I saw this on the pioneeraus.com.au website regarding updating firmware:
"The update procedure may only work when the DVR-107D is connected to an IDE port (IDE Port 2 Drive as Master) as it may not be able to find the destination when it is external in an IEEE1394 Firewire or USB 2.0 case. However tests have shown that under Windows XP with the DVR-107D mounted in an external IEEE1394 Firewire case the FW update was able to complete successfully. If the update fails externally the drive will need to be removed from the case and temporarily mounted onto an internal IDE port."
I have an HP laptop and have no clue about what to do if the firmware update fails. No clue how to even crack the laptop open, or what an IDE port is.
But, I'm interested in flashing to firmware from either of these sites:
Could anyone give any advice on how likely a failed flash is with an external 107D drive and from which of the above sites they recommend that I take the patched firmware.
Hi sash1778, What that message is trying to tell you is that the flash may not work because it could not find the drive. Internal drives in a desktop system are connected with a wide ribbon cable connected to the IDE port or plug and the computer assigns the drive a letter (D,E.F,etc). The flash software looks for a certain letter drive to install onto. If it can't find that drive letter it fails and usually states (Target drive not found). With an external hookup through USB, the flash may not find the external drive. If this happens, they are suggesting you remove the drive from the external case and install it into another computer that has the IDE cable and plug (maybe a friends) to complete the flash. So thats the story. Either one of the firmware sites you listed are good. Flashman has been doing it for some time. Maybe e-mail him from the forum site for any suggestions on external drives.
Thanks a lot for your help, Jerry. So, the worst that could happen is that the upgrade doesn't happen and I'm left with my original firmware.
I have another question that maybe you can answer. Since I only use my burner for burner, not reading, it seems like the real benefit of flashing to patched firmware is the ability to burn at 8x with 4x discs (I use ritek G04) on the drive (which says it can only go at 4x with dvd-r discs). Do you know if there are problems with the final output of the movie onto the disc when you burn at 8x on a 4x disc? I thought I heard in one of the posts that the movie may burn incorrectly and skip a lot.
Thanks for the help you've already given. I really appreciate it.
Some members have good luck burning 4x media at 8x after the firmware flash. But you have to remember that there is more chance of error the faster you burn. The better grades of media can take the faster burns, cheaper quality media will give you the most errors. I flashed my 106D because I rip with it and the flash unlocked the the 2x rip speed. I'm happy at 4x burns. DVD-5 movies take me about 20 to 30 minutes, DVD-9 movies take 45 to 60 minutes. Its all up to you and how fast you need to do a backup.
Thanks, Jerry. Since I'm fine with burning at 4x (or 8x if I want to buy the 8x discs) and I'd rather keep my warranty intact, I'm gonna stick with the official firmware.
Glad I could help. I did my flash with 6 months warranty left and was lucky I didn't have any problems. You are right to hold off till later. Jump back on if you have any other problems. Always someone on here to help you.
