Re: [CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of return on investment resolution choices. The firmware upgrade took about 10 minutes. During this time: no donning the LED headlamp ( that terrifies my kid almost as much as when I wear tall white crew socks with shortssee it on Amazon here : http://tinyurl.com/23b2wy), no gymnastics while disconnecting cords/cables in order to relocate computer from where it sits for normal work to where it must go to swap parts (it doesn't live on a test bench in its day to day life), no computer case to crack open, no power and IDE cables to remove/replace, no worries that the replacement hardware is DOA, and no encore of the headlamp-enabled gymnastics to return the 'puter to its normal location and reconnect all the stuff in back. At least a 30 minute drill...plus the extra that will come with the the inevitable cable management and dust removal drill that will will be an inevitable part of this. Few people like buying or opening shiny new boxes of hardware more than I do. My retreat position for most PC issues is "new hardware solves everything". Well, OK, maybe "new hardware or a reformatted HD and a reload of Windows) will take care of what new hardware won;t. I fully realize that even a multi-format, double layer DVD writer is essentially a commodity item these days..but I'm still not in a hurry to move to purchase and replace if there seems to be a good alternative. If it stops playing nice with DVD-Rs in the future...yeah, bring on the new box. On Jan 14, 2008 6:34 PM, Tony B <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Probably just a hardware failure then. Maybe intermittent; a dust mote > on the laser, or a crack on the circuit board. May come back soon, may > not. I personally doubt the firmware upgrade was responsible for > 'fixing' the drive. > > Again, you've gone to much more effort than I would have. I'd be more > worried about a _lasting_ repair and would likely have just replaced > the unit. > > * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
Re: [CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
Probably just a hardware failure then. Maybe intermittent; a dust mote on the laser, or a crack on the circuit board. May come back soon, may not. I personally doubt the firmware upgrade was responsible for 'fixing' the drive. Again, you've gone to much more effort than I would have. I'd be more worried about a _lasting_ repair and would likely have just replaced the unit. On Jan 14, 2008 6:37 PM, D.L.H. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I don't normally burn that many types (and don't to multisession). I > was just trying to clarify wheat the issue was: the hardware, the > media or the authoring software. > > I guess the restored functionality after the firmware upgrade puts the > answer in the "hardware sort of" category:-) * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
Re: [CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
It's always possible that some software "upgrade" broke something. If it was an MS patch that broke it, the drive manufacturer may have decided the easier route to the fix was to change the firmware of his product. I've had a lot of things get flaky at some point in time, and have often suspected that some MS patch had broken something. If I had the time, I'd try going back to an earlier OS state and see if that fixed the problem. And it may have been the drive manufacturer's fault. Everything may have worked with "loose" coding of both firmware and driver. MS may have tightened up the driver, and it broke something. The answer was for the drive manufacturer to tighten up the firmware code. Fred Holmes At 04:53 AM 1/14/2008, D.L.H. wrote: >Recently a three-year old Lite-On multi-format DL DVD burner in my >Windiows XP desktop started balking at some DVD burning jons. DVD-R? >Fine. DVD=R? Fine. DVD-DL? Fine. DVD RW variants? Fine. CD and CD-RW? >Fine. > >But it was not happy with DVD-R jobs. At first I suspected Nero, >because the current version has some issues. Then I suspected a media >brand/batch issue (it would do Memorex fine, but not Sony..for while. >Then the problem became all DVD-R jobs). > >I found a firmware upgrade on the Lite-On USA website. It installed >with no problems and seems the DVD-R issue seems resolved. > >My questions: >The burner worked fine from day 1 until it started eliminating DVD-R >from its functionality. The firmware upgrade fixed this. Can firmware >get corrupted? Was the firmware update the best troubleshooting path >(other than the obvious "yes, since it fixed it///) >I've never had a similar hardware issue over 15 years of computing >with optical drives... > >Thanks * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
Re: [CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
I don't normally burn that many types (and don't to multisession). I was just trying to clarify wheat the issue was: the hardware, the media or the authoring software. I guess the restored functionality after the firmware upgrade puts the answer in the "hardware sort of" category:-) Everything had been working fine up until this sudden balkiness. On Jan 14, 2008 10:37 AM, Tony B <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Yes, I suppose any kind of memory can get corrupted, though ROM (well, > EEPROM) would be much less susceptible than RAM. > > The bigger question is why are you burning so many different types of > DVDs? I burn several per week and all of them are UDF, no > multisession, DVD-R, which the company buys in bulk for like 25 cents > each. When one of our burners starts acting up, it just gets replaced > without a whole lot of angst. > > > > On Jan 14, 2008 4:53 AM, D.L.H. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Recently a three-year old Lite-On multi-format DL DVD burner in my > > Windiows XP desktop started balking at some DVD burning jons. DVD-R? > > Fine. DVD=R? Fine. DVD-DL? Fine. DVD RW variants? Fine. CD and CD-RW? > > Fine. > > > > But it was not happy with DVD-R jobs. At first I suspected Nero, > > because the current version has some issues. Then I suspected a media > > brand/batch issue (it would do Memorex fine, but not Sony..for while. > > Then the problem became all DVD-R jobs). > > > > I found a firmware upgrade on the Lite-On USA website. It installed > > with no problems and seems the DVD-R issue seems resolved. > > > > My questions: > > The burner worked fine from day 1 until it started eliminating DVD-R > > from its functionality. The firmware upgrade fixed this. Can firmware > > get corrupted? Was the firmware update the best troubleshooting path > > (other than the obvious "yes, since it fixed it///) > > I've never had a similar hardware issue over 15 years of computing > > with optical drives... > > > > * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== > * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== > * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name > * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST > * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L > * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress > * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l > * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ > * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml > * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived > > * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
Re: [CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
>The burner worked fine from day 1 until it started eliminating DVD-R >from its functionality. The firmware upgrade fixed this. Can firmware >get corrupted? Was the firmware update the best troubleshooting path Hard to say unless you know exactly what was in the firmware upgrade. One of the things that a burner does is read information from the disc blank that tells the burner how to burn the disc. It could be that a new type of disc was introduced and your burner was not set up to handle it. That would account for your getting failures only with a certain format and certain manufacturers and for your sudden recovery after the upgrade. * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
Re: [CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
Yes, I suppose any kind of memory can get corrupted, though ROM (well, EEPROM) would be much less susceptible than RAM. The bigger question is why are you burning so many different types of DVDs? I burn several per week and all of them are UDF, no multisession, DVD-R, which the company buys in bulk for like 25 cents each. When one of our burners starts acting up, it just gets replaced without a whole lot of angst. On Jan 14, 2008 4:53 AM, D.L.H. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Recently a three-year old Lite-On multi-format DL DVD burner in my > Windiows XP desktop started balking at some DVD burning jons. DVD-R? > Fine. DVD=R? Fine. DVD-DL? Fine. DVD RW variants? Fine. CD and CD-RW? > Fine. > > But it was not happy with DVD-R jobs. At first I suspected Nero, > because the current version has some issues. Then I suspected a media > brand/batch issue (it would do Memorex fine, but not Sony..for while. > Then the problem became all DVD-R jobs). > > I found a firmware upgrade on the Lite-On USA website. It installed > with no problems and seems the DVD-R issue seems resolved. > > My questions: > The burner worked fine from day 1 until it started eliminating DVD-R > from its functionality. The firmware upgrade fixed this. Can firmware > get corrupted? Was the firmware update the best troubleshooting path > (other than the obvious "yes, since it fixed it///) > I've never had a similar hardware issue over 15 years of computing > with optical drives... * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
[CGUYS] Optical drive firmware questions....
Recently a three-year old Lite-On multi-format DL DVD burner in my Windiows XP desktop started balking at some DVD burning jons. DVD-R? Fine. DVD=R? Fine. DVD-DL? Fine. DVD RW variants? Fine. CD and CD-RW? Fine. But it was not happy with DVD-R jobs. At first I suspected Nero, because the current version has some issues. Then I suspected a media brand/batch issue (it would do Memorex fine, but not Sony..for while. Then the problem became all DVD-R jobs). I found a firmware upgrade on the Lite-On USA website. It installed with no problems and seems the DVD-R issue seems resolved. My questions: The burner worked fine from day 1 until it started eliminating DVD-R from its functionality. The firmware upgrade fixed this. Can firmware get corrupted? Was the firmware update the best troubleshooting path (other than the obvious "yes, since it fixed it///) I've never had a similar hardware issue over 15 years of computing with optical drives... Thanks * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
