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Burner died?
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ravens1
Member
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24. February 2007 @ 06:48 |
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I have been using my burner for a little over a year now, and now it doesn't work. It will not read, write, or recognize dvds. This all happened today, which is the day after i got back from a vacation. I didn't keep my computer on during my vacation.
When i go to Start, then My Computer, my dvd drive doesn't show up like it normally does.
So, is it dead, or is there something i can do to fix it?
Thanks.
Should i try a system restore if there isn't a problem with my burner, but some settings?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 24. February 2007 @ 06:52
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ravens1
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24. February 2007 @ 15:21 |
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I bought another dvd drive thinking that the dvd drive was the problem. Well, its not. I put in the dvd drive into my computer correctly and my computer still doesnt recognize it. It wont read/recognize and dvds, cds, nothing.
This is getting very frustrating!!! So please, does anyone have an answer??!!!!
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rulisky
Senior Member
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24. February 2007 @ 15:40 |
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Go to your Device Manager under the Control Panel. Uninstall each CD/DVD drive that you have; one or more, all of them. Reboot. The system should automatically reinstall the drivers for each disk drive. They sometimes get screwed up causing the drive to not recognize a disk.
If this does not cure the problem, post up and some one may have another idea.
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ravens1
Member
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24. February 2007 @ 16:03 |
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I was just switching my dvd drive and when my computer is booting up, i get these weird firmware message or something!! And now for some reason i cant login to my computer! I cant even do a system restore because when the screen comes up about what i want to do, like start windows normally, last known good configuration, i cant do them. I will select one and push enter and my computer will restart!!! Its kind of like a loop going nowhere. I cant login!!
What should i do now??!! Is it an error with an IDE thing or something. I don't want to pay more money to get it fixed.
Im using my other computer as of now.
Thanks.
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rulisky
Senior Member
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24. February 2007 @ 16:11 |
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Try putting everything back to the way it was before you tried to change drive. Carefully look for loose connections. Sometimes REAL easy to knock one just a little; even the ones you did not unplug. Be sure all is snug and power up again.
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ravens1
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24. February 2007 @ 17:36 |
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No luck. I checked, then double checked. My new drive left like a firmware thing that crashes my computer at startup.
There has to be a way to fix it, since a computer store can. Is there software or something i need or hardware?
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rulisky
Senior Member
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25. February 2007 @ 03:23 |
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The drivers on the computer allow it to work the actual disk drive unit.
Firmware is a plan for the disk drives to handle the various media you put in the drive in order to read and write to the disk.
There must be another problem here. This I am unfamiliar with. Hopefully, some one else can provide more info.
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ravens1
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25. February 2007 @ 05:30 |
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Thanks for your help. But I have question, about 3 weeks I made a floppy disk that is bootable with some program called Easy Recovery. Can I boot from this floppy disc upon startup?
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rulisky
Senior Member
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25. February 2007 @ 05:35 |
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Worth a try.
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ravens1
Member
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25. February 2007 @ 06:27 |
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Still doesnt work. I press F8 upon startup, then a screen appears asking what boot device i want to boot. My floppy doesnt appear there.
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ravens1
Member
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25. February 2007 @ 06:42 |
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I wrote down the message i get since i put in the new drive:
Novell Netware ready firmware v1.00 (940809)
SiS 900/7016 PCI Adapters DOS ODI Driver v1.14 (020416)
RPL-ROM-ADR
RPL-ROM-IRQ:11
RPL-ROM-FFC:5
Ive been doing a lot of researching on the web, and i might know what the problem is, but i dont know how to fix it. Im reading other peoples problems kind of like mine. By reading, i think that i have a problem with something not finding the HD, or something to do with An IDE.
So if anyone knows what i should do, please post, and i will really appreciate it.
Ok, i took a few pictures:
Click here
This is of the screen right after the normal screen that appears when i turn my pc on.
This is what i get every time i turn on my computer. Whichever option i choose, my pc restarts giving me this screen again.
This is how i connect my dvd drive, before and now. I am kind of confused about the master/slave thing though.
This is a picture of i think a rip or something in my ide. However, i dont remember the rip being there. Or is it supposed to be there? But it doesnt connect to anything, so i guess it doesnt really matter.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 25. February 2007 @ 07:26
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ravens1
Member
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26. February 2007 @ 12:29 |
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bump
I have decided that i want to reformat, and I have the disc. But when i reformat does it uninstall hardware(like wireless desktop card), or just drivers like the sound card, and printer?
Second question- I have been doing some reading, and i found out that you need to save "important files" before reformatting. What exactly are those "important files?"
Third question- how do i set my computer to boot from my cd/dvd drive. And since my cd/dvd drive doesnt really work, will i not be able to reformat?? Or is worth a try?
Thanks
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rulisky
Senior Member
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26. February 2007 @ 16:06 |
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Reformating the computer will WIPE out everything; like starting with a new computer. You will need to load all programs again. Any data from any program that you do not save to disk will be lost. So, important files would be something beyond the program(s) you have the disk for. Anything that you installed after buying the computer will need to be installed again. This would be fresh step, but a drastic one.
I would not be the one to tell you to do this. All too often the reformat adds new problems. Something always seems to turn up missing and is a pain to get back. It would be better to try and solve the issue first.
You probably need more help than I can give. I have never reformatted my computer. I have reinstalled Win 98 over itself to cure corrupted files. Same with XP.
Since your CD/DVD drive is not working, you might not be able overwrite files. After a reformat, if the disk drive still won't work you could be screwed. Proceed with caution and additional advice!
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ravens1
Member
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26. February 2007 @ 17:11 |
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Yeah, i don't really want to reformat because i have some pictures and documents i really want. I know there just has to be a way to fix it, like skip that firmware screen. I just don't know! I need some good advice! I had a kind of similar problem with another computer. I took it in to the guy and he fixed it, without reformatting. But i just had to pay $170.
thanks for the advice
Oh yeah, here are some more pictures because someone might find soemthing wrong with them:
HERE
This picture is of my IDE coming out of my floppy drive. I don't know if it should be ripped or not, but it doesnt really matter because the IDE is not connected to anything normally.
HERE
This picture is of how i connect my dvd drive. I know that the cables are loose into the drive, im just doing that as a picture. I am kind of confused about the master/slave settings though.
HERE
This is just a picture of the choices i can choose from.
When i have more time i will take a video or something.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 26. February 2007 @ 17:22
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Senior Member
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27. February 2007 @ 06:05 |
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It sounds to me that you might have either a, heaven forbid, a "nasty" virus, or have had an operating system crash. I don't think your main problem right now is your dvd burner.
How old is your system?
Does your hard drive make any interesting noises? Does it seem to "grind"?
Did you/Do you have an active, up-to-date anti-virus program running? Some viruses can corupt your hard drive and make it unreadable.
On your boot up screen, did you try booting in "Safe Mode"? If you can't boot in "Safe Mode", you probably have a hard disk problem or a virus which has attacked your hard drive.
As rulisky said, formating is a last ditch option, try all else first.
Also, if I was going to reformat my hard drive and have docs, pics & movies I would like to try to keep, I'd BUY A NEW HARD DRIVE, format and put the new operating system on the new drive, install the old drive as a slave and try to recover the files.
Your best bet might be to take it back to the person who built it for you.
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rulisky
Senior Member
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27. February 2007 @ 06:12 |
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It is possible that your IDE cable could be bad. They do break down over time. What you call a rip seems to be along the grooves. As long as it is not across the wires it should be ok, but then again it could be bad.
You originally said it would not do anything with dvds; what about a cd? If it does recognize a cd, I would feel better about the system reinstall to overlay without format. Doing an overlay reinstall preserves your data.
The first advice I gave about uninstalling drivers and reboot is the usual cure when the drive stops recognizing a disk type (corrupt driver).
If you put it all back together as original, can you select "Last known good" to boot on?
One more thing. The pin settings on the back of the disk drive. Master, Slave, and something else (I don't remember the name). If you changed it from one of the 3 positions, put it back to the original.
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ravens1
Member
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27. February 2007 @ 10:12 |
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Ok. Thanks for the replies.
First off, i know i don't have any viruses on my computer because i scan quite often to find no viruses. I have not touched the master/slave thing. Just wondering what it was. Also, before this problem i had trouble getting into safe mode. I had to press the button very fast, but now i cant even get into that screen now no matter how fast i push it, before i get the firmware screen. My anti virus software was and is up to date.
If you really think that the hard drive is the problem, i might consider buying one. But i don't want to buy one and find the exact same problem.
I have not tried to do anything with cd's, so the xp disc might work. I know it wasn't the dvd drive that was bad because i put it in another computer, and it still works.
And, i might consider taking the computer to the guy i bought it from, because the computer was used. He might charge me more than what a new HD costs because its been a long time since i bought it
"You originally said it would not do anything with dvds; what about a cd? If it does recognize a cd, I would feel better about the system reinstall to overlay without format. Doing an overlay reinstall preserves your data." - this seems to be a good idea. I have a spare cd burner and I will put it in and see if it works. But are there any tutorials, or helpful advice from you that could tell me how to do an overlay?
Ok. I took a picture HERE. It shows a possible place for the IDE that isn't hooked into anything but the floppy drive. Would that fix my problem; placing the IDE there. I never even touched or unplugged anything like th IDE. Also, i have been doing some research and i found out that the IDE coming out of the Floppy should have a twist.
Thanks.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. February 2007 @ 11:05
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rulisky
Senior Member
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27. February 2007 @ 11:08 |
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The overlay procedure is roughly this. Win 98 had a cd and a floppy. XP has a cd. Put the disk in the drive and turn on/restart the computer. The on screen prompts should guide you through the (re)install over the existing program files. Since you did not reformat or uninstall any programs this will put the program OS right over the old (while keeping your data and other programs).
Some people will say this method is not as "good" as a total wipe out and fresh install. On the other hand, I never wanted all the headaches involved with re doing everything. It has worked for me by clearing up blue screen problems on Win 98 (several occasions) and one time on XP (don't remember reason).
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Senior Member
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27. February 2007 @ 11:25 |
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I've also done the overlay with 98 and XP, had sucess with it and agree that it should be tried first. If I remember correctly, both 98 and XP on the overlay run a scandisk first which should tell you (and fix to a certain respect) if your drive has errors.
BTW, the motherboard connection and cable to the floppy drive are NOT the same as IDE. The cable to the floppy drive is split and twisted as you show. The floppy connection on the motherboard is labeled FDD or something close if I remember correctly. The IDE connections (there should be 2) are next to the floppy connection and I think labeled IDE0 & IDE1.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. February 2007 @ 11:31
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ravens1
Member
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27. February 2007 @ 11:38 |
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Ok. i dont know if this matters but here is better picture.
I say that whichever option on that screen i choose leads to a reboot of my pc. There is this screen that flickers incredibly fast. I took a video and am playing around with it trying to read what it says. I'm now trying to pause/stop it. Ill see if i can put it on youtube.
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ravens1
Member
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27. February 2007 @ 12:46 |
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Ok, i will try the overlay method. But how do i set my computer to boot from the cd?
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Senior Member
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27. February 2007 @ 13:05 |
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To set your computer to boot to the CD drive is set in the BIOS. Try putting your XP disk in the CD drive and reboot. Most computers are set up to sense a disk in the CD drive and give you the option to boot from it before going to the hard drive.
The key strokes to enter the BIOS varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. There have been attempts to standardize to hitting the "Del" key as the first firmware screen appears. I have also seen F2 and "Ctrl Del". If you do go into the BIOS, be VERY CAREFUL. You can REALLY mess things up.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. February 2007 @ 13:06
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ravens1
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27. February 2007 @ 13:09 |
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I got it loaded when my firmware screen appeared it said press any key to boot from disc or something. Now i repaired my configuration by pressing "R." But when my computer went to restart, i still get the firmware screen, but the screen with the options doesn't appear after that, which is good! But, after being excited for a couple seconds, my computer get to the screen where it says Windows XP is loading and reboots, just like every other time. Should i do a fresh install instead of repairing it? I will still have my pictures and documents after the fresh install?
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Senior Member
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28. February 2007 @ 04:41 |
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I always get the firmware screen when I first boot up. The screen should be showing the make & age of your bios and some of your video card info. The only time I don't get the screen is if I turn the monitor on after I turn on the computer.
I've encountered something similar to what you are experiencing. First, shut your computer down (hold down the power button for about 30 seconds if it is a rebooting loop) and then do a cold boot. Try to get it to boot into Safe Mode. Then shut it down again. Do this about 4 or 5 times. XP has a limited self repair function which checks and does repairs. These repairs are temporary until the machine has sucessfully completed 3 cold boots and shutdowns.
If that didn't work, try doing another re-load of the operating system. Then go through cold boot and shut down cycle again.
Again, if this doesn't work, then do a reload but be sure NOT to format! If you do, your files are lost.
Good luck,
Keep us informed.
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ravens1
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28. February 2007 @ 10:15 |
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Originally posted by hobbit112:
I always get the firmware screen when I first boot up. The screen should be showing the make & age of your bios and some of your video card info. The only time I don't get the screen is if I turn the monitor on after I turn on the computer.
I always get that screen with my bios on it when i first turn on my computer. But after that screen i get the firmware screen.
I can not boot into safe mode. I am able to push F8 upon startup which takes me to a blue screen which asks what device i want to boot. When i push the button for safe mode which is F6 (which always worked for me), i cant get it. It doesn't matter how fast i press it; my computer just keeps on loading.
Also, i get prompted to use automated system recovery. What exactly is this function?
I don't know why, but the part before the repair inst working. I push R to repair and it takes me to the recovery console which asks for my admininstrator password for my C://Winnt location. I just push enter without typing in a password, and my pc just freezes.
Thank you very much :)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 28. February 2007 @ 10:36
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