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JE

Jenkins Ear

16 Posts

12761

December 4th, 2005 00:00

CD and DVD Drive Names Corrupted in BIOS

During 3 days of troubleshooting being unable to burn CDs and DVDs, I noticed that my drive names were corrupted; randomly, a single bit (always the same one) would be picked (might have been dropped - haven't looked to see which) in various characters in the drive name.  "R/RW" would become "P/PW", "DVD" --> "DTD" and "SAMSUNG" --> SAMQULG".  I also noticed that those corrupted names showed up in the BIOS listings.
 
After much registry changing, re-booting, driver installation, drive uninstalls/reinstalls and cable reseating, the names finally showed correctly in the BIOS, My Computer, Windows Explorer, etc.  Upon Dell's recommednation, I uninstalled SONIC RecordNow! Plus (which they installed when I bought the system - think I can get a rebate?) and installed Nero, which is now flawlessly burning all the different types of media supported by my drives.
 
However, I don't have that warm yummy feeling that all my troubles are over.
 
Here are my questions:
 
1.  Doesn't the corrupted drive name "feel" like a hardware problem"?  Or could the SONIC software somehow cause the names to be corrupted? I did note that about 3" of the flat IDE cable looked kind of "crushed" when I reseated all three connectors.  Could that be causing the name corrruption?  If I had to replace the cable, how would I go about getting Dell to do that - make a normal service call?  Is a replacement IDE cable something one can find at a store like Micro Center?
 
2.  As a result of the corrupted drive name, I have a number of registry entries in the /CurrentControlSet/Enum directory that were generated (by whom?) that include the corrupted names.  Is there any harm to leaving those in the directory?  I can't delete them - I get a message saying "Error encountered when deleting key".  (There were also a number of other entries that I could delete, and I got rid of those.)
 
Thanks for your help!

Majestic

9.4K Posts

December 4th, 2005 12:00

Opinion #1......  It sounds strange that a software program would have scrambled the drives' naming in the BIOS.  Then again with computers anything can be possible.  I would keep an eye on the system to see if the problem returns.  If it doesn't then one can assume the Sonic program was the culprit.  To be on the safe side I would also clear the system's NVRAM to insure that the drives are named correctly in the hardware information stored in the NVRAM.  Click here for an FAQ that will explain how to clear the NVRAM.  Just follow the directions listed for your model.  The clearing of the NVRAM is safe to do and won't harm the system. 
 
As for a refund on the Sonic program.... I doubt Dell would offer it.
 
As for the crunched ribbon cable....... if the system continues to work Ok then I wouldn't worry about it.  You could try playing around with the cable to see if the naming problem returns.  If it does then possibly there is a short in the cable that is the cause of the drive identification scramble.  Otherwise if the cable's condition is a concern then by all means contact Dell Tech Support and they should ship you out another one for you to replace.  They will then more than likely want you to send the old one back and they will pay the shipping.  Otherwise a new ribbon cable can be purchased at any Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City, OfficeMax or any store that handles computer products.   
 
Opinion #2.....  if you are concerned about the erroneous entries in the registry then visit the Software - Windows XP forum to see if anyone can recommend a good registry cleaner.  The cleaner may remove invalid items. 

Jenkins Ear

16 Posts

December 4th, 2005 13:00

Thanks for the feedback.  I think I'll relegate the CMOS clear to something to do when I have the cover open the next time.  If I clear the CMOS, will I have to reinstall devices, etc?

I may just get a new cable and be done with the uncertainty and doubt.

And I'll visit the windowsxp.software forum to see what I can find out about getting those boogered-up entries removed.

Thanks, again.

Majestic

9.4K Posts

December 4th, 2005 15:00

"If I clear the CMOS, will I have to reinstall devices, etc?"
 
The clearing of the NVRAM (CMOS) deals strictly with the BIOS and won't uninstall any devices in Windows.  What Dell model you have?  Some Dell models allow the NVRAM (CMOS) to be cleared from with-in the BIOS Setup program as well as by using a jumper on the motherboard.  

Message Edited by Majestic on 12-04-2005 11:45 AM

Majestic

9.4K Posts

December 4th, 2005 16:00

The method below will work on the Gen3.  The defaulting process should also cause the system to redetect the installed hardware.  Keep in mind it may default your RAID settings for the hard drive(s) so you may want take note of their current settings prior to doing anything.
 
* Click Start- Turn Off Computer- Restart
* Watch the keyboard lights. When they flash, tap the F2 key
* The message, Entering Setup should appear
* Down arrow to Maintenance
* Choose Load Defaults
* Click Continue - Restore factory defaults

Jenkins Ear

16 Posts

December 4th, 2005 16:00

Dimension XPS Gen 3

Jenkins Ear

16 Posts

December 4th, 2005 17:00

Ok - and thanks very much for the instructions.  Anything that keeps me from opening the cover is fine by me...

RoHe

10 Elder

 • 

44.3K Posts

December 5th, 2005 17:00

If just clearing NVRAM doesn't fix it, or it comes back again, then I'd suspect the battery on the motherboard is dying and needs to be replaced. But you'll have to open the case to change it. ;)

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 12-05-2005 11:33 AM

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