Can the Region be changed on modern USB DVD drives?

Can the Region be changed on modern USB DVD drives?
Are there specific models which can or cannot have the region changed?

I have a collection of Region 2 DVDs that I'd like to play on my laptop computer. PowerDVD (supplied by Dell) offered to change the region on the laptop's internal DVD drive, but I'd rather leave that one as Region 1.

Because I don't want to spend the time doing that. I just want to watch the DVDs. (I have a multi-region player already, but it's showing symptoms of wearing out.)

But that wouldn't plug into my HTPC!

I was impatient, so I picked up a LaCie USB DVD+/-RW at the campus store. LaCie's just a repackager, of course. This one happens to contain a TSSTcorp CDDVDW SN-S083R, with firmware SB01 (the latest, from 2010). Win7 installed its drivers automagically. It allows the usual 5 region changes and plays Region 2 DVDs just fine.

Problem solved.