Thank you for using the
Dell Community Forum. Try reseating the drive to see if the problem is caused by a loose connection.
Also, what is the drive modem? There may be a firmware update for it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Question:
How do I find out what model of Hard Drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVDROM drive I have?
Answer:
Generally your system bios will tell you what drive model you have.
Go into the system bios and check the settings for either:
Primary Drive 0
Primary Drive 1
Secondary Drive 0
Secondary Drive 1
On newer systems go under Drive Configuration.
Then press Enter on either:
SATA Primary Drive
SATA Secondary Drive
Primary Drive 0
Primary Drive 1
Secondary Drive 0
Secondary Drive 1
When you press Enter on any of those options, you should see a listing for the drive modem.
Example: Model: Maxtor 91024D4
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello, I am having the same problem, my 5150 only just arrived, the software that came with it was supposed to be easy cd creator, but instead it came with Sonic RecordNow 6.5. I may not have the same software as you, but I do have the same problem, it will not read anything from other machines that I have done multiple data backups on, which have Roxio and Adaptec software. These same data cd rw will read everywhere else but on my new notebook. Conversely the notebook will record data that will not read anywhere else.
Have you found any solution to your problem? It would sure be useful to know if there is help or hope in sight. Thank you
Thank you for using the
Dell Community Forum. The following general troubleshooting steps may help you isolate the problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CDRW General Troubleshooting steps:
1.Try different cd media types.
2.Uninstall and reinstall the burning software.
3.Install any updates or patches that may be available for the burning software you have.
4.Try different burning software.
Example: Roxio Easy Cd Creator, Nero Burning Rom, Sonic RecordNow.
5.Remove and reseat the drive to verify a loose connection is not causing the problem.
6.If using Win98, WinME, WinXP, then use MSCONFIG to stop all background programs.
Also clear your startup folder of any applications.
7.If using WindowsXP, uninstall any burning software and try using the XP built in burning engine.
8.Try burning different file types to see if a certain file type is the cause of the problem.
9.Try your burning drive in another system if possible.
Try another drive in your system if possible.
10.Disable Auto Insert Notification.
Win98,ME
Click Start |Settings | Control Panel.
Double click the System icon, then select the Device Manager tab.
Double-click the CD-ROM icon, and single-click the entry for the DVD drive.
Click on the Properties button, and then the Settings tab.
Locate the checkbox labeled Auto-Insert Notification and click the checkbox to select or de-select it.
Click OK to save the change. At this point, you may need to restart for the change to become active.
Win2000 and XP
Open My Computer.
Right click on your CDROM drive and click properties.
Click the Autoplay tab.
Choose the media format file type, such as Music file or Video file.
Click on the red circle for Take No Action.
Click Apply and Ok.
11.Confirm that DMA is enabled.
Win98,ME
Select Control Panel from the Settings list in the Start menu.
Double-click the System icon, then select the Device Manager tab.
Double-click the CD-ROM icon, and single-click the entry for the DVD drive.
Click on the Properties button, and then the Settings tab.
Locate the checkbox labeled DMA and click the checkbox to select or de-select it.
Click OK to save the change. At this point, you may need to restart for the change to become active
Win2000 and XP
Click on Start, Control Panel, System.
Click the Hardware Tab, Device Manager button.
Click the + next to IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
Right click on the Primary IDE Channel and click properties.
Click the Advanced Settings Tab.
Make sure that Transfer Mode is set to DMA if Available.
You must also repeat these steps for the Secondary IDE Channel listing.
12.Turn off indexing for the drive.
To verify if a CD, DVD, CDRW drive has been indexed, perform the following;
Right Click on My Computer and choose Manage
Click the plus sign next to Applications and Services
Click the plus sign next to Indexing Service
Click the plus next to System
Select Directories
A list of directories that have been indexed will appear in the window to the right. Look for any entries that include the Drive letter of the optical device, such as D:\
If an entry for an optical device exists, perform the following action;
1. Double click on the appropriate entry
2. Select the Radio Button for No under the Include in the Index? Section
It is suggested that a reboot is performed at this time.
13.Remove the drive from device manager.
Removing the drive controllers from device manager and rebooting to let Windows reload them sometimes helps.
Win95,98,ME:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click the Device Manager tab.
Click the + next to CDROM
Click the appropriate device entry that appears under CDROM then click the REMOVE button.
Perform this step for any other devices listed under the CDROM category.
Reboot the computer.
Win2000, WinXP:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click on the Hardware Tab.
Click the Device Manager button.
Click the + next to DVD/CDROM devices.
Right click the appropriate device entry that appears under DVD/CDROM then click Uninstall.
Perform this step for any other devices listed under the CDROM category.
Reboot the computer.
14.Reset the bios defaults if applicable on the system.
Resetting the bios defaults resets any bios settings that may have gotten corrupt.
This should allow the cdrom drive to redetect if the problem is caused by the bios.
You can find information on how to do so on the following sites:
--How do I restore the Setup Defaults on my Dell™ Inspiron™ portable computer?
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1035265
--How do I restore the Setup Defaults on my Dell™ Inspiron™ portable computer?
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=FA1035265
--How do I restore setup defaults on my Dell™ Latitude™ system?
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=FA1035267
15.Update your bios file to the latest version.
Go to the main Dell Support site:
https://support.dell.com/register.aspx
Input your service tag number and click "Sign in to Standard Support".
Click the Downloads button.
Under the "Select Your Download Category" section, choose "Flash Bios Updates".
Then click GO.
Click the Dell XXXX XXXX System Bios link that comes up.
Click the Dell XXXX XXXX System Bios link that comes up again.
Click on the file name XXXXXX.EXE for FLOPPY version.
Click Download Now Using HTTP.
Save the file to your desktop.
Put a blank formatted floppy in the floppy drive.
Double click the file to create the bios update boot floppy.
Once that is done, leave the floppy in the drive and reboot the system.
The bios will be updated when the system boots to the floppy.
16.Try upgrading the drives firmware revision.
Find the model type of the drive.
Then go to the Dell downloads page and put in the model type of the drive to see if there are any firmware updates for it.
Go to the main Dell Support site:
https://support.dell.com/register.aspx
Input your service tag number and click "Sign in to Standard Support".
Click the Downloads button.
Put the drive model in the search box and click GO.
If there is a firmware updated listed, download it, create the update disk, and update the drives firmware.
------------
Question:
How do I find out what model of Hard Drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVDROM drive I have?
Answer:
Win2000 WinXP:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click the Device Manager button.
Click the + next to DVD/CD-ROM drives.
You should see your drive listed, an example would be: Lite-On LTN483S 48X MAX.
The drive model number would be "LTN483S"
--Another way to tell is to check the system registry.
You can use the steps below that are listed for checking the drives firmware revision.
An example of a drive listing in the registry would be:
IDE\CdRomLite-On_LTN483S_48x_Max_________________PD03____\5&261012d&0&0.1.0
The drive model number would be ""LTN483S""
Question:
How do I find my DVD drives firmware revision in Windows XP:
Right click my computer,manage,expand storage,removable storage,libraries
right click on your drive,properties,device infomation.
-------------------------------------------------------
17.Test the drive using the Dell Diagnostics.
You can find information on how to run the Dell Diagnostics on the following site:
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1060550#toc
Additional Information:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Problem:
My cdrom icon is missing from "My Computer" and there is an exclamation mark next to it in device manager?
Answer:
1)Go to "Start" then select "Run"
2)Type "regedit" and click "OK"
3)optional step Backup you registry by:
a) Highlight "My Computer" by clicking on it once.
b) At the top of the page you should see "File"(Win XP) or "Registry" (Win 2000), click on this and then select "Export Registry File"
c) The following screen will allow you to select where you would like to save this backup and what file name you would like to save it as.
d) Please note at the bottom of the screen where it says export range "All"; this should be selected to ensure your entire registry is backed up completely.
e) Give the File a name and Click on the "SAVE" button (this will bring you back to the registry editor)
4) Remove the Upperfilters and Lowerfilters values by:
a) Expand the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" key (looks like a folder) by double clicking it.
b) Expand the "SYSTEM" Key
c) Expand the "CurrentControlSet" Key
d) Expand the "Control" Key
e) Expand the "Class" Key
f) Please look for a key containing the following string of letter and numbers:
{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
g) High light this key by left clicking once on it
h) On the right hand side you are looking for "Upperfilters" and "Lowerfilters", once you find these please delete them by high lighting (left clicking on them once) and then right clicking on them and choosing "delete"
5) Restart your computer.
6) Your CD-ROM should be back.
Information provided by Bacillus Dell Forum Member.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Karell, while I appreciate the response, the point is I am not a technician. I have just paid a lot of money for a new dell notebook, one that I should not have to fiddle around with in order to get it to work. I have only had it a week, it is disappointing that the Sonic software change was not advised at the time I ordered as I would have certainly asked that Roxio software be included as originally arranged. It is vital that my backup cd's are readable on the new notebook, I honestly dont have time to stuff about trying the list of suggestions you posted. I have notified Dell Support who have replied it is a software problem and not covered by my 3 year warranty, I have spoken with the sales person who apoligizes for the change in software, says it was recent and he has only just learned of it, then suggests I contact Dell support, this is not an acceptable response nor is it helpful in any way. I think the notebook is a good unit, but I am disappointed with the Sonic software, it has created a world of trouble.
I understand your frustration.
Unfortunately the problem could be caused by anything at this point.
That is why troubleshooting is required, in order to isolate the cause of the problem and then try to figure out
a solution. I don't know what specific drive model you have, but the following may also help.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Problem:
QSI CDRW/DVD SBW-242 combo drive makes a loud clicking or bagging noise when trying to read any cd media.
Discussion:
Sonic DLA is sending a command that the drive cannot interpret.
Direct Letter Access (DLA) is Sonic Solution’s version of DirectCD, dragging and dropping files to CD.
The system treats the optical drive as a hard drive or a floppy disk.
This problem does NOT impact the combination of Roxio EasyCD creator DirectCD and the QSI drive.
Solution:
Dell has released a firmware update for the SBW-242 QSI drive.
The file name is: R69582.EXE
File description:
This firmware addresses a clicking noise issue caused by an incompatibility between the QSI SBW 242 Combination drive and Sonic Record Now software.
As a temporary work around, you can also disable Sonic DLA.
1) Click the "Start" button
2) Double Click on the 'My Computer" icon
3) In the "My Computer" window, right click on the CD device then choose "Properties"
4) On the "CD Drive Properties" screen, click on the DLA tab, then remove the checkmark from "Enable DLA on your drives"
5) Click the OK button, then restart computer
OR
You may be able to uninstall the Sonic DLA software from Add\Remove programs in the control panel.
Work around provided by KoKoh Dell Forum member.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Question:
How do I find out what model of Hard Drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVDROM drive I have?
Answer:
Win2000 WinXP:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click the Device Manager button.
Click the + next to DVD/CD-ROM drives.
You should see your drive listed, an example would be: Lite-On LTN483S 48X MAX.
The drive model number would be "LTN483S"
--Another way to tell is to check the system registry.
You can use the steps below that are listed for checking the drives firmware revision.
An example of a drive listing in the registry would be:
IDE\CdRomLite-On_LTN483S_48x_Max_________________PD03____\5&261012d&0&0.1.0
The drive model number would be ""LTN483S""
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Karell, thanks for the additional information, I feel it is a software problem because the CD DVD Combo drive will talk to itself, meaning it will back up data from itself just fine, but will not read my existing cd backups made by Roxio software, these back up discs read perfectly well in every other machine I have tried them in, including several Dells loaded with a dvd combo unit but using easy cd creator as its software. The other interesting point is data backed up from the notebook will read on my desktop, but not in reverse, even tho the software is not the same brand. I dont believe the unit is malfunctioning, however a point I made when ordering was how vital it was my cd's with all their data be readable on a new machine, Disappointing result, with apparently no solution. Yes it is very frustrating. I have a client whose Dell notebook I ordered at the same time as mine, and she is having the same sonic software incompatibility problem, so it is not just my notebook but something I believe Dell need to either address or at least advise people buying a new machine. I understand there is little you can do in this forum to help, and thank you for taking the time to try.
Thanks for the additional information.
What drive model do you have?
If you uninstall the Sonic Software from the system, can you read burned cds then?
Do you have an external USB floppy drive?
Try the following if you do:
Attach the floppy drive externally using the USB cable.
Have you cdrom drive in the media bay.
Boot to a dos boot disk with dos cdrom drivers.
Put a burned cd another system created in the cdrom drive. (Data cd is good)
Try accessing the cd, can you see the files on it?
If you can access cds in dos, then yes, you have a software problem.
If you cannot access cds in dos, then you could still have a hardware problem.
Cyber, you have 30 days to return your laptop to Dell, which is something they do NOT want to happen.
If you call and initiate a return process, you may suddenly find support is much more willing to take a proactive role in fixing your problem for you. Dell doesn't want to have to give you your money back and refurbish your machine.
(Nothing agains the mods here, but all they can do is post suggestions. They don't have the power to make things happen.)
Hi jpm121, and anyone else following this, I am aware of the 3 week return policy, and if the problem were mechanical I may have used it, but it has clearly been a software problem. (Thank you for the input jpm). In the end I found no work around for the Sonic software read problem, I've had to come to terms with the inconvenience and the lack of response from Dell support, and the Dell sales. I purchased and installed alternative software so that my cd-rw back up data discs from other machines, could be read on the new notebook. Not a very satisfactory solution.
Happy Christmas everyone, may 2004 be a fantastic year for us all.
Karell
2 Intern
•
2.5K Posts
0
September 11th, 2003 13:00
Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.
Try reseating the drive to see if the problem is caused by a loose connection.
Also, what is the drive modem? There may be a firmware update for it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Question:
How do I find out what model of Hard Drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVDROM drive I have?
Answer:
Generally your system bios will tell you what drive model you have.
Go into the system bios and check the settings for either:
Primary Drive 0
Primary Drive 1
Secondary Drive 0
Secondary Drive 1
On newer systems go under Drive Configuration.
Then press Enter on either:
SATA Primary Drive
SATA Secondary Drive
Primary Drive 0
Primary Drive 1
Secondary Drive 0
Secondary Drive 1
When you press Enter on any of those options, you should see a listing for the drive modem.
Example: Model: Maxtor 91024D4
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cyberdance
14 Posts
0
November 16th, 2003 14:00
Hello, I am having the same problem, my 5150 only just arrived, the software that came with it was supposed to be easy cd creator, but instead it came with Sonic RecordNow 6.5. I may not have the same software as you, but I do have the same problem, it will not read anything from other machines that I have done multiple data backups on, which have Roxio and Adaptec software. These same data cd rw will read everywhere else but on my new notebook. Conversely the notebook will record data that will not read anywhere else.
Have you found any solution to your problem? It would sure be useful to know if there is help or hope in sight. Thank you
Karell
2 Intern
•
2.5K Posts
0
November 17th, 2003 12:00
Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.
The following general troubleshooting steps may help you isolate the problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CDRW General Troubleshooting steps:
1.Try different cd media types.
2.Uninstall and reinstall the burning software.
3.Install any updates or patches that may be available for the burning software you have.
4.Try different burning software.
Example: Roxio Easy Cd Creator, Nero Burning Rom, Sonic RecordNow.
5.Remove and reseat the drive to verify a loose connection is not causing the problem.
6.If using Win98, WinME, WinXP, then use MSCONFIG to stop all background programs.
Also clear your startup folder of any applications.
7.If using WindowsXP, uninstall any burning software and try using the XP built in burning engine.
8.Try burning different file types to see if a certain file type is the cause of the problem.
9.Try your burning drive in another system if possible.
Try another drive in your system if possible.
10.Disable Auto Insert Notification.
Win98,ME
Click Start |Settings | Control Panel.
Double click the System icon, then select the Device Manager tab.
Double-click the CD-ROM icon, and single-click the entry for the DVD drive.
Click on the Properties button, and then the Settings tab.
Locate the checkbox labeled Auto-Insert Notification and click the checkbox to select or de-select it.
Click OK to save the change. At this point, you may need to restart for the change to become active.
Win2000 and XP
Open My Computer.
Right click on your CDROM drive and click properties.
Click the Autoplay tab.
Choose the media format file type, such as Music file or Video file.
Click on the red circle for Take No Action.
Click Apply and Ok.
11.Confirm that DMA is enabled.
Win98,ME
Select Control Panel from the Settings list in the Start menu.
Double-click the System icon, then select the Device Manager tab.
Double-click the CD-ROM icon, and single-click the entry for the DVD drive.
Click on the Properties button, and then the Settings tab.
Locate the checkbox labeled DMA and click the checkbox to select or de-select it.
Click OK to save the change. At this point, you may need to restart for the change to become active
Win2000 and XP
Click on Start, Control Panel, System.
Click the Hardware Tab, Device Manager button.
Click the + next to IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
Right click on the Primary IDE Channel and click properties.
Click the Advanced Settings Tab.
Make sure that Transfer Mode is set to DMA if Available.
You must also repeat these steps for the Secondary IDE Channel listing.
12.Turn off indexing for the drive.
To verify if a CD, DVD, CDRW drive has been indexed, perform the following;
Right Click on My Computer and choose Manage
Click the plus sign next to Applications and Services
Click the plus sign next to Indexing Service
Click the plus next to System
Select Directories
A list of directories that have been indexed will appear in the window to the right. Look for any entries that include the Drive letter of the optical device, such as D:\
If an entry for an optical device exists, perform the following action;
1. Double click on the appropriate entry
2. Select the Radio Button for No under the Include in the Index? Section
It is suggested that a reboot is performed at this time.
13.Remove the drive from device manager.
Removing the drive controllers from device manager and rebooting to let Windows reload them sometimes helps.
Win95,98,ME:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click the Device Manager tab.
Click the + next to CDROM
Click the appropriate device entry that appears under CDROM then click the REMOVE button.
Perform this step for any other devices listed under the CDROM category.
Reboot the computer.
Win2000, WinXP:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click on the Hardware Tab.
Click the Device Manager button.
Click the + next to DVD/CDROM devices.
Right click the appropriate device entry that appears under DVD/CDROM then click Uninstall.
Perform this step for any other devices listed under the CDROM category.
Reboot the computer.
14.Reset the bios defaults if applicable on the system.
Resetting the bios defaults resets any bios settings that may have gotten corrupt.
This should allow the cdrom drive to redetect if the problem is caused by the bios.
You can find information on how to do so on the following sites:
--How do I restore the Setup Defaults on my Dell™ Inspiron™ portable computer?
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1035265
--How do I restore the Setup Defaults on my Dell™ Inspiron™ portable computer?
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=FA1035265
--How do I restore setup defaults on my Dell™ Latitude™ system?
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=FA1035267
15.Update your bios file to the latest version.
Go to the main Dell Support site:
https://support.dell.com/register.aspx
Input your service tag number and click "Sign in to Standard Support".
Click the Downloads button.
Under the "Select Your Download Category" section, choose "Flash Bios Updates".
Then click GO.
Click the Dell XXXX XXXX System Bios link that comes up.
Click the Dell XXXX XXXX System Bios link that comes up again.
Click on the file name XXXXXX.EXE for FLOPPY version.
Click Download Now Using HTTP.
Save the file to your desktop.
Put a blank formatted floppy in the floppy drive.
Double click the file to create the bios update boot floppy.
Once that is done, leave the floppy in the drive and reboot the system.
The bios will be updated when the system boots to the floppy.
16.Try upgrading the drives firmware revision.
Find the model type of the drive.
Then go to the Dell downloads page and put in the model type of the drive to see if there are any firmware updates for it.
Go to the main Dell Support site:
https://support.dell.com/register.aspx
Input your service tag number and click "Sign in to Standard Support".
Click the Downloads button.
Put the drive model in the search box and click GO.
If there is a firmware updated listed, download it, create the update disk, and update the drives firmware.
------------
Question:
How do I find out what model of Hard Drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVDROM drive I have?
Answer:
Win2000 WinXP:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click the Device Manager button.
Click the + next to DVD/CD-ROM drives.
You should see your drive listed, an example would be: Lite-On LTN483S 48X MAX.
The drive model number would be "LTN483S"
--Another way to tell is to check the system registry.
You can use the steps below that are listed for checking the drives firmware revision.
An example of a drive listing in the registry would be:
IDE\CdRomLite-On_LTN483S_48x_Max_________________PD03____\5&261012d&0&0.1.0
The drive model number would be ""LTN483S""
Question:
How do I find my DVD drives firmware revision in Windows XP:
Right click my computer,manage,expand storage,removable storage,libraries
right click on your drive,properties,device infomation.
-------------------------------------------------------
17.Test the drive using the Dell Diagnostics.
You can find information on how to run the Dell Diagnostics on the following site:
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1060550#toc
Additional Information:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Problem:
My cdrom icon is missing from "My Computer" and there is an exclamation mark next to it in device manager?
Answer:
1)Go to "Start" then select "Run"
2)Type "regedit" and click "OK"
3)optional step Backup you registry by:
a) Highlight "My Computer" by clicking on it once.
b) At the top of the page you should see "File"(Win XP) or "Registry" (Win 2000), click on this and then select "Export Registry File"
c) The following screen will allow you to select where you would like to save this backup and what file name you would like to save it as.
d) Please note at the bottom of the screen where it says export range "All"; this should be selected to ensure your entire registry is backed up completely.
e) Give the File a name and Click on the "SAVE" button (this will bring you back to the registry editor)
4) Remove the Upperfilters and Lowerfilters values by:
a) Expand the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" key (looks like a folder) by double clicking it.
b) Expand the "SYSTEM" Key
c) Expand the "CurrentControlSet" Key
d) Expand the "Control" Key
e) Expand the "Class" Key
f) Please look for a key containing the following string of letter and numbers:
{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
g) High light this key by left clicking once on it
h) On the right hand side you are looking for "Upperfilters" and "Lowerfilters", once you find these please delete them by high lighting (left clicking on them once) and then right clicking on them and choosing "delete"
5) Restart your computer.
6) Your CD-ROM should be back.
Information provided by Bacillus Dell Forum Member.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cyberdance
14 Posts
0
November 21st, 2003 09:00
Karell
2 Intern
•
2.5K Posts
0
November 21st, 2003 13:00
I understand your frustration.
Unfortunately the problem could be caused by anything at this point.
That is why troubleshooting is required, in order to isolate the cause of the problem and then try to figure out
a solution. I don't know what specific drive model you have, but the following may also help.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Problem:
QSI CDRW/DVD SBW-242 combo drive makes a loud clicking or bagging noise when trying to read any cd media.
Discussion:
Sonic DLA is sending a command that the drive cannot interpret.
Direct Letter Access (DLA) is Sonic Solution’s version of DirectCD, dragging and dropping files to CD.
The system treats the optical drive as a hard drive or a floppy disk.
This problem does NOT impact the combination of Roxio EasyCD creator DirectCD and the QSI drive.
Solution:
Dell has released a firmware update for the SBW-242 QSI drive.
The file name is: R69582.EXE
File description:
This firmware addresses a clicking noise issue caused by an incompatibility between the QSI SBW 242 Combination drive and Sonic Record Now software.
As a temporary work around, you can also disable Sonic DLA.
1) Click the "Start" button
2) Double Click on the 'My Computer" icon
3) In the "My Computer" window, right click on the CD device then choose "Properties"
4) On the "CD Drive Properties" screen, click on the DLA tab, then remove the checkmark from "Enable DLA on your drives"
5) Click the OK button, then restart computer
OR
You may be able to uninstall the Sonic DLA software from Add\Remove programs in the control panel.
Work around provided by KoKoh Dell Forum member.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Question:
How do I find out what model of Hard Drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVDROM drive I have?
Answer:
Win2000 WinXP:
Right click on My Computer, click on properties.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click the Device Manager button.
Click the + next to DVD/CD-ROM drives.
You should see your drive listed, an example would be: Lite-On LTN483S 48X MAX.
The drive model number would be "LTN483S"
--Another way to tell is to check the system registry.
You can use the steps below that are listed for checking the drives firmware revision.
An example of a drive listing in the registry would be:
IDE\CdRomLite-On_LTN483S_48x_Max_________________PD03____\5&261012d&0&0.1.0
The drive model number would be ""LTN483S""
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cyberdance
14 Posts
0
November 24th, 2003 07:00
Hi Karell, thanks for the additional information, I feel it is a software problem because the CD DVD Combo drive will talk to itself, meaning it will back up data from itself just fine, but will not read my existing cd backups made by Roxio software, these back up discs read perfectly well in every other machine I have tried them in, including several Dells loaded with a dvd combo unit but using easy cd creator as its software. The other interesting point is data backed up from the notebook will read on my desktop, but not in reverse, even tho the software is not the same brand. I dont believe the unit is malfunctioning, however a point I made when ordering was how vital it was my cd's with all their data be readable on a new machine, Disappointing result, with apparently no solution. Yes it is very frustrating. I have a client whose Dell notebook I ordered at the same time as mine, and she is having the same sonic software incompatibility problem, so it is not just my notebook but something I believe Dell need to either address or at least advise people buying a new machine. I understand there is little you can do in this forum to help, and thank you for taking the time to try.
Karell
2 Intern
•
2.5K Posts
0
November 24th, 2003 12:00
Thanks for the additional information.
What drive model do you have?
If you uninstall the Sonic Software from the system, can you read burned cds then?
Do you have an external USB floppy drive?
Try the following if you do:
Attach the floppy drive externally using the USB cable.
Have you cdrom drive in the media bay.
Boot to a dos boot disk with dos cdrom drivers.
Put a burned cd another system created in the cdrom drive. (Data cd is good)
Try accessing the cd, can you see the files on it?
If you can access cds in dos, then yes, you have a software problem.
If you cannot access cds in dos, then you could still have a hardware problem.
jpm121
2 Intern
•
133 Posts
0
November 24th, 2003 16:00
Cyber, you have 30 days to return your laptop to Dell, which is something they do NOT want to happen.
If you call and initiate a return process, you may suddenly find support is much more willing to take a proactive role in fixing your problem for you. Dell doesn't want to have to give you your money back and refurbish your machine.
(Nothing agains the mods here, but all they can do is post suggestions. They don't have the power to make things happen.)
Cyberdance
14 Posts
0
December 11th, 2003 14:00
Hi jpm121, and anyone else following this, I am aware of the 3 week return policy, and if the problem were mechanical I may have used it, but it has clearly been a software problem. (Thank you for the input jpm). In the end I found no work around for the Sonic software read problem, I've had to come to terms with the inconvenience and the lack of response from Dell support, and the Dell sales. I purchased and installed alternative software so that my cd-rw back up data discs from other machines, could be read on the new notebook.
Not a very satisfactory solution.
Happy Christmas everyone, may 2004 be a fantastic year for us all.