Re: XP won't boot if DVDR is connected

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moothemagiccow:
Just so we have a clear picture of your problem and system configuration...

First of all, we're assuming in all this that you have properly installed
and configured all your devices. All connections are secure; jumper settings
are what they should be, etc. etc.

1. You stated "The Lite-On DVDRW drive I have was working fine, but that was
before I tried to burn anything with it." How could it be working "fine" if
you hadn't tried burning a CD/DVD?

It could read discs, and it loaded on bootup without complaint error.
Once I realized it couldn't write, tried to repair it, and now it does
neither. I did not have DVDR discs before, or CDRs, so I couldnt find
out that the writing capabilities weren't working.

2. If I understand your present system, you have two HDDs and two optical
drives, right? You indicate the Lite-On drive is connected to a IDE
controller card. Is there some particular reason you're connecting that
device to a controller card rather than an available IDE channel on the
motherboard? Have you tried connecting it either as a Slave on the Primary
IDE channel or anywhere on the secondary IDE channel? Do you run into the
same problem with the device when you do?
You have the setup right. 2 hdds and two optical drives.

There is one available IDE slot on the mobo. It's taken up by the two
HDDs. I've tried it as a slave on the main IDE, with the master being
the boot HDD (C:), and windows still won't load. I've put it in every
possibility you've mentioned, changed cables and power cables and the
problem persists.


3. Is there any possibility of installing the Lite-On on another computer to
see if you run into the same problem?

I don't have another desktop, so no. The only other computers available
to me now are laptops, and I dont have a clue how to hook up an IDE
device to one, and I won't try.


4. You also indicated that after you installed your new motherboard, you
apparently had a problem "getting my two hard drives to work properly (which
took a long time)...". Might whatever problem you experienced in that regard
have any possible connection with your present problem?
It certainly might, but I have no idea what caused it or how I really
fixed it. I have two hard drives, a 30gb with the OS on it, and a
200gb. When I first installed Windows, it recognized the 200gb as a
133gb, and would not open one of the 63gb partitions. The PCI
controller card came with the 200gb HDD, though it did not cooperate
with it. I messed around with the setup until I got it in the
configuration it is now. The motherboard IDE goes to the two HDDs, and
the PCI card has two IDE slots, one for the DVD and one for the CD.
I've switched them around, traded cables, etc, hosted them on the same
IDE as master/slave, but it won't function.


5. The fact that your Lite-On optical drive is only two months old is of no
significance in concluding that a device that new would not be defective.
Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. And the fact that it's "plug and play" is
really irrelevant.
It worked flawlessly before the new motherboard was installed and I
have no concrete reason to think it has been physically damaged. Before
the switch, I used it many times with minimal errors. It was not moved;
the IDE and power plugs were replaced in its mounted position, and
there is no evidence of damage. It appears to basically function - it
lights up, and the drive can be opened and closed.


6. The fact that the system will not boot when the Lite-On is connected
would not be particularly surprising should that drive be defective. Many
motherboards will balk at a normal boot when a defective device (HDD or
optical drive) is connected in the system.
Thanks. I had no idea about this. I can rule out the motherboard, at
least. I don't know about the PCI controller card, since the CD drive
works, but the HDDs don't.



All things considered, it really would be best if you could temporarily
install the Lite-On in another PC. Should it not work there, that would be
definitive evidence that you're dealing with a defective device and
consequently RMA time.
Anna
Thanks for your help.

.

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