My sisters old (standard) DVD-writer (Sony DW-D56A) has broken down. She has a Dell Inspiron 510m.
Her BIOS ((v:)A08)won't accept the DVD-reader (Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-C24O2) I got this from a old Toshiba tecra 8100.
He works fine once he is past the BIOS.
How can I make sure that the BIOS won't block this when she boots?

Thanks in advance,

Jonas I tried updating the BIOS to A11.
No luck
What else can I do?

Jonas Hello Jonas,I did some research and the 510m is only interchangeable with
the following models. See Below.

Inspiron Models: 300M, 500M ,510M, 600M, 8500, 8600.
Latitude Models: X200, X300, D400, D500, D505, D600, D800


Check the below site. The site LOADS slow.

http://www.portablecomponentsforall.com/So you can't change the BIOS?
Because it works fine if you puy it in after the BIOS is loaded.

Jonas Jonas,According to Dell if it is compatible,you only need BIOS A08
A11 is not listed for the 510M model.


Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series
Version: A08
Build Date: 07/14/2004

The following updates were made to the A07 BIOS to create the A08 BIOS:

Issues Fixed:
1. Fixed issues where the system fails to boot to certain USB
storage devices or any USB storage when several such devices
are attached to the system.

2. Fixed issue seen after several Standby/Resume cycles in which an
external USB keyboard can no longer be used to enter a BIOS or
hard-disk drive password.

3. Fixed system hang seen when resuming from Standby if the user
notifies the operating system to eject an optical drive before
entering Standby, but the drive is never removed.

4. Fixed issue in which media bay devices may be reported incorrectly
in SMBIOS if the device is swapped while in Standby.

5. Fixed issue in which no audio is received from the analog audio
channel of a DVD-RW drive in the media bay.

6. Fixed possible system hang during POST when the Parallel Mode in
System Setup is configured to DISABLE.

7. Fixed problem where a reboot is required for a System Setup boot
order change to take effect. Now, if is pressed during POST
to enter System Setup, and a boot order change is made, the new
boot order will take effect upon exiting System Setup.

8. Fixed issue in which QuickSet may intermittently fail to detect
a HOTKEY press, such as the CD Eject hotkey.

9. Update to Pre-boot System Assessment to build 3012. This version
addresses problems when executing the hard-disk drive tests
without AC power attached.

Enhancements:
1. Added support for informed hot-undocking. The undock METHOD can
be configured as either "Hot Undock" or "Warm Undock" using the
new "Undocking Method" field on page 5 of System Setup. The
system must be rebooted after changing this field.
Previously, the system WOULD only allow warm-undocking. When
warm-undocking, the system enters Standby mode if the dock eject
button is pressed or the user commands the Operating System to
undock the computer from the Start Menu.
The new default behavior is Hot Undock. This allows the system
to stay powered on when undocking.
PLEASE NOTE: Regardless of how "Undocking Method" is configured,
the user must notify the system before undocking by either pressing
the dock eject button or commanding the OS to undock the computer
from the Start Menu.

2. Added support for DVD+/-RW drives to be displayed in System Setup
and SMBIOS correctly.

3. Added support for newer versions of the Intel Pentium M processor.

4. Added feature to allow the BIOS Admin password to unlock the
primary hard-disk drive password. For this feature to work, the
BIOS Admin password must be installed at the time the drive
password is created. Also, the BIOS Admin password will only
unlock the password for a drive that is installed in the specific
system on which the drive password is originally created.



http://ftp.us.dell.com/bios/500M_A08.TXTI already updated to A11 and I had no problems with updating sow why preform a rollback? (If it is needed how can I do it?)
It wasn't working in A08 either.
It isn't compatible with the BIOS but it works so...
I'm afraid I'm creating more damage than before

Jonas
Jonas,For the Dell inspiratiom 510M...I am still
thinking the dvd-Rom is not compatible but,
you can read the below.



There is a firmware update for the SD-C2402.

You may want to read the site first. See Below.

http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_firmware.php?download_id=199The driver is installed and yesterday see even played SIM (or SIM2 if that exists)
It works so it has to be compatible maybe not with the BIOS but when it works it means it is compatible, no?
Or isn't firmware the same as driver?
Thanks for helping me

Jonas Jonas,

Firmware is software that is embedded in a hardware device.So, laptop companys are notorious for making their parts and BIOS match up with
each other,or not work properly.So, a firmware update may not help at all.

Because it fits properly does not mean the BIOS will be happy with
it.


Desktop computers were made much more compatible for interchanging parts.

Robert
In the beginning it didn't fitted at all but after changing some parts it did fitted.
But now it fits but that is not the only thing it can even play music, Games, ...
But it looks like I can't change the BIOS so I'll tell her she just has to get out the DVD drive and put it in after the BIOS is loaded.

Jonas
Quote from: Jonas Wauters on July 10, 2007, 12:24:48 PM

In the beginning it didn't fitted at all but after changing some parts it did fitted.
But now it fits but that is not the only thing it can even play music, Games, ...
But it looks like I can't change the BIOS so I'll tell her she just has to get out the DVD drive and put it in after the BIOS is loaded.

Jonas