• DoLoop
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  • Posts: 8

Topic: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

XP Pro_SP3
RAID 0 Configuration

Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-216R SCSI CdRom Device
HWID: CdRomPIONEER_DVD-RW__DVR-216R1.06

I've built many desktops over the years, and I'm a partner in an electronics related business.

This forum is my last stop before I junk a desktop I built for my sister.  After reading your FAQs,
I'm convinced you guys have expert level knowledge about Windows systems.

I replaced the CMOS battery on the motherboard.  A job I've done many times.  Before pulling the
old battery all BIOS settings were copied to a text file.  Most settings were default, so it was easy
to restore the CMOS setup.

The burner completely vanished from XP.  I tried every System and Registry hack.  The most common
is deleting the upper and lower filters in the Registry.  This blog and all the attached comments is
typical of many other sites that suggest the sames fixes:

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/fix … -or-vista/

The Pioneer burner is working perfectly.  From the CMOS Boot Menu I can easily load a boot disk like
BartPE.  In addition, I tried the burner on another computer.  No problems.  (The burner is also listed
normally in the main BIOS setup.)

If I disconnect and reconnect the 4-Pin power plug after XP finishes loading, the burner is completely
restored!  I have no idea why disconnecting and reconnecting the power plug restores the burner to
Device Manager, Disk Manager, Explorer, etc.  I've never seen anything like this before!

From the Windows CAB archives, I extracted fresh copies of all driver files.  Didn't help.

I downloaded the drivers from the site listed at this forum:

http://www.downloadwindowsdrivers.info/

I extracted the files from Q309691_WXP_SP1_x86_ENU.exe.  They are older than the files already
installed in XP Pro_SP3, but I'll try them anyway.

If I can't resolve this problem, I'll be building a new desktop for my sister.  I'm familiar with most
common hardware problems.  Several very bright people at other forums have made comments like
"weird" or "totally strange." 

Before I start building, any suggestions would be appreciated.

  • OverFlow
  • DriverPacks Administrator & BASE Developer
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  • From: Cincinnati
  • Registered: 2006-12-02
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Re: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

Re-enumerate the machine.

first) Remove all related devices from device manager in safe mode (optionally remove all devices).
        Reboot. Reinstall of SCSI card and burner should be automatic. Is it better? (removing all may take several reboots.

Second) Some old MB tied interrupts to PCI slots on the hardware level, move the cards around (shuffle the deck).
              resetting BIOS settings with this move is a good idea. This step may be coordinated with the first option.

Third) test power supply for proper voltage and cooling fan air flow. It could be "browning out" or overheating but not dead yet.

Fourth) IDE burners are 15 dollars... buy one spend ten minutes plugging it in, forget about it.

Let us know how it goes.


Welcome  back !

PS I think this may be the same machine that brought you here before... LOL

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  • DoLoop
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Re: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

I always keep spare PSUs.  I pulled the PSU and connected it to a load box for six hours. I built this box
to constantly vary the load, simulating sudden load changes.  It passed the test. Nevertheless, I installed
a new PSU. I'll keep the old unit as a backup.

I tried removing a few items from Device Manager in Safe Mode.  No change.  When you say "optionally
remove all devices" do you mean that literally?  Just go down the list and remove everything?  Actually,
that sounds like a good idea!

Everything in the tower is SATA, except the floppy disk drive.

My first thought was to buy a new SATA optical drive.  Besides BartPE, I've got numerous bootable CDs.
They all run perfectly from the CMOS Boot Menu.  It's obvious that the Pioneer burner is 100% good.

The big question is, what's going to happen if I buy and install a new burner?

I always wear an antistatic wrist strap when I'm working in a computer tower, so I'm not concerned about
static discharge from my body.  However, I can't help thinking that something may have been damaged
when I replaced that CMOS battery.  Not very likely, but if the chipset on the mobo is good, why did the
burner vanish from XP after replacing the battery?

I guess buying a new SATA optical drive is a good idea.  Since I don't know why the Pioneer burner vanished,
I can't be certain a new optical drive will be recognized by the XP.

One last thought about this problem.  Most backup imaging apps, like Acronis will not work with a RAID
configuration unless it's added to a preinstalled environment like BartPE.  If you look in Device Manager
it's listed as hardware with its own drivers.  This may be a crazy thought, but are there any CD/DVD
burning apps that install hardware drivers in Device Manager?  If so, those additional drivers could fix
the Pioneer optical drive.

If there are any generic drivers for internal CD/DVD drives, provide a link and I'll give them a try.

Last edited by DoLoop (2016-08-25 18:54:18)

  • OverFlow
  • DriverPacks Administrator & BASE Developer
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Re: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

yup hardware is fine, windows broken. Agreed.
I expected re-enumeration to restore it. Ghost drivers show up in safe mode.

Story: (with relevant point)

I am at a customer premise (CP). Printer will not work. Spent two hours dinking with it, like you have. Finally i get annoyed and go and get an identical printer from the other side of the office. I plug it in... it works fine. Plug the non working printer into the slot the borrowed unit came out of... it works fine. swap them back and it no worky again.  I fixed it by SWAPPING them out. The printers are NOT identical to windows, I suppose so you could connect ten of the same model to one print server PC.

Windows had separate driver stack for each of the printers, one was broken, one was fine. The broken driver stack was tied to a SPECIFIC printer. and to find the fix for the driver for that one certain printer was buried in the registry somewhere? Maybe?  I Swapped the two identical printers out and forgot about it. Why find the needle in the haystack use the other one in the sewing kit big_smile.

I would bet big money you have exactly the same issue. Too bad you don't have an identical burner to prove it out.

I am a computer guy from way back like you and have worked for myself for decades.

Time is money, quickest, easiest (cheapest) first.
                         Unless its personal wink

Jeff

PS I worked in one of the best shops in the city back in the 90s. Never ever used a wrist strap, ever. Also never had an ESD issue. We used to leave them plugged in, grounding the case. If you are touching the case... and the case is grounded what the h*ll do you need a strap for??? Cases should be grounded, not people. Although I do like people who are grounded that is yet another topic. One thing we did do was to water the carpet, with a watering canfor flowers... LOL. We built high end stuff, daily. NEVER had an ESD incident.  One time a test lead fell into a CRT monitor we were repairing and it fried in spectacular fashion, but never static.

PSS If windows did what it was supposed to do I would be out of a job... right? tongue

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  • DoLoop
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Re: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

Jeff, you're just a smart guy!

I almost forgot about DriverPacks forum.  I was posting on a few very large "top ten" computer forums.
Because my problem was not the usual newbie junk, I received many replies from IT professionals.  I tried
everything they suggested, but nothing worked.

I should mention that I build "bulletproof" computers.  For example, I could deliberately damage the
Registry.  It doesn't matter.  Every mouse click or keyboard command can be undone in two minutes or
less.  I mount virtual systems.  Nothing is permanent unless I'm 99.99% certain it's good.

I was looking at a shelf in my workshop with boxes of old expansion cards.  Suddenly, I felt like a complete
dummy!  This is probably the solution and it's cheap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-to-4-ports- … SwDNdVi8C2

The motherboard has more than enough SATA ports for all internal hardware.  Until now, I never
considered adding an SATA Controller Card.  The advantages are huge!  A dedicated BIOS on the
card and a Silicon Image chipset with third party drivers.  As much as possible, this controller card
isolates the optical drive from the motherboard.  Bypassing some of those native Microsoft drivers,
is also a good reason to purchase this card.

The price is $14.49 with free shipping.  If a hard drive or SSD (Solid-State Drive) were involved, I
would spend more money for a faster card.  The Pioneer burner has a 40x or 6.0 MB/sec data transfer
rate for a CD and 20x or 27 MB/sec for a DVD.

After receiving the card, I'll return to this thread with the results.

  • DoLoop
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  • Registered: 2009-09-05
  • Posts: 8

Re: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

Included with the SATA Controller package was a CD loaded with several dozen Silicon Image drivers.
After examining all those drivers, I knew this inexpensive card would finally resolve my problem with
the Pioneer optical drive.

IT WORKED!!!          YIPPEE!!!

To anyone who may find this thread while performing a Google seach, please be careful when you buy
a cheap SATA Controller Card.  Revision 1.0 supports a maximum data transfer rate of 150 MBYTES/SEC
which is more than adequate for an optical drive.  I purchased this card exclusively for my CD/DVD
burner.  If you need extra SATA ports for a hard drive or SSD optimized for the latest Revisions (3.0, 3.1,
and 3.2) make sure the controller card matches your requirements.

Thank you Jeff.

  • OverFlow
  • DriverPacks Administrator & BASE Developer
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Re: Pioneer Model DVR-2920Q

Nice... Thanks for following up!

Jeff

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