itsme51 Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Newbie strikes again. What is firmware please?? Thanks, itsme51 susiekay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogdens Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Newbie strikes again. What is firmware please?? Thanks, itsme51 susiekay Do a Google search on.....firmware. Here is just one I found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerman Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Simply put, it's the software instructions built into the hardware that allows things like cd/dvd burners to handle the information given by another program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdanteek Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 The firmware contains set instructions for the operation of the drive. Functions such as: ejecting the tray, reporting error blink codes, and servo motor control. During the write process, the firmware plays a key part in controlling the quality of the write. When a blank disc is placed in the drive. The media's ATIP (Absolute Time In Pregroove) is read to find out the manufacturer's specifications such as the dye used on the media and write strategies. Using the manufacturer's write strategy for supported media is a much more accurate way to set the laser power than relying solely on the OPC return information. OPC (Optimum Power Calibration) - OPC will write data to the PCA (Power Calibration Area) at the inside of the disc, using different laser power levels, and read this data back to determine the optimum recording power. The laser power is optimized to adjust for differences in recording conditions, such as sensitivity of the dye and minor variations in disc thickness. cdanteek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mlpasley Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 A note of caution....... Any updates for your CD\DVD burner should come from the drive manufacturer or your computer's manufacturer. A bad firmware update can cause your burner to become UNusable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsme51 Posted April 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 A note of caution....... Any updates for your CD\DVD burner should come from the drive manufacturer or your computer's manufacturer. A bad firmware update can cause your burner to become UNusable. Thank you for that caution. I probably would not have ever considered that. itsme51 susiekay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdanteek Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Thank you for that caution. I probably would not have ever considered that. itsme51 susiekay mlpasley Is right and do heed the warning and follow there instructions on updating the firmware! A retail drive you buy and install, go to the manufactures site for firmware. One that came with computer go to that site. A OEM like LaCie, that might be a Nec drive in device manager go to LaCie's site. There aren't that many optical drive makers, if replacing a drive I would search out a maker like Nec, Pioneer, and BenQ. You get better firmware and more frequent updates for media. cdanteek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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itsme51
Newbie strikes again. What is firmware please??
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itsme51 susiekay
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