Hi,

Would someone please tell me what Plextool software should I install first so I can run Plextool Pro 2.16?

I recently installed a Plextor PX708A. Works fine, but wanted to try the Plextool free software. I download a file PTP216UEN.EXE and installed it, but I get a message saying: "No valid Plextools Professional found. Upgrade aborted".

It seems that all the files that says Plextool Professional 2.16 on the web are upgrades. So what is it that I have to install first?

Thanks...
Dan

You have to:

1) Install an older version from the included CD.

-or-

2) There is a registry hack to allow installation of the upgrades. Google it.

I don't understand why I dodn't get a CD with the old Plextool software you mentioned. All I got was a blank 4.7 gig DVD/r disc, and a CD full of Roxio products (Easy CD creator 6, Photosuite, etc).

Anyway, Thanks for your reply...

-Dan

Poor software bundle. No PlexTools (not counting PlexTools Pro for the Premium and PX-712).. You must be a (fellow) American.

The reg hack is your simplest bet.

If only their drives weren't so good.., tec

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Well, after reading a few roundabout FAQ's on the Web, I finally realized that Plextool wasn't meant for the px708a, but rather for the premium PlexWrite series,
which is bundled with it. I didn't know about that earlier... I thought it was free for Plextor owners until I hit a snag. That's fine... The reviews aren't that good either.
So, why bother if it's not openly given. We bloated Americans have so much in our arsenal to be worried about a piece of crap. No big deal... Good Day!

-Dan

Many people here will heartedly recommend PlexTools. It really is a great tool.

Isn't the reason why PlexTools aren't distributed in the US because of US copyright laws? Or did I misunderstand?

My new Plextor Premium came with PlexTools Pro and I'm in the US. I installed the old version on the CD, then the upgrade (2.16).

PlexTools Pro's startup screen reads:

... This utility is freely available for all Plextor customers to be used under the conditions of the End-User License Agreement...

Yet the s/w is only shipped with the Premium and the PX-712*. I fail to see the logic behind this.

The Q-Check (C1/C2 test etc.) functions don't work with other drives, but DAE does (though error correction methods may not be supported properly). It is worth having PTP just for that feature alone. And its CD/DVD Copy function will create a perfect copy of an audio CD - both the layout and the audio data (as proved by CRC comparisons).

Of course, CloneCD will create a perfect copy of an audio CD, too, some will say. Not quite so. I found that Clone CD may do that provided it can read the original correctly; but if the original was scratched you'll have trouble reading/ripping the copy as well. In contrast, the copy done by PTP will rip like a brand new disc.

It is important to note that this function appears broken in versions later than 2.12. I'm posting a separate thread on the subject, as there doesn't seem to be enough interest in the matter on CD Freaks =(.

Put shortly, PlexTools was developed by PlexTools Europe.
It is due to licensing issues.

Hrmm, without going through the pain and suffering of pulling the software packages out of the closet, it is packaged with the US version of the Premium drives. In the past it Plextools was not available on the US website, but this has since changed starting with the renaming to "Pro". Of course, I belive one of the original issues PlexTools was kept within Europe/Middle East previously was because it was known to defeat copy protected CDs.

Anyway, PlexTools/PlexTools Pro functions just fine on any of the Plextor made drives... it has been in distribution for years on the european site, long before the Premium drive ever made it to the market. I've been using it on my aging 40TS drive since before I can remember, and at least in DAE it is just as accurate as EAC (besides it knows the drives offsets without having to specify them).

As to the original poster, I would suggest looking for the registry entry that it uses to determine if a previous version was installed. I've been using this registry entry for a long time as well, primarily because I found it silly to install the software twice when I wanted to use it.

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-- I already agreed with you, 10.5 hours before.
Also, I would be willing to contest defeating copy protected CDs was the primary reason it was not available in the U.S.



PlexTools and PlexTools Pro are different products (how different is irrelevant, IMO) so I believe what I said was correct.
I've been using since Plextor software on my different drives from Plextor Manager 96 onward to PlexTools Pro v.2.16, so I'm fairly familiar with it as well.

Sorry for the confusion, tec

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Plextor PlexTools - Introduction @ CDFreaks

10.5 hours eh? Oh well, hard to agree with me when I hadn't even posted yet. Anyway, you probably right about the reason it wasn't brought over here before... never-the-less it was something that I had read (years ago) might be at issue with a U.S. release. But, maybe I didn't even read it... my mind gets fuzzy in my old age.

As for them being different products, to me it just seemed like a name change, followed by a number of features for the Premium, and whatever other drives support the newer options. The original parts of the software are still intact. At the very least PlexTools (if not "pro") isn't updated any longer.

Sigh...

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