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DVD drive problems

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Clixby, Jan 7, 2007.

  1. Clixby Gems: 13/31
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    Remove all ads!
    For the last week or so I've been having problems with the drive on my computer. The problems have actually been arond for much, much longer than that, however. For one thing, music CDs stutter horribly when I try to play them, but in the last week it's got much worse. games have started stuttering, becoming entirely unplayable after about half an hour and at one point one game wouldn't install at all, claiming that it couldn't transfer a jkey file. So, quite recently I got an iFibre Diagnostic DVD Lens Cleaner, hoping the problem was just dust on the lens.

    However, it does not seem to have had any effect whatsoever, if anything making the problem WORSE. A game which would start stuttering terribly after about a half-hour of play now just utterly crashes withing about a quarter of an hour.

    So, what can I do? Is my only option to buy a new drive?
     
    Clixby, Jan 7, 2007
    #1
  2. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    You can try putting the latest firmware on it first.
     
    Taluntain, Jan 7, 2007
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  3. Clixby Gems: 13/31
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    It turned out my firmware was out of date, so I updated it, and now the stuttering problem with music CDs has vanished. I believe the problem with the game I metioned may not have anything to do with my drive now, however, since I can play it when the CD isn't in the drive and it still stutters. So, thanks for the assistance. I never even knew firmware EXISTED until now. God, I'm such a newb. :bad:
     
    Clixby, Jan 8, 2007
    #3
  4. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Infotainment at its finest. ;)
     
    Taluntain, Jan 9, 2007
    #4
  5. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    For the benefit of others (or probably just me), can someone explain what 'firmware' is, and how it would have caused this problem?
     
    Harbourboy, Jan 9, 2007
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  6. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    In this case it is the control program for the DVD drive.

    Many devices these days have the ability to update their control programming. It's called firmware because it is a necessary piece of programming for the device to work (so it's neither hard- nor software).
     
    Blackthorne TA, Jan 9, 2007
    #6
  7. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Is it like a driver?
     
    Harbourboy, Jan 9, 2007
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  8. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Not really, but if it helps to think of it that way...

    A driver is a piece of software on your computer that knows how to operate a device for other software. Firmware resides on the device and performs the low-level operations the driver asks for.
     
    Blackthorne TA, Jan 9, 2007
    #8

  9. Erod Gems: 14/31
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    Erod, Jan 9, 2007
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  10. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

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    HB, if Erod's link doesn't help, think of it this way:

    The 'firmware' on your iPod tells the iPod how to work. The 'driver' (probably built into iTunes) tells the computer how to communicate with your iPod.

    If your iPod has a glitch of some kind (like the album art is not displayed correctly), you can try and update the firmware to see if that fixes the problem...or just but something other then an iPod. :p :rolling:
     
    Kitrax, Jan 10, 2007
    #10
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