Vaio/DVD problem

chapelgrovefilm · 11-25-2006, 09:48 AM

My son has a Sony Vaio pcv-rx550. The DVD burner suddenly stopped working, so he bought and installed an HP DVD640c burner, but he can't get it to work either. He gave the PC to me, and I haven't been able to figure out what the burner problem is.

The BIOS recognizes the drive and calls it a CD-ROM drive, which I think is probably normal. Windows XP SP2 shows the drive in Device Manager, and shows it as "HP DVD Writer 640c". But it won't recognize any disk -- either DVD or CD. In fact, if I have NO disk in it at all and I click on the drive icon in My Computer, I don't even get an error message saying there's no disc in the drive. It highlights the icon as if there were a disc there, but shows nothing -- whether there's a disc in the drive or not.

I've wiped the hard drive and completely reloaded Windows XP. I've upgraded the computer's BIOS. I know the cable is good because it works fine with the CD-ROM drive, which is also installed. I've tried disconnecting the CD-ROM drive, thinking there might be some sort of conflict, but it made no difference.

I deleted the drive from Device Manager and made Windows re-detect it, but that did no good. I tried deleting references to the drive from the registry, but it won't allow me to delete them, even if I've disconnected the drive and booted into Safe Mode.

So I'm at a loss. I haven't tried putting the drive in a different PC yet, but that will be my next step I suppose. Unfortunately, my son lost the install CDs for the drive. I've tried downloading the firmware upgrade from HP, but when I try to install it I get an error msg that says my system doesn't meet "minimum requirements", whatever that means. It's a Pentium 4 with 512 MB RAM, running XP with SP2, and tons of free hard drive space. I don't see how it could NOT meet "minimum requirements".

Anybody got ideas??

dai · 11-25-2006, 10:04 AM

put the dvd as master and the cd as slave and check the jumpers are correct
make sure you are using an 80 wire cable,if you are using a 40 wire it could be the reason for not complying

chapelgrovefilm · 11-25-2006, 10:15 AM

The two drives are jumpered properly. That's one of the first things I checked.

Hadn't thought about the 80-conductor IDE cable thing, though. Good thinking! It's a 40-conductor cable, so I'll go out and get an 80-conductor and see if that takes care of it.

Thanks Dai!

dai · 11-25-2006, 10:23 AM

let us know how you go

chapelgrovefilm · 11-25-2006, 12:17 PM

Well, I put on the 80-conductor cable, but I'm still getting exactly the same behavior. I thought for sure that was going to fix it.

Any other ideas?

dai · 11-25-2006, 01:36 PM

see if this helps
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314096/EN-US/

chapelgrovefilm · 11-25-2006, 01:39 PM

Nope. Didn't help. :-(

dai · 11-25-2006, 01:41 PM

after you reinstalled windows did you run the m/b cd setup disk
in the device manger click on view at the top and show hidden devices and see if there is any yellow listed
uninstall and reinstall your burning software

dai · 11-25-2006, 01:57 PM

see if there is an updated driver or firmware here
http://www.driver-downloads.com/hp/hp.htm
the drive is made by benq apparently

chapelgrovefilm · 11-25-2006, 04:03 PM

I did run all the setup discs that I had for the PC. And as I said in my original post, I've been to the HP site and downloaded the firmware update for the drive, but it won't install -- tells me my system doesn't meet the 'minimum requirements', but doesn't elaborate on what the problem is.

dai · 11-25-2006, 04:15 PM

can you put in another computer and if it is ok try the f/ware update there
it's this [minimum requirements] that i have never seen before and a search brings nothing up on it

chapelgrovefilm · 11-25-2006, 05:29 PM

I can do that, but it will probably take a couple of days before I get around to it. I'll let you know what happens.

chapelgrovefilm · 11-27-2006, 07:07 PM

Well, I installed the drive in a different PC, but the results are inconclusive. Keep in mind that I don't have the installation disk to load the drivers with. On the plus side, at least now when I click on the drive icon in My Computer, it tells me there's no disk in the drive. Of course, it tells me that even when there IS a disk in the drive, but at least this is different from the behavior I got with the first PC.

Problem is, the other PC runs Windows ME, not XP like the original PC. I went to HP's website and apparently there are no software/firmware downloads available for Windows ME. So I guess I'm going to have to break down and try the drive in my third PC -- which is an HP Media Center m7160n running Windows XP. Hopefully I'll get to try that in the next couple of days. I'll let you know.

11-25-2006, 09:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	Vaio/DVD problem My son has a Sony Vaio pcv-rx550. The DVD burner suddenly stopped working, so he bought and installed an HP DVD640c burner, but he can't get it to work either. He gave the PC to me, and I haven't been able to figure out what the burner problem is. The BIOS recognizes the drive and calls it a CD-ROM drive, which I think is probably normal. Windows XP SP2 shows the drive in Device Manager, and shows it as "HP DVD Writer 640c". But it won't recognize any disk -- either DVD or CD. In fact, if I have NO disk in it at all and I click on the drive icon in My Computer, I don't even get an error message saying there's no disc in the drive. It highlights the icon as if there were a disc there, but shows nothing -- whether there's a disc in the drive or not. I've wiped the hard drive and completely reloaded Windows XP. I've upgraded the computer's BIOS. I know the cable is good because it works fine with the CD-ROM drive, which is also installed. I've tried disconnecting the CD-ROM drive, thinking there might be some sort of conflict, but it made no difference. I deleted the drive from Device Manager and made Windows re-detect it, but that did no good. I tried deleting references to the drive from the registry, but it won't allow me to delete them, even if I've disconnected the drive and booted into Safe Mode. So I'm at a loss. I haven't tried putting the drive in a different PC yet, but that will be my next step I suppose. Unfortunately, my son lost the install CDs for the drive. I've tried downloading the firmware upgrade from HP, but when I try to install it I get an error msg that says my system doesn't meet "minimum requirements", whatever that means. It's a Pentium 4 with 512 MB RAM, running XP with SP2, and tons of free hard drive space. I don't see how it could NOT meet "minimum requirements". Anybody got ideas??

11-25-2006, 10:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,569 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	put the dvd as master and the cd as slave and check the jumpers are correct make sure you are using an 80 wire cable,if you are using a 40 wire it could be the reason for not complying __________________

11-25-2006, 10:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,569 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	let us know how you go __________________

11-25-2006, 01:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,569 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	see if this helps http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314096/EN-US/ __________________

11-25-2006, 01:41 PM	#8 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,569 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	after you reinstalled windows did you run the m/b cd setup disk in the device manger click on view at the top and show hidden devices and see if there is any yellow listed uninstall and reinstall your burning software __________________ Last edited by dai; 11-25-2006 at 01:43 PM.

11-25-2006, 10:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	The two drives are jumpered properly. That's one of the first things I checked. Hadn't thought about the 80-conductor IDE cable thing, though. Good thinking! It's a 40-conductor cable, so I'll go out and get an 80-conductor and see if that takes care of it. Thanks Dai!

11-25-2006, 12:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	Well, I put on the 80-conductor cable, but I'm still getting exactly the same behavior. I thought for sure that was going to fix it. Any other ideas?

11-25-2006, 01:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	Nope. Didn't help. :-(

11-25-2006, 01:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,569 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	see if there is an updated driver or firmware here http://www.driver-downloads.com/hp/hp.htm the drive is made by benq apparently __________________

11-25-2006, 04:03 PM	#10 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	I did run all the setup discs that I had for the PC. And as I said in my original post, I've been to the HP site and downloaded the firmware update for the drive, but it won't install -- tells me my system doesn't meet the 'minimum requirements', but doesn't elaborate on what the problem is.

11-25-2006, 04:15 PM	#11 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,569 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	can you put in another computer and if it is ok try the f/ware update there it's this [minimum requirements] that i have never seen before and a search brings nothing up on it __________________

11-25-2006, 05:29 PM	#12 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	I can do that, but it will probably take a couple of days before I get around to it. I'll let you know what happens.

11-27-2006, 07:07 PM	#13 (permalink)
chapelgrovefilm Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 7 OS: XP	Well, I installed the drive in a different PC, but the results are inconclusive. Keep in mind that I don't have the installation disk to load the drivers with. On the plus side, at least now when I click on the drive icon in My Computer, it tells me there's no disk in the drive. Of course, it tells me that even when there IS a disk in the drive, but at least this is different from the behavior I got with the first PC. Problem is, the other PC runs Windows ME, not XP like the original PC. I went to HP's website and apparently there are no software/firmware downloads available for Windows ME. So I guess I'm going to have to break down and try the drive in my third PC -- which is an HP Media Center m7160n running Windows XP. Hopefully I'll get to try that in the next couple of days. I'll let you know.