Satellite 1115-S103 DVD SD-C2612 options.

First, I really was impressed with this laptop because it never made a single hiccup until I had used it for 2 years! Then, one day, I was playing a media file and accidentally clicked on an Update Adobe button and that was the first time it hung. After another 2 years, its time to do a full recover on the HDD.

So I start the procedure and the first few times, I'm back in XP again rather than in "DOS" from a CD boot.

So I do this a couple of times and finally it "takes" and I'm running the first of three recover disks.

When it asks for the second disk, the drive just doesn't see it. (You can hear the drive "blipping" with no spin up until finally the attempt fails.)

I try repeated and can't get anywhere.

So I try the first disk again.

Same thing.

After many tries, I make it thru the first disk install again. But no luck with the 2nd disk.

The DVD drive just has to be bad the way I see it.

Obviously, I can replace it with like kind, however, I am curious about putting a combo drive in. However, I have found that sometimes, this can be very nasty regarding setup and BIOS settings. Of course, if I could identify the "burner" version of the SD-C2612, that would improve my odds I would think.

So, have I gotten everything "right?" (bad drive and replace with identical recommended?)

Also, since I'll have to completely dismember this laptop to do this, maybe a hard drive upgrade too? Recommendations?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

 

Why don't you put in a DVD movie or any other cd-rom for that matter, and see whether the drive will read the disc alright or if it is bad?

 

I did try other CD and DVD disks - of course, since I started the recover, the HD is formatted and the restore is only partially complete. So there is no OS on the HD.

What I looked for with other disks was if there was any difference in the operating behavior of the drive. No matter what I put in, it went thru the same events.

I even made copies of the restore disks to see if the copy would read better than the original and that didn't work either.

I probably worked about 4 hours intensively trying to get the drive to read the restore disk and during that time, the probability that it would read disk 1 decreased from aobut .3 to .0 for all intents and purposes. I got a clear sense that the drive was reading worse and worse as I was trying over that 4 hours.

 

Then I think you got it right, the drive is not working. I would try it again once more, before getting the drive replaced.

 

I even tried putting the laptop in the refrigerator to cool it down to about 40 deg F. and then while still in the frig tried to see if it would do the restore.

Nothing.

In fact, ever since I put it in the frig, its been zero luck so I figure that thermal shock finished it off. Although it was basically dead when I decided to cool it.

I'd like to do that upgrade, however, having firmware for Master and CS is just too much to deal with - unless the people at ultradrives.com really give me a warm and fuzzy feeling along with a great price.

 

You put the whole laptop in the refrigerator????

 

Hi Blondie!

While thermal loading is a great way to find bad components on a circuit board, I'm glad you saw the whack-i-ness of running the laptop in the frig with the door open! (If it was winter, I would have just taken it outside....)

Thanks for the reply,
Tom

PS. I like your avatar!

 

Yeah. That idea was pretty funny! And I also like your avatar. By the way, welcome to NBR!

 

Watch my avatar go!

 

That was a little scary! :laugh:

 

So I call Ultradrives and order a dual layer DVD burner and a 60 GB Toshiba HDD.

I get a MASTER burner since that is what Toshi uses.

So what happens? I get the parts, pull the mobo to get at the DVD and it is CSEL!

CSEL!

Arghhhhhhhhhhhh......

I guess I'm hosed, right?

Tom

PS. Someone said somewhere that this laptop was made by fotom, futon, furom, foton,.... er, something like that. Maybe that is why it is CSEL.

 

...Ultra said the MASTER may work....

....so I'm already into my 2nd CD in my recovery(!) and the 80GB HDD was formatted so I guess its detected.

Life is Good....