dvd/cd drive problem

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Hi everyone,
Have a DVD/CD read only laptop drive which isn't reading any disks at all. Have tried DVDs, CD audios and data and nothing the drive just spins. A friend thinks it might be the 'flashware' but thats a bit over my head.

Can anyone help? Thanx
 

floppybootstomp

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Need a few more details, I'm afraid.

Laptop model? Method of connection? Operating System? Is drive recognised in Device Manager? (assuming you're using some flavour of Windows).

The Flashware your friend refers to is the onboard firmware in the drive, a set of instructions stored in an eprom within the drive much like a motherboard bios.

To update your firmware you need to know the make & model number of your drive, find the manufacturers website, download the relevant software file and install it, being careful to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

imo, unlikely to be firmware, but it's worth a try.

More likely drive has failed or software (OS) problems.
 
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laptop info

sorry yep
Dell Latitude
XP pro
Toshiba DVD-Rom SD-c2612
Device manager says its working properly
 

floppybootstomp

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Here’s a link to a firmware patch that makes the drive region free:

Patch

link to a forum page discussing problems with that drive:

Link

To install the patch, it’s probably OK just to click on the downloaded patch and it will automatically install. That’s what I’ve always found with internal optical drives, anyway. The patch/firmwware may be be zipped, in which case, unzip it into a new folder.

Does the drive connect through a USB port? Have you tried a new/alternative USB cable?

From reading available info, it appears that this particular drive is prone to failure. It may be best to seek a replacement if it’s still under warranty.

If Windows is showing it as working OK, check which mode it’s working in. If it’s shown as working in PIO mode, and not UDMA, it’s likely on the way out or faulty. Sorry :(

I’ve recently had two internal DVD-ROM drives fail on me, both around 18 months old. Both showed in Windows as working OK, but they weren’t. I replaced both. Both replacements worked fine.

Try the new firmware, but I strongly suspect the drive is faulty.
 

muckshifter

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Device manager says its working properly
Sorry, all that means is Windows can 'see' it.

... I strongly suspect the drive is faulty. :(
 

floppybootstomp

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XP Pro = Start >> Control Panel >> System >> Hardware >> Device Manager >> IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers >> Primary & Secondary IDE Channels >> Right Click >> Properties >> Advanced settings >> Current Transfer mode

That's for internal optical drives. Sorry, I've never used an external drive, not quite sure where to look for that info, but the above may give you a clue.

Can any other Forum members offer a clue here?
 

Quadophile

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I use an external Plextor CD-RW and I think you may be having a problem with the USB driver. Have you updated your OS to the newest drivers? Did you install the Drive by first connecting it to the computer with USB cable and have the system detect it? What is the exact model no of the Dell Latitude. If it is newer one you whould have USB 2.0 and if older it would work on USB 1.1
 

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