The new Plexwriter Premium-U brings to the Universal Serial Bus what the original Plexwriter Premium bestowed upon the IDE bus. Before we go any further, it must be understood that none of the High-Speed options of this drive will be available unless your connecting the drive to a USB 2.0 port. The drive does have backwards compatibility, but at the cost of speed. The USB edition of the Plexwriter Premium has not been stripped down in features even slightly, which is consequently reflected in the Plexwriter Premium's price tag.

     The accessories pack contains the support hardware and software necessary to bring the Plexwriter Premium to life. The  AC power plug is removable from the power-pack in an effort to try and accommodate mobility, and uses the standard 2-prong plug. A standard-issue USB cord completes the computer to drive interface. As for printed material, Plextor has included a full 56 page manual that covers both the internal and external models. Complete installation and operating instructions instruction fill the manual from cover to cover, but for more abbreviated reference material, Plextor has included a Quick Reference guide which assist with not only hardware setup, but also touches on use of the included CD-burning software.

     The included software package has been updated since our review on the Internal Plexwriter Premium. The most recent version of Roxio Easy CD/DVD Creator --Version 6-- is now bundled with the drive. PlexTools Pro is is bundled with the drive, as it is necessary to unlock the more advanced burning options of the unit. Plextools Pro version 2.01 is on the CD, and is a necessary install before you can apply any of the updates from the Plextor Support download page. The other standard software titles: Retrospect Backup (trial), PhotoSuite 5 SE, and the Adobe Acrobat Reader are on the second CD. Both CDs have the Windows 98SE USB 2.0 drivers, for those die-hard legacy fans that simply refuse to upgrade.