failed dvd rom firmware update

  • Thread starter Thread starter chuck clark
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C

chuck clark

Hi,
Ok, i just did the dumbest thing i could possibly do updating the
firmware on
this dvd-rom. First off it is a pioneer 500m. I have no floppy drive
on this
box so I burned a dos bootable cd and put it in the pioneer drive and
rebooted. I put the firmware update on the bootable cd also.

So when i booted to dos, i ran the firmware update. It deleted the old
firmware fine, and then just froze, since then it could not read the
cd in the drive, since no firmware. So right now I have a dvd drive that
has no firmware and I can not boot with it installed on my machine. If i
try, the light stays on on the drive and the machine hangs 'detecting
IDE devices..'

I am not able to get into my bios set up or anything. I have no idea
how to
fix this. Any ideas?

chuck
 
ok well it didn't read dvd-r's so i needed to update the firmware
to give it this ablity.
 
First, go into your bios and choose to boot from your current HDD. Go on
the net and grab the firmware, or the version before the one you failed.

There're 2 things you can try booting up that baby:

1. Boot from a USB flash drive, if your mobo supports it. Copy the firmware
and flash util to this usb drive and boot it and flash it back.

OR

2. install a floppy and do the same thing.

I know how it'd feel like cuz my box don't have a floppy either :P

-bron
 
chuck clark said:
Hi,
Ok, i just did the dumbest thing i could possibly do updating the
firmware on
this dvd-rom. First off it is a pioneer 500m. I have no floppy drive
on this
box so I burned a dos bootable cd and put it in the pioneer drive and
rebooted. I put the firmware update on the bootable cd also.

So when i booted to dos, i ran the firmware update. It deleted the old
firmware fine, and then just froze, since then it could not read the
cd in the drive, since no firmware. So right now I have a dvd drive that
has no firmware and I can not boot with it installed on my machine. If i
try, the light stays on on the drive and the machine hangs 'detecting
IDE devices..'

I am not able to get into my bios set up or anything. I have no idea
how to
fix this. Any ideas?

chuck
Click to expand...

Would you be able to complete the firmware update if you got the DVD-ROM
installed (temporarily) in a pc with a floppy or even a Windows 98 pc with
DOS boot-up??

Martin.
 
Martin said:
Would you be able to complete the firmware update if you got the DVD-ROM
installed (temporarily) in a pc with a floppy or even a Windows 98 pc with
DOS boot-up??

Martin.
Click to expand...

Hi,
The computer boots fine with the drive attached. I connect the drive,
and the
computer hangs at boot. I am unable to get into the bios when it hangs.
If i set it to no device on that ide channel it will boot, but the
firmware program
can not find the drive. I don't know if i have any options left.
I also tried putting it in one of my other boxes but similar
results. I don't think
there is a way to hard reset the firmware, like to a factory default.

chuck
 
Hi,
The computer boots fine with the drive attached.
Click to expand...

Without you mean?

I connect the drive,
and the
computer hangs at boot. I am unable to get into the bios when it hangs.
If i set it to no device on that ide channel it will boot, but the
firmware program
can not find the drive. I don't know if i have any options left.
I also tried putting it in one of my other boxes but similar
results. I don't think
there is a way to hard reset the firmware, like to a factory default.
Click to expand...

It would not matter if it could clear nvram memory (if it had any), you're
in the same situation you'd be in if the motherboard EEPROM were zeroed
out, logically empty, a "clear Cmos/reset" wouldn't do any good.

Odds are the EEPROM is surface-mount soldered onto the pcb. "IF" the
flasher can see the drive, or if the bios file is already in it's
flashable format, not self-extracting at the time of flashing, then an
alternative flasher might be used, one based around the chipset of the
drive (I don't know what chipset it is but a review somewhere might list
that info). For example, drives with mediatek chipsets can use various
versions of "mtkflash" (Google search to find a still-active link to it).

So, how to get the drive past that system halt?
I'd try booting another system (with a FLOPPY DRIVE or FAT32 HDD for the
files) to DOS, that system having a different ATAPI optical drive working.
After it's booted to dos, move the ide cable from the "good" drive to the
dead drive... essentially the system knows theres an atapi drive there,
you're just swapping in the dead one in it's place. I'd pull the ide
cable then power connector, then connect ide cable then power connector,
but perhaps this isn't the right order, you might need experiment with the
order... Safest would be to do this with the drive(s) attached to an old /
worthless system... I don't "think" it will damage the board but I can't
guarantee it, do so at your own risk.
 
chuck said:
Hi,
Ok, i just did the dumbest thing i could possibly do updating the
firmware on
this dvd-rom. First off it is a pioneer 500m. I have no floppy drive
on this
box so I burned a dos bootable cd and put it in the pioneer drive and
rebooted. I put the firmware update on the bootable cd also.

So when i booted to dos, i ran the firmware update. It deleted the
old firmware fine, and then just froze, since then it could not read
the
cd in the drive, since no firmware.
Click to expand...

Man, sorry to make light of your misfortune but that's just plain dumb. I'm
just glad I didn't try it. :-) (I have been known to have dumb moments
myself)

I may have to share your story though, it's a classic, in the "What not to
do" sense.

Commiserations on your drive, I hope you can get it fixed. Kony's suggestion
sounds viable. Althoug I'd have power hooked up to both drives and just swap
the IDE while it's running. With an older PC if you can get your hands on
one. With any luck (and you deserve some) it shouldn't damage the IDE
controller. I'd attempt it for you on one of my older machines if you were
local to me but it's a long way from Texas to New Zealand.
 
chuck clark said:
Hi,
The computer boots fine with the drive attached. I connect the drive,
and the
computer hangs at boot. I am unable to get into the bios when it hangs.
If i set it to no device on that ide channel it will boot, but the
firmware program
can not find the drive. I don't know if i have any options left.
I also tried putting it in one of my other boxes but similar
results. I don't think
there is a way to hard reset the firmware, like to a factory default.

chuck
Click to expand...

An idea....

Could you get an external USB type drive housing and try booting the pc with
the DVD-ROM connected via the USB??
Maybe boot with no DVD-ROM then hot-swap it.
Or can the firmware flash only be performed via the IDE bus?

Martin.
 
Ok, i just did the dumbest thing i could possibly do updating the
firmware on
this dvd-rom.
Click to expand...
So right now I have a dvd drive that
has no firmware and I can not boot with it installed on my machine. If i
try, the light stays on on the drive and the machine hangs 'detecting
IDE devices..'

I am not able to get into my bios set up or anything. I have no idea
how to
fix this. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

google for MtkWinFlash program /carefully read instructions!/

you can flash your drive from Windoze even if the drive can not be
seen in device manager

worth a try ..

-- Regards, SPAJKY ®
& visit my site @ http://www.spajky.vze.com
"Tualatin OC-ed / BX-Slot1 / inaudible setup!"
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