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m4800 doesn't recognize optical drive
I upgraded the M4800's optical drive from DVD-ROM to BD-RE. Windows 10 recognizes the BD-RE drive, attached to the Intel SATA controller. However, the M4800's UEFI / BIOS thinks that the fixed drive bay is empty.
I booted in diagnostic mode. The firmware diagnostic did not think an optical drive exists and did not try to test cables or anything.
I removed the AC adapter and battery, held the power switch down to drain flea power, tried again, and the UEFI / BIOS still thinks the fixed drive bay is empty. Windows 10 still sees the BD-RE drive.
Does anyone know how to fix the UEFI?
Norman Diamond
89 Posts
0
May 13th, 2020 15:00
Additional information:
I removed the BD drive, leaving the slot empty. The UEFI said Fixed Drive Bay = none. I put the BD drive back in. The UEFI said Fixed Drive Bay =
So there's a difference between an empty slot and an empty string. The UEFI knows the bay isn't empty but it can't figure out what to do.
An M6500's BIOS correctly detected the drive (as does Windows).
The M4800's UEFI version is A26.
Norman Diamond
89 Posts
0
May 19th, 2020 04:00
Dell sent an automated e-mail informing me that my question had 1 reply, and if it helps me then I should mark it as a solution. Well no Dell, my posting of additional information did not solve my problem.
Dell also sent an automated PM asking for my service tag, informing me that the warranty was expired, and offering some way to get out-of-warranty service for a fee. The method of obtaining out-of-warranty service is cumbersome, transferring from one contact to another to another, and Dell never figured out what the fee might be before Dell disconnected me. I wonder what the fees might be if Dell solves their firmware problem and if Dell doesn't solve their firmware problem.
Norman Diamond
89 Posts
0
May 25th, 2020 12:00
I tried, as an experiment, putting a UEFI formatted DVD in the BD-RE drive. Pressing F12 for boot options, the drive was bootable, even though the UEFI didn't understand the drive. I guess it will be OK.