*Firmware Update* Samsung SN 308B 8X Slim Combo

I wish the instructions were a bit clearer for this update.
I'm using an inspiron 4100 with interchangable floppy & dvd/cdrw drive.
you obviously have to boot from the floppy but seeing the dvd/cdrw drive isn't connected because you're using the floppy module, how do you the flash the drive's firmware. do you have to hot swap the floppy to the combo drive??
I would be grateful to anyone who has actually done this upgrade with interchangable drives to elaborate on the procedure they used.
tia

Is there any particular benefit to this firmware update?

It does not say anywhere what the update actually does. Perhaps we shall have to ask Dell ourselves. The reason I see it as important is that I was hoping it might reduce the number of errors during cd writing.

If anybody does find out what the update does please post here.

Warning about this firmware - I ran the update, and it messed up my CDRW/DVD drive so badly that the computer wouldn't recognize either the combo drive, or my computer harddrive. The only thing that helped was physically removing the combo drive from my system.

Since I'm still in warranty, Dell sent me a new drive, so I guess the story has a happy ending, but I *really* wanted to install the firmware, since it was supposed to solve problems I've been having with Diablo II.

I'd really like to hear how everyone else does installing this firmware - the Dell support guy said that it might have just been a bad download, but also said that I should never try installing the firmware ever again - likely because Dell doesn't want to give me new drives weekly. And despite what happenned with my system last time, I want to play Diablo so much, that I'm sorely tempted to try again.

So... am I the only one who's had problems?? I'd really like some feedback.

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Inspiron 8100, P3, 1.2 GHz, 256 MB RAM
Samsung CDRW/DVD SN-308B
Mobility Radeon 7500, Driver Version 6.13.10.6006
ESS Maestro PCI Audio, Driver Version 5.12.01.1164 M3i
3Com 10/100 Mini PCI Ethernet Adapter / 56K Modem, Driver Version 1.21.00.003

Hi,

Here are my experiences.

I loaded the files on a floppy disk and re-booted. The system displayed the normal win98 dos boot screen and then started updating the drive. It went through nine steps, the first 5 or so fairly quickly. Re-booted with the floppy disk out and the i8100 booted up to my XP Pro OS.

I can detect no difference with the new software, but I didn't do anything special with the DVD or CDR/W drive to test it.

Rob.

--
i8100, 1.2Ghz PIII-M (UK - Xmas 2001)
384Mb (128Mb Dell + 256Mb Crucial)
Win XP-Pro
Samsung DVD/CDRW
30G Hitachi
IBM 15" SVGA+
32Mb GF2GO (17.20 Drivers)
Bios A10
ActionTec Modem/Ethernet

I used the firmware update with no problems whatsoever. However, I still have not been able to find out what this update does exactly. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks dhruba, Rob_S: I'm not sure exactly what it does either, except from the info on the download page, as follows:

-Addresses issue with Diablo 2 game
-Addresses problem where drive will not spin down occasionally
-Optimizes writing to some brands of CD-R media
-Adds support for DVD+RW media

I was just excited that it might fix my Diablo 2 problem, since Blizzard has been *no* help with it - they just keep sending me solutions copied off their support pages, which were, of course, the first things I tried. But since it killed my drive, I guess I'm still SOL. I'm hoping to get someone from tech support to walk me through the update, in case I messed something up - I'll post any updates.

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Inspiron 8100, P3, 1.2 GHz, 256 MB RAM, XP Home, SMBIOS A10
Samsung 8x CDRW/DVD SN-308B
15" UXGA, Mobility Radeon 7500, Driver Version 6.13.10.6006
ESS Maestro PCI Audio, Driver Version 5.12.01.1164 M3i
3Com 10/100 Mini PCI Ethernet Adapter / 56K Modem, Driver Version 1.21.00.003

Hi, bacillus. I have exactly the same question. Only one drive bay on my Inspiron 4000. Did you ever get an answer?

Caravan, the answer for me was very simple.
connected the floppy drive via its cable(dell had forgotten to send me one) to the LTP port whilst the dvd drive remained in the media bay.
flashed the firmware, no problem.

Wow, I would NEVER have thought of that. Was it in the Dell instructors or are you just a computer genius?

I, too, had the drive die after flashing the firmware -- only I used U007 instead of U005.  Now the light just blinks and blinks.  The flashing process claimed to be successful, going through nine steps and verifying all of them as okay.  An interesting oddity I've noticed about my broken drive is that the ID string that the flash utility displays ends in "BOOT", instead of "U007" or another version number, as it should.

 

 -=Marcus