DISCInfo

DISCInfo is a small-sized and portable application that displays hardware information on IDE/SCSI devices. It is quite simple to work with, since the program does not include complex settings.
Since installation is not a requirement, you can drop the executable file somewhere on the hard drive and click it to run.
An alternative is to move DISCInfo to a USB flash disk or similar storage unit, in order to run it on any machine seamlessly.
An important factor to take into account is that the Windows Registry does not get new entries, and files are not left behind on the HDD after removing the utility.
The interface is made from a small, regular window with a simple layout, where all you have to do is select the IDE/SCSI device from a drop-down menu to view the firmware version, vendor specific data, read and write speed, along with extra information, such as current region set and drive region status.
Furthermore, you can display a summary and copy all details to the Clipboard, check out firmware updates and capabilities information, as well as save the CD/DVD data to file for further scrutiny.
The application has a minimal impact on computer performance, using a small amount of CPU and RAM. It has a good refresh rate and doesn't cause the operating system to hang, crash or pop up error dialogs. Unfortunately, DISCInfo has not been updated for a long time, and it is not supported by newer operating systems.