
This Pioneer BDR-XD05S external drive allows you to archive up to 128GB of data on BD-R QL media and up to 100GB of data on BD-R TL media, plus supports DVD and CD formats, so you can burn your favorite movies and music to discs.
Q: does it come with its own driver and/or does windows 8.1 reconize it as a blu-ray
A: It didn't come with any disc, driver, software, etc. Windows 8. 8.1, and 10 all recognized it and installed the driver automatically. Ran fine. However, this drive is focused on Macs. The best similar drive for a Wndows machine is the Pioneer Slim External Blu Ray Writer BDR-XD05B (Black) -- and it comes with the Cyberlink Media Suite, so you can play DVDs and Blu Ray discs. If you buy this drive, you will have to buy software to play anything.
Q: will this drive work on usb 2.0?
A: I have this exact drive. The short answer is yes. Any USB3.0 compliant device must have fallback capabilities. Whether or not you can host this drive on a USB2.0 bus isn't up to the drive but rather what you are connecting it to. Your machine/pc and your OS are what determine if it works or not. SOME systems may throw an error such as "USB device is not recognized" others may throw an error (but still work with the drive) "the device you are using can run faster" It's just letting you know that if you had a USB3.0 drive it would be faster. It will recognize the drive. Avoid Windows XP and pre-LGA1155 motherboards if at all possible.
Q: How do I watch a BD movie with this? What software works for you?
A: Just download the free Leawo software.
Q: Will this drive work with windows 10?
A: This is compatible with Windows 10.
Q: how many USB ports do you need for this, 1 or 2?
A: When run off my MacBook Pro, it only needs one.
Q: Does it play DVDs from outside the U.S. (i.e., Region 2, 3, 4, etc.)?
A: Yes, the external USB drive will play DVD's from outside the US.
Q: WILL THIS WORK ON A SURFACE PRO 3 WITH WINDOWS 10?
A: Yes, you can use this on USB 3 capable devices running Windows 10.
Q: Does this drive write and read M Discs? Thanks.
A: Yes, it does both.