Community Newsletter: Q&A: 12/09/05 Help! My system no longer recognizes my DVD or CD-ROM drives

Firmware - one more thing to try

In reply to: 12/09/05 Help! My system no longer recognizes my DVD or CD-ROM drives by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

Paul's approach is very thorough. I would add, though, that you might try a firmware upgrade, if all else fails.

First of all, what is firmware. I don't even know exactly, so I try to explain it in terms everyone can understand, even if it's not technically correct. The firmware of a device, such as an optical drive, is like the BIOS of a computer - it is the most basic set of software instructions that allow the device to work with the computer, the software and the drivers. That's right, firmware is not the same as drivers.

Secondly, when is a firmware upgrade necessary? Only when all else fails. Some people do firmware and driver updates just as a matter of regular maintenance. Wrong answer. Firmware and driver updates can be badly written. A bad driver update can usually be corrected with a good driver update. But a bad firmware update might render the device unusable and might even interfere with the proper functioning of the computer as a whole, which brings us to the next question.

How and where do I obtain a reliable firmware update? Always, go to the manufacturer's website first. Search under their support menu. They may not have firmware updates. Don't distress. Do a Google search for ''firmware, your device, manufacturer''. There are websites devoted to firmware updates. You must know what manufacturer made the drive. It's not always the manufacturer listed on the box or even on the sticker on the device itself - try to peel the sticker and see if there is another one underneath (This happened to me. I bought a cheap drive from Best Buy. When I installed it, my computer wouldn't even boot up properly. I tried various troubleshooting methods. Nothing. So I gave it to my brother, rather than throwing it away. He installed it on a spare computer and experienced the same thing. He peeled the sticker off the drive and found that it was manufactured by a totally different company, so he found new drivers and firmware based on the information of the original manufacturer. It still works perfectly after 3 years). If there is another manufacturer, look up the information on that sticker. Sometimes the box it came in, might say that it was manufactured under license by .... If you see more than one firmware update for your device, don't necessarily assume that the most recent one is the most reliable. You will want to research it (Google search) to see what other people have said. One update may be better than another, depending on your OS. There may be warnings to avoid that firmware. My advice would be to download more than one, without installing it and delete the others once you have installed the one that will work. I advise keeping the update file for reference purposes only. It's not something you will ever need to reinstall, because it is written directly to the device. However, you might find yourself needing to update it again in another 2-3 years, and you want to know what firmware version you currently have. Yes, you might want to hang on the drives you currently have, even if you get a new computer. In 2-3 years there might be built-in restrictions on what the drives can copy and write.

How do I install it? Most of the time, there will be explicit instructions on the best way to install the firmware. Follow them to the letter. If there is more than one set of instructions, trust the one that looks most complete and grammatically correct. I say this because too often you get advice from people who use computer shorthand and assume that you know as much as they do. They may be competent with their own efforts, but they should not try to explain things to others. If you have more than one CD/DVD drive, you should probably disconnect all except for the one you are updating, before doing anything else.

Once you are done, reconnect everything and see if it all works.

What else can I do? For your time and effort involved with troubleshooting and attempting various fixes, it may be worth it to just buy a new device.

If someone else in this forum already suggested firmware, I apologize for the repetition.