Sony Vaio Notebook DVD Problem

[DarthFurby]

Upon boot up the DVD drive is usually not recognized. The drive LED blinks but won't open, and it's no longer listed under the Hardware Settings Profile. This problem started occuring when my father accidentally installed and deleted software that came with a DVD movie he was watching. The notebook comes equipped with a tailored WindowsME REINSTALL EVERYTHING disc for dummies, which I have used three times with limited success. While it manages to install the necessary driver, after rebooting the driver mysteriously disappears. The only way I get the DVD rom to work again is if I enter setup and restore the default values upon bootup(again only a temporary fix).

Is there any way for me to fix this for good?

Specs:
Sony Vaio Notebook AMD-K6 550Mhz Processor
WindowsME home edition(modified to work only on Sony Vaio books I think)
Toshiba DVD Rom Drive.

[kenja]

If doing a complete reinstall of ME (Sony version) doesn't cure it, here's a thought:

I just assembled a new desktop computer with a Toshiba DVD (originally in a Compaq Presario). The DVD wasn't seen during the initial boot-up, but Windows would pick it up later. I solved the problem by "flashing" the motherboard BIOS with a newer version.

[DarthFurby]

Alright that sounds like a good idea to me! First tho, will someone tell me how to "flash" my notebook BIOS?

[kenja]

The BIOS update idea is more of a "shot-in-the-dark"; I flashed my Abit motherboard trying to solve an unrelated problem.

I don't know which model you have, but here is Sony support.

[DarthFurby]

Thanks for the help. Sony support was my first stop but they didn't have much. The only thing I can think of is to replace the customized Sony WindowsME OS with Windows 98, provided I can get the proper cd-rom driver onto the boot disk.
Is this a good idea tho? Notebooks scare me with all their integrations and user friendly customization stuff, so I'm not sure what effect replacing the designated OS with Windows98 might do.

[kenja]

Is this a built-in DVD? If so, the standard drivers contained on the retail Win98 CD should work fine; it's a bootable CD.

You might lose some "bells and whistles" like internet keyboard buttons. I upgraded Win98 on my ThinkPad to Win2k; IBM posted Win2k drivers (but no upgrade for the DVD player software).

Instead of "downgrading" to 98, you might consider XP. The "NT core" is far superior to the DOS core of 9x (ME), but I'm pretty sure you'll encounter "issues".

[This message has been edited by kenja (edited 12-31-2001).]

[DarthFurby]

The DVD is built in, but it doesn't work with the drivers on the Win98 boot disk. The driver isn't on Sony's website but I think I can rip it off my notebook(provided it isn't corrupted) and put it on the disk. I'd install XP, but Win98's all I have for now.

[kenja]

I don't currently have a Win9x system, but I recall seeing this on my friend's ME system:

Make a "start-up" floppy disk: Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup (?)

Somewhere in these forums, a site was recently posted that has generic boot disk images; I guess that wouldn't work for you, anyway.

Seems like a full, clean (reformat) install using your Sony ME restore CD would fix this.

[This message has been edited by kenja (edited 12-31-2001).]

[DarthFurby]

I can't make a boot disk with this version of WindowsME since Sony "customized" this part of the OS. I think a full clean reformat would be best too, but I've only got a win98 boot disk to work with. And of course the SonyWindowsME system recovery disk(which is meant to be idiot proof, meaning you have no control over it. Pop it in and it reinstalls, but I don't think it reformats everything completely since I still have the driver problem).

But again, I don't know how Sony wired this notebook so I'm a little nervous about what a clean reformat might do.