Rating: 
Summary: Works on XP, but...
Review: Once you manage to properly install this device's drivers on XP it works like a charm. If you will be using this device on Windows XP, do yourself a favor and forget about the included CD-Rom. Go to the SimpleTech web site, follow the links on the site to get to the support pages for the FlashLink product and based on your device's Part number (found on the base of the unit), download the latest FlashLink.exe installation program. Install this before plugging the device for the first time and reboot. After rebooting, plug in the reader and allow Windows XP to detect it and initiate the Driver installation routine. It will ask you whether you want to install the drivers automatically and after you click Next it will ask you whether you want to allow the installation of Unsigned drivers. Answer yes only if you have downloaded and installed the driver package from the web site, the drivers supplied on the CD-Rom do not work and cause XP to crash. If you have already installed the CD-Rom drivers and have problems, you must first uninstall them before installing the ones from the Web Site. Open the Windows XP Device Manager, plug in your device, you'll see it appear under the USB Devices branch. Right click on the CompactFlash + SmartMedia reader device and click on Uninstall. Unplug the reader, uninstall the FlashLink software (if you installed it from the CD-Rom) and reboot. Then install the FlashLink software from their web site. After this hurdle, the device works like a champ. Once plugged, it will show two new drive letters in Windows Explorer, the first for the CompactFlash slot and the second for the SmartMedia slot. Data transfer is really fast, at about 4MB per second. I give it 4 starts because of the poor job of providing XP drivers in the supplied CD-Rom, despite the fact that the packaging clearly states that it supports XP.
Rating: 
Summary: A poor implementation of Plug N' Play
Review: Primarily I bought this item 'cause I needed to transfer the pictures from my digital Olympus D-340R camera to my notebook. My notebook doesn't have a serial port, which is the one used to transfer the pictures, and I needed a fast, reliable, easy to use and non-battery device. And I found this excellent device, although you'll think that its plastic package is to delicate. I recommend you to buy this excellent device, but be aware that if you are going to use it on a Windows 98 based PC, you should download the drivers for Windows 98...It's an ideal plug and play device for Windows XP!!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Storage Device!
Review: Primarily I bought this item 'cause I needed to transfer the pictures from my digital Olympus D-340R camera to my notebook. My notebook doesn't have a serial port, which is the one used to transfer the pictures, and I needed a fast, reliable, easy to use and non-battery device. And I found this excellent device, although you'll think that its plastic package is to delicate. I recommend you to buy this excellent device, but be aware that if you are going to use it on a Windows 98 based PC, you should download the drivers for Windows 98...It's an ideal plug and play device for Windows XP!!
Rating: 
Summary: Does not work with Windows XP
Review: The device is rated as Windows XP compatable, but it is not. After fruitless hours of trying to get this piece of garbage installed I gave up. Simpletech's web site and tech support are a joke! All I ended up with was constant crashes and error messages. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Snake Oil
Review: The Digital Media Reader may work well with Windows 98,Me or 2000, but it failed miserably with XP. To add insult to injury when the SimpleTech web site was queried; mis-information was the best they could give. During the hardware installation, the media reader(UCS-200) did not pass the Windows Logo Testing. I immediately aborted the process. I went to the Simpletech web site for advice. SimpleTech had a section just for XP and stated," just ignore Windows's warning and complete the setup process". What a mistake I made, my operating system was degraded and became unstable. Until I'm able to recover from this misfortune, my computer shuts down whenever and frequent. The news of bad and mis-leading service will spread exponentially from person to person. I hope that this is the exception and not the rule for SimpleTech. Because of wrong information from the SimpleTech web site, I can not recommend a SimpleTech Product in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Two in one reader
Review: This CompactFlash SmartMedia Combo Reader by SimpleTech is a handy tool to have. Instead of transfering files or photos slowly, this is a faster connection. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A poor implementation of Plug N' Play
Review: This device should configure a lot easier than it does. I'm a programmer with many years of experience configuring hardware. I found this one annoying to set up. You may have to download new drivers for this device from the simpletech website. Once you get the correct version of the drivers, and install it following the instructions EXACTLY (the device cannot be plugged in while loading the software) it eventually works ok.
Note that there are two DIFFERENT part numbers for this device. 90000-40388-001 and 90000-40388-002. The 001 version does not support some platforms that the 002 version does. I recieved the 001 and have had no end of difficulty with it. If I had it to do over again, I would spend a bit more, and get a device from another company that supported more than two media types.
Rating: 
Summary: work great (with new drivers)
Review: This is not plug-n-play. It works great IF you have the right drivers. It took me a couple days of hard work and lots of downloads and fiddling to get it to work. Once I did, it worked great.
Rating:
Summary: Preformance without PRICE!!!
Review: This is the 2nd flash card reader I have purchased. My operating system is Windows 98se, As you may have read in many areas the problems with USB compatibility.. I had a previous product that left me frustrated BIG TIME!! This is SO PAINLESS. You plug it in and follow the SIMPLE directions. I had this compact flash card reader set up and running with in minutes!!! I have used it for business daily and personal use also. IT IS A GODSEND. I have had ZERO PROBLEMS with this item. And a bonus is it will also read Smart Cards. I was surprised at the affordable price, ease of set up and in this day of HIGH TECH compatability issuse and patches I CAN SAY IT WORKS WELL AND WORTH THE LOW PRICE!!! Happy Pic taking.
A Blond
Rating:
Summary: The USB Cord is WAY Too Short!!
Review: This product arrived with an absurdly short USB cord, which was extremely frustrating! Of my 5 USB devices, this card reader has, by far, the shortest cord. As for many computer users, my computer sits beneath my desk & this VERY short cord JUST BARELY allows the card reader to reach the corner of my desktop. There are 3 reasons why I can imagine SimpleTech might offer a cord of this inadequate length:
1. They don't mind aggravating their customers, And/Or
2. They viewed it as an easy way to make another 25 cents profit, And/Or
3. It was simple negligence which reflects poorly on their concern for quality. On the other hand, the unit does seem to work okay. Also, on two previous occasions I've purchased Flash Cards from SimpleTech and both have served me well.
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