Inspiron 1100 CDR problems HELP!!!! Dell will not....

Question

Hello, I received my Inspiron 1100 laptop Oct 30, which was much quicker than expected.  I was fairly impressed.  Then the problems began. Initially I had problems with the SBW-242 combo drive reading ANY cd's, when you inserted a CD it would not recognize it nor would it allow you to eject it, you had to eject it manually with a paper clip, and then try again, every other time or so it would work.  With the exception of CDR's that were burned from an ISO/BIN/CUE etc, in other words CDR's that were burned from an image.  The CD appears blank when inserted.  I explained this to tech support in great detail was walked through a bunch of diagnostic stuff and the end result was my combo drive was deemed faulty, a replacement was shipped, which I was told would read the CDR's no problem. I received my drive a day later (really quick) again impressed.   The drive ejected properly but would not read any CDR's burned from images. I phoned Dell immediately on Nov 4 (late at night), went through a bunch more troubleshooting, including re-installed the OS and all drivers etc all windows updates and was told to phone back if any more problems.  Of course this did not help at all and I still experienced the same problems.  I phoned back right away, spent a bunch more time going over the same stuff all over again, was quite frustrated and explained to the rep that I have seen other posts on this forum with other people also having problems and demanded to have the drive replaced by a different brand name of combo drive.  The rep eventually agreed to send me a Panasonic or Samsung replacement drive.  I was happy with this solution. Today my new drive arrived (Nov 7), to my disgust it was a QSI SBW-242 that of course does not read CDR's burned from images.  I phoned back into Dell technical support was given a bit of run around, and told there was nothing they could do, the QSI was the ONLY combo drive compatible with the Inspiron 1100 laptop and that I had essentially four choices, none of which are acceptable to me. 1) Return laptop for a refund. 2) Return laptop and get replacement (same model), as it could be a motherboard fault in the tech rep's opinion, I highly doubt this is a motherboard problem. 3) Live with the laptop the way it is. 4) Return laptop and order a different model of Dell laptop, in hopes it would not experience the same problem.  If I have to return my laptop I will buy a different brand, Dell is not an option if they can not resolve this issue. As another note, the CDR's that can not be read in my Inspiron 1100 can be read in my Inspiron 3800, Compaq P3 Desktop, Sony Vaio Celeron 2.4ghz laptop, clone desktop, so it is not a problem with the CDR's or the way they were burned.  I have tried four different CD burning packages (Roxio, CDRWin, Nero, Alcohol 120%), and four media types (Maxell, Memorex, Sony, TDK), and multiple burning speeds.  Nothing makes any difference. I was told by the last tech rep I spoke to, to call Dell Customer Care and see what they could do, and the only possible solution I was given was to upgrade to the DVD burner which would cost me $250.  I have no need for a DVD burner and feel it is unacceptable for Dell to require me to spend more money to get my laptop to do what it should do the way it is now.  I guess I have a few questions for anyone who can answer or help. 1) Does anyone know a workaround for this problem with the SBW-242? 2) Does anyone know if there are other drives (that Dell supports and stocks) that WILL fit in my Inspiron 1100 laptop contrary to what Dell says (that QSI is the ONLY compatible drive) 3) Does anyone know if the DVD burner will read CDR's properly? and what brand name it would be. Any other suggestions? Any help is greatly appreciated, I am really frustrated and fed up with Dell right now.

Karell · Answer

Cgartly, Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum. Unfortunately there are no firmware updates for this drive, so I do not think you will be able to get the problem solved by keeping that drive. The drive specs state it can read the following formats: CD-R disc (Conforming to Orange Book Part2) CD-RW disc (Conforming to Orange Book Part3) Orange books standards. The following drives are also compatible with this system. Part#..............Description: 2X264..............DVD/CDRW Combo, HLDS, 5Y222..............24X DVD/CDRW Combo, Samsung, D1823..............CDRW/DVD Combo, PANASONIC, If you want to try and get the drive exchanged, you need to contact Dell Customer Care. They are the only ones that can issue a credit for the drive, and then place the order for the different drive model. Dell Tech Support is very limited when it comes to exchanging parts. They can request that the drive be exchanged, but ultimately Dell shipping will send you whatever drive is available/compatible at the time. But, Dell Customer Care can issue an credit/RMA to get the drive back, and then place an actual order for a different drive model.

Storage, Drives & Media

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