Question: What led me here..

molly38

I was given a computer to fix...
I was to reformat then re-install windows, as the owners kids had mistreated the computer and half the system was missing.

I have done this a few times for other friends and had no problems.
I tried for hours to load windows but the pc would not read the disc...
I tried several times to set the boot order via Bios but the dvd was in parentheses [..] and the bios said if the device was in parentheses [..] that it meant the dvd was disabled.

I tried for ages to find a new driver for the DVD but had no luck, then Google led me to a site that discussed the very same dvd writer i was having problems with. It seems they are a problem dvd and a lot of people could not read DVDs but Cds worked fine.. So I gather I have the one that does not read dvds

What I am going to try and do is update the firmware in hope that it will solve my problem. What do you think?

The Internal DVD burner is..

LG GSA- 4167b (DL - 12)

Kerry56

Hello Molly, welcome to the forums.

The drive you are talking about is somewhere in the neighborhood of seven years old now. Originally it was designed to read and write both cds and dvds, but you have to understand that dvd drives have two lasers, one for dvds and one for cds. It is possible that this drive has suffered a partial hardware failure and cannot read dvds properly.

You can test it in another machine to confirm that.

You can also check a few things in this computer. This drive uses the older style IDE/PATA type of interface. There should be two separate IDE channels available to plug the drive into.

If the drive is on the same cable as the hard drive, try a different IDE cable and connect it to the secondary IDE channel.

IDE interface drives have to have a small jumper set correctly on the back of the drive. The options are Slave, Master and Cable Select. If you have the jumper set to Master, the drive has to be on the very end connector of the IDE cable. If you have it set to Slave, you need to connect to the middle connector. Cable Select allows the computer to find the drive and you can connect to either, but some computers are not very good at finding cable select positioned drives....that is rare, and is only found on very, very old computers however.

__________________
Basic Guide for BD Rebuilder

BD Rebuilder Guide for MP4 or MKV conversion

AVStoDVD Guide

molly38

Thanks for your reply Kerry.

All your recommendations are met.. I wish I had of met you yesterday morning lol.. it took me all day to check the very same info you give.

I only have two options as i see it..

1. put my own dvd burning in and continue to load windows
2. keep trying to update the firmware in the hope it fixes the issue

I will continue to look for firmware, as i have a vision problem and hate pulling my pc apart. I am pretty sure the issue is a dud player as the info i read yesterday seems to be the exact same as I have.

Again thank you for taking the time to reply Kerry

cheers
molly

Kerry56

A newer firmware for this drive can be found here: http://www.firmwarehq.com/download_5..._DL13.exe.html

This is a Windows based flasher however, so you'll need an existing operating system to use it.

__________________
Basic Guide for BD Rebuilder

BD Rebuilder Guide for MP4 or MKV conversion

AVStoDVD Guide

molly38

Thanks Kerry.

No luck im afraid, I applied the firmware and it has not resolved the issue.

Further reading suggests it could be the power supply??? Stranger things have happened, so I think my best bet is to use the burner out of my own pc and just get it done.. thanks again

cheers

Terramex

Which motherboard is in that PC ?
Which Windows version do you try to install ?

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alchav21

Molly, I don't know how old this computer is, and you are probably not getting paid for your troubles. If you use your CD/DVD Drive you are going to give them a Broken Computer....Not a good thing. CD/DVD Drives are not that expensive, and you can also buy a used one. If you want to do the job right, if you are putting Windows XP you need 1Gb of RAM or more. If the HDD is older than 3 years and not Seagate or WD you need a new one. Now you are talking about putting together a solid System. Do this and you will be a Hero, but don't forget to charge for the extra stuff.