UNSOLVED
VM
Vanguard Mindwa
35 Posts
0
9970
January 9th, 2008 12:00
DVD drive problems (2) on 8400
I've got an 8400, 3.4, 80GB HD with 2 DVD drives:
1 Samsung DVD-ROM DS-616E (F502)
2 Phillips DVD+-RW DVD8631 (BD10)
Problem 1:
My Samsung (D:) doesn't want to open anymore - hasn't opened in the last 3 weeks or so. It seems the PC recognizes it - uninstalled it, rebooted, New Hardware found, etc - but I can't get the door open. I haven't noticed the green light on the door coming on at all - not even after a reboot. I right-click on the D: to "Eject" and get a faint noise from the drive but then nothing (aside from explorer freezing for a minute).
Problem 2:
As of 2 days ago I've noticed that my speeds (reading + writing) have been shot to heck (not my word). The drive opens, identifies discs fine but it now takes me an hour and a half to burn a DVD (which i think is 1X) no matter what burning speed option I have available and/or selected. Reading a disc is now at 2X.
I've had the 8400 now for almost 3 years and its been pretty reliable.
I am at a loss.... other than the fact that I'm thinking the drives are dead and dying. :smileysad:
698
0
Posted January 9th, 2008 13:00
thanks for the quick reply.I'm not fond of opening my PC - I'm always worried it'll be in worse condition after I've opened it up.Yes, I do clean it from time to time :)Another question though - what about an external DVD burner (USB).?Are these good/bad? some thoughts.....thanks698
0
Posted January 9th, 2008 16:00
Hi Vanguard,
One of our VIP`s Jack~Fireberd using USB drives and has had very good success with them.
I am not sure of the brand, for some reason I am thinking Samsung but I could ask him if you want me to?
Best Regards!
God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do and the eyesight to tell the
difference.
CD/RW Link
698
0
Posted January 9th, 2008 17:00
Sounds good - more info the better - thanks again! :)BTW - Just spent 2 hours burning a DVD data disc supposedly on 4X. Used Nero and noticed the buffer jumping up and down -98%-21% (not the 'used read buffer' but the other one).:smileymad:698
0
Posted January 9th, 2008 18:00
Hi Vanguard,
Jack is not currently on-line but I dropped him a PM to check out your thread.
Lets verify that your drives are running in DMA mode (UDMA-2) and not PIO mode.
Click on the CD/RW link in my post and scroll to Section 15, articles 14 and 17.
Best Regards!
God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do and the eyesight to tell the
difference.
CD/RW Link
698
0
Posted January 10th, 2008 10:00
Vanguard, I'm using 3 USB connected Samsung/Toshiba drives with my E510 Dell. They all work well and no different than using an internal drive. I don't know if that will give you any better speeds as DVD's do take a long time to burn.One of my drives also has Lightscribe capability but that is not something I recommend as it can take up to 30 minutes to burn a Lightscribe "label" on a disc, plus they are hard to read after it's been burned. I tried a fairly simple audio CD label - no graphics - and it took 18 minutes to burn the label. But the "price was right" when I bought the drive from www.newegg.com . I didnt buy a complete external package (drive and enclosure), I bought the drives and the enclosures separately and at the time I bought them that was the least expensive way to go. But, if you don't want a "do it yourself" job then buy one that is a complete external drive unit.Here is the listing from new egg for external drives that are in USB enclosures. Click Me I don't know what you would be interested but you can look over what is offered there. I referenced new egg as that is where I bought the drives and enclosure and where I usually buy my computer equipment on-line.One note, the maximum burn speed for the DVD burners does not mean that is what your DVD's will burn at, even if you have DVD's rated for that speed. I have some DVD's rated for "up to 8X" and they burn at around 4X.
Inspiron 16 5630 Laptop and WD22TB4 Docking StationSelf-built desktop for recording studio application698
0
Posted January 10th, 2008 11:00
It seems the burner was in PIO mode - not sure how that happened - but after running 'resetdma.vbs ' it's now in UltraDMA mode. Thanks man!!I noticed after the reboot that the green light went on the Samsung and briefly has a glimmer of hope. But I still can't get the door open. Tried the right clicking on the drive letter to use the Eject option but all that happened was a faint 'whirrr' from the drive as if it was trying to open but - nothing.Oh well - at least I got one back to normal - thank again!!:smileyvery-happy:
Predator
2 Intern
•
15286 Posts
698
0
Posted January 9th, 2008 12:00
Hi Vanguard,
It is possible the Samsung has failed and due to both drives on the same IDE cable, it may be affecting the Philips.
I would start by uninstalling both drives from Device Manager, then shut down. Open the case and reseat (unplug/replug) the IDE cable from the motherboard to back of each drive. Restart the system, did this help?
You can try running the:
How to Run the Dell™ Diagnostics Utility
on each drive.
Or you can disconnect the Samsung, move the "End" connection of the IDE cable to the Philips and test the drive to see if it now works properly.
Also I do believe Dell may have firmware updates for both of these devices, please use the Drivers & Downloads link on the left of the page, enter information for your system.
Best Regards!
God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do and the eyesight to tell the
difference.
CD/RW Link
Message Edited by Predator on 01-09-2008 09:41 AM