Foo - BIOS for Dummies

Specifically for THIS dummy. I am afraid i might have screwed up the BIOS on my computer. When i put in a new hard drive a few weeks back, i tried to "update the bios." Trouble is, i didn't know what i was doing. I tried to do it via the operating system and i don't think that is correct.

I was trying to update the BIOS to get my Dell to see my bigger hard drive. It only sees like 137 G of it. Anyway, ever since then this computer has been freaky. I've had all sortsa wierd stuff.

* Can't play most streaming media. Well actually i can, but i have to click on the file twice. The first time i get a pixilated mess which is half green screen. If I click on most files again, they will play fine the second time. Still some of them lock up.

* Yesterday my DVD RAM drive decided it just wants to be a CD drive. IOW, it just says insert media when i try and author a DVD. I've tried tons of new media, still don't work. Sometimes the drive shows ups as DVD ram sometime as CD. It plays DVD's fine, just won't record or display in MY COMPUTER correctly.

These are my main issues. I plan to do another clean install of XP in a couple days to start over. I also think NERO played a role in this. I downloaded NERO to burn a TIVO file to DVD. That damn program annihalated by computer. Everything started to act up after i installed and then uninstalled it.

Specifically for THIS dummy. I am afraid i might have screwed up the BIOS on my computer. When i put in a new hard drive a few weeks back, i tried to "update the bios." Trouble is, i didn't know what i was doing. I tried to do it via the operating system and i don't think that is correct.

I was trying to update the BIOS to get my Dell to see my bigger hard drive. It only sees like 137 G of it. Anyway, ever since then this computer has been freaky. I've had all sortsa wierd stuff.

* Can't play most streaming media. Well actually i can, but i have to click on the file twice. The first time i get a pixilated mess which is half green screen. If I click on most files again, they will play fine the second time. Still some of them lock up.

* Yesterday my DVD RAM drive decided it just wants to be a CD drive. IOW, it just says insert media when i try and author a DVD. I've tried tons of new media, still don't work. Sometimes the drive shows ups as DVD ram sometime as CD. It plays DVD's fine, just won't record or display in MY COMPUTER correctly.

These are my main issues. I plan to do another clean install of XP in a couple days to start over. I also think NERO played a role in this. I downloaded NERO to burn a TIVO file to DVD. That damn program annihalated by computer. Everything started to act up after i installed and then uninstalled it.
Sounds like it took a driver out when you uninstalled it or corrupted it rather badly at least!

Sounds like it took a driver out when you uninstalled it or corrupted it rather badly at least!

I've uninstalled the device and reinstalled it multiple times.

I've uninstalled the device and reinstalled it multiple times.
try reinstalling your drivers off the utilities disc or down load the appropriate drivers from the manufacturers site.XP can detect the drivers you'll need to replace. Nero is really good at killing your drivers for your DVD-RW when you uninstall it. It also took out my WIN32 socket when I pulled the horrible bit of software off of my computer!:D

DVD-RAM functionality requires an additional software-driver on top of the hardware-driver for the DVD itself. It's a two-step process to install, the first should be the auto-detect install of the hardware-driver itself (usually cdrom.sys,redbook.sys and storprop.dll).

The 2nd step installs the DVD-RAM driver on top, kinda like the packet-writer from InCD or the built-in WinXP CD-writer. This DVD-RAM driver is usually a customized version of the Panasonic/Matsh|ta software anyway.

What's the name of the drive in the DeviceManager? The 1st driver should have been installed under DVD/CD-ROM drives. What's listed there?

At this point, the computer sounds pretty hosed anyway. The install->uninstall process never EVER restores your system back to the same clean functionality as before. You might want to try this Registry Mechanic (http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/) software. It does a good job of cleaning up outdated or corrupt registry entries. Still not 100% clean, but better than before.

Best method to not waste a tonne of time reinstalling Windows from scratch all the time is to take snapshots of your Windows installation. I usually have a small 2-3gb boot-partition with only Windows installed. Then before each software package installation, I make a complete mirror image of the boot/Windows partition onto an external drive or DVD first. Ghost will actually let you boot up from a floppy-disk and use the DVD backup to copy the image back onto the HD. Presto, clean restore! :)

Your problem sounds more like an OS problem such as the drivers mentioned rather than a problem from flashing the BIOS/CMOS. But strange things can happen with any software.

If you did successfully flash your BIOS then I would suggest checking your CMOS settings.

You could also look in System Tools/System Restore and see if you have a restore date close to before the day you installed Nero. Progams installed after the restore dare will not be there after a successful restore.

You could also look in System Tools/System Restore and see if you have a restore date close to before the day you installed Nero. Progams installed after the restore dare will not be there after a successful restore.

It won't let me restore to ANY point.

DVD-RAM functionality requires an additional software-driver on top of the hardware-driver for the DVD itself. It's a two-step process to install, the first should be the auto-detect install of the hardware-driver itself (usually cdrom.sys,redbook.sys and storprop.dll).

The 2nd step installs the DVD-RAM driver on top, kinda like the packet-writer from InCD or the built-in WinXP CD-writer. This DVD-RAM driver is usually a customized version of the Panasonic/Matsh|ta software anyway.

What's the name of the drive in the DeviceManager? The 1st driver should have been installed under DVD/CD-ROM drives. What's listed there?

At this point, the computer sounds pretty hosed anyway. The install->uninstall process never EVER restores your system back to the same clean functionality as before. You might want to try this Registry Mechanic (http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/) software. It does a good job of cleaning up outdated or corrupt registry entries. Still not 100% clean, but better than before.

Best method to not waste a tonne of time reinstalling Windows from scratch all the time is to take snapshots of your Windows installation. I usually have a small 2-3gb boot-partition with only Windows installed. Then before each software package installation, I make a complete mirror image of the boot/Windows partition onto an external drive or DVD first. Ghost will actually let you boot up from a floppy-disk and use the DVD backup to copy the image back onto the HD. Presto, clean restore! :)


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Try the version-5.0.25 driver at this link (http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/drivers/dvd/). Let me know if you get the "can't find drive" error, there's an updated .INI file I can send you...

After the DVD-RAM driver installs, it'll ask for a reboot and will detect the DVD-RAM drive when WIndows comes up again. Then when you go the DeviceManager, you should see another drive under "Disk Drive" with the same LG GSA-4136B name as under the DVD/CD-ROM section. This is the DVD-RAM drive that looks like a giant removable read/write random-access drive to Windows (like a giant floppy).

Specifically for THIS dummy. I am afraid i might have screwed up the BIOS on my computer. When i put in a new hard drive a few weeks back, i tried to "update the bios." Trouble is, i didn't know what i was doing. I tried to do it via the operating system and i don't think that is correct.
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What do you mean via the operating system? Everytime I have flashed a BIOS it was done from a floppy or CD. You have to be absolutly 100% sure that the flash is for your BIOS/MoBo or else your machine will die!

It doesn't sound like a BIOS problem to me but I cannot think of why this would happen after a flash. PErhaps there are some I/O settings in BIOS that have revertet back to the default value that might cause problems but I would think that those problems would be obvious rather then just quirky behaviour. A lot of these problems are solved by getting the latest drivers from the manufactures site.

What do you mean via the operating system? Everytime I have flashed a BIOS it was done from a floppy or CD.

You can flash many BIOS' from the OS now.

Yes, most computers nwo allow for BIOS flashing within windows. This is nice, since some programs can actually download and install the update right from the boardmaker's site...that way the odds of average joe installing the wrong BIOS is next to impossible (even for us experienced users, it happens sometimes...).

As for your problems, it sounds like an OS issue. BIOS does not directly affect DVD-R (and variants thereof) drives. Now, if you were flashing the DVD-R drive's Firmware (some folks call it a BIOS for some unknown reason), that can cause problems with the drive only....so it still would not be the case.

I think you have some drive corruption somewhere. Run a full disk check and see what you get.

Could also be a virus, they can mess up I/O devices.

Well, I'm running on a clean install right now. And things are looking good. I think the moral of the story is to avoid NERO like the plague. NEVER again!!!!!

I was still finding registry entries for NERO all over the place even after i uninstalled it. I started to delete those and i think that's when i hosed things. Perhaps they were things that NERO renamed, yet they weren't really NERO entries. I dunno.

I think the moral of the storey is for the user to read directions thoroughly, especially if they aren't that IT proficient. The real moral of the storey...backup registry (there are warnings) and make sure you really understand what you are messing with when playing in there. Its very easy to take down your entire system just by messing one entry. Sounds like you were your own virus ;)

Nero is an awesome program, been using it in all its variations for many many...many years including the newest.

I think the moral of the storey is for the user to read directions thoroughly, especially if they aren't that IT proficient. The real moral of the storey...backup registry (there are warnings) and make sure you really understand what you are messing with when playing in there. Its very easy to take down your entire system just by messing one entry. Sounds like you were your own virus ;)

Nero is an awesome program, been using it in all its variations for many many...many years including the newest.
But have you ever tried to uninstall it?

Try uninstalling Norton if you want to see a registry nightmare!

CD Burner Xp pro is a great FREE (as in beer) CD/DVD burning software. You must use WinXP (home or pro) to use it though, since it relies on certain features of it to operate.

CD Burner Xp pro is a great FREE (as in beer) CD/DVD burning software. You must use WinXP (home or pro) to use it though, since it relies on certain features of it to operate.

Yeah, I actually use that program. I'm also using AVG antivirus INSTEAD of Norton this time around.

Yeah, I actually use that program. I'm also using AVG antivirus INSTEAD of Norton this time around.
Good choice! (AVG) I've been running the free version for two years and haven't had a problem since!

By the way, next time you regedit, before you do, save a copy to the desktop so you can go back if you delete something you shouldn't!:D Made that mistake myself once!:eek:

Finally had to resort to getting a bit of tech help and it turned out to have been a couple of registry files I deleted all by myself! If I had kept a copy on the desktop or disc, I could have gone back to where I started. It's kinda like Access Database operations in that there is no undo/redo! If you lose it, it's gone unless you have an archival copy somewhere!

Well, now after i did the clean install, I still have a strange DVD RAM drive. I can burn to DVD's and it looks like I can burn to CD, but when i put a previously burned DVD into the drive it doesn't recognize it. EXAMPLE: I have drivers for my printer on a CD that i burned onto the CD a long time ago.

I've used this CD multiple times to load drivers onto my computer so I know the CDR is ok. But XP just ignores it. I open the DVD/CD drive and it is just a blank window, even though i know the program is there. I can put a CD into the drive, like a CD software game that was commercially purchased and it plays fine.

But it won't recognize a CD that was burned on a CD burner. Crazy, this thing is....

This is what i get when i try and click on the DVD drive via My Computer. The CD in the drive at the time of this error is the printer drivers software that was burned onto a CDR.

EDIT- I'm thinking my issue here might be that these CDR's in question were written by adaptec easy cd creator. I no longer have that program and suspiscion that might be the issue.

I'm also using AVG antivirus INSTEAD of Norton this time around. AVG is pretty weak, as you can see if you look at its performance history at http://www.av-comparatives.org > Comparatives > On-Demand Comparative. I'm not content with supposed antivirus software that detects (LOL) less than 50% of script attacks and less than 25% of the "Other Malware" category. Kaspersky is >98% in both, as well as having rootkit detection capabilities and other advanced features like Proactive Defense.

So may I suggest free AOL Kaspersky (http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp) (and no, you do not have to be an AOL user!) for home-user purposes. Kaspersky > AntiVir > Avast > AVG. This free version is not licensed for business use, by the way. It performs like the pay-for Kaspersky in testing.

EDIT- I'm thinking my issue here might be that these CDR's in question were written by adaptec easy cd creator. I no longer have that program and suspiscion that might be the issue.

Uh there's ya problem.


btw I had a hell of a time uninstallin Nero and I absolutly HATE any program that does not come with the appropriate uninstaller!

Uh there's ya problem.


btw I had a hell of a time uninstallin Nero and I absolutly HATE any program that does not come with the appropriate uninstaller!

I'll never download NERO again. It didn't just mess up the file associations, it made my windows media player unuseable. I tried downloading new codecs, you name it. Only a clean install would fix it. NERO is the devil in my book.