I tried to burn a disc, it said it didn't work and that was it. Nothing I do will get it to open. Any ideas most welcome. I'll never even THINK of buying a Que product again.

Mike Major

December 12, 2004 - 11:17 EST #

Ditto. This sucks - I used to love it.

Franz stary

December 20, 2004 - 23:33 EST #

I wish there was a programmer out there who would write a new driver for the Que Combo drive to work as an external firewire or if removed from the chasis, and internal CD/DVD drive for OSX 10.3.7.

Can anyone help me? I have removed my combo drive because the chasis malfunctioned but the CD drive still worked. So, after installing it as an internal drive, it works! however, It only reads CD's and my DVD-Rs. Help I am working on music video projects and need assistance.

My email is mail@fm-rocks.com and if you know a programmer that knows about a driver of patch, let me know. Also, Mac DVD player 3.1 doesn't seem to launch. What is that all about?

mike Major

December 30, 2004 - 02:39 EST #

GOOD NEWS!
I bought a new casing for $18 on ebay, and it works just fine now.

Helene Ehrlich

January 09, 2005 - 18:29 EST #

So do I understand that my Que Fire CD burner will not work because I am running OS 10.3.7? AHHHH....what am I to do with it now? Anybody have any ideas? I'm sad to read everyone has had the same problems I have. I keep it around, even though it hasen't worked for YEARS, because I'm hoping for a miracle. May the Mac Gods condem the Que Fire company!!

Norris Tidwell

February 03, 2005 - 01:05 EST #

Que!Fire 12x10x32 cdrw does not work with 10.3.7. When I switch to 9.2.2 and toast 5.1.4 it works just fine. I was using Toast 6.0.7 on 10.3.7. Is this a common problem?

Randy

February 12, 2005 - 02:31 EST #

I check in here once in a while to see how the QueFire issue is going. I last posted a message in March of 04. To date, my QueFire is still working on both my PC and G4. I happen to use it quite a lot with very few issues. I guess I got one of the few that actually work. No, I still won't purchase another one and I must be the lucky one out of this group. My unit is a 24X10X40 firewire that I purchased back in April of 2002. I use it on my G4 / 400mhz using OSX Jaguar. MY PC is an AMD Palamino 1600 using XP pro. I had some issues at first, but things started working and it still works...go figure.

anonymous

April 05, 2005 - 01:56 EST #

I have a Que USB2 32X10X40 CDRW Drive and I get read error every time I burn pass 4X speed using Toast 6.0. Is there a driver update or USB driver I can use for this problem. Help!

ATPM Staff

April 05, 2005 - 09:05 EST #

QPS' support page should have driver downloads.

Danny K

April 29, 2005 - 19:50 EST #

I'm running OSX 10.3.9 and my QPS-525 work fine BUT it's probably because the original CD-RW drive died long ago and I put an internal PC CD-RW drive in it.

My problem is, I was wsanting to put a 3.5" HD in it temporarily and it won't mount or show up in Disk Utility. I've even tried a different HD.

Any ideas?

FRANCISCO RYES

July 14, 2005 - 12:43 EST #

Ryan H

September 09, 2005 - 03:41 EST #

I am trying to use an 8x4x32 drive on a G3. I am using Itunes and it will only copy to the library at about 2x-3x and will burn at 3x-4x. I am just trying to help my mom out and am discovering that the QueFire that I picked up from ebay isn't the treasure that I thought that it would be. Does anyone have any ideas for me, besides just getting a new drive.

christina burh

September 09, 2005 - 10:36 EST #

I've been reading these pages occasionally to see what people are doing with their old Que drives... one question I DON'T see answered: can a person use the old casing for something like a hard drive or dvd burner? I know it SHOULD accept the 3.5 and 5.25 devices, but does it actually WORK? Anyone with experiences? I, too, have an old firewire quedrive that I'd like to 'update', but i am reluctant to do so until I hear that it ACTUALLY can work.

Anyone with experiences swapping out the original drive, please write in...

kemooice

September 28, 2005 - 10:18 EST #

hi friends i am looking for this driver any one can hellp me plzzzz

Tom Waseleski

October 06, 2005 - 00:24 EST #

I have the same frustrations as a lot of you other folks. When my iMac was 0S 9 and I was using Toast 4, I could burn CDs with my Que! USB 4X4X8X with no problems.

Now that I've upgraded to OS X (including iTunes) and have installed Toast Titanium 6, my computer says "No CD burner found." I can't find a Disc Burner Extension or a Firewire Authoring Support Extension to disable. And I tried closing and unplugging the external burner, shutting down the computer, then starting everything up again. No change.

Talk about junk!

Brad

October 14, 2005 - 08:18 EST #

Tom, I have the same problem. I have a iMac DV running 9.2.2. I have the Que!Fire 4x4x24 Running Toast 4.0 (OEM version). It is a total crap shoot. Sometimes it sees the burner and sometimes it does not. I have tried different firewire cables, plugging it in to my external HD firewire auxilary port, etc. You name it I have tried it. I have even loaded the software againa and tried 4.2.1 versus 4.0.1. Nothing works. Anyone out there with a new suggestion, I am all ears.

Don

October 24, 2005 - 19:31 EST #

People when you have problems with some of these devices when using Mac OSX have you tried another Startup Disk (OS9) and tried burning.

Review: Que! Fire CD-RW Drive

by David Ozab, dozab@atpm.com

Background

Say Que!

Packaging

Hardware Installation

Software Installation

Ready to Burn

Final Thought

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