R52-A29 DVD-RAM drive problems

[billy_curtis]

Hey all,

I have a Thinkpad R52 series model A29. A couple months ago it started turning off randomly, so I sent it to IBM to get the system board replaced. When it came back, I found that, while it never turned itself off spontaneously again, it didn't burn music CDs (from iTunes, Windows Media Player, RecordNow!, or anything) anymore. It doesn't seem to read audio CDs too well either...I'll try to play a CD in iTunes, it'll get all the CDDB information, but more often than not it'll just stop after playing for a few seconds with the drive still spinning, like if you put a badly scratched CD-R into a regular CD player. Trouble is, it's doing this with brand-new, real CDs. I've updated the drive firmware and all the drivers, too.

When I try to burn in RecordNow!, it gives me this error message:

Sense: 03 ASC: 73 ASCQ: 03 (Command 2A)
-------------------------------------------------------
Px.dll: 2.0.72.501
pxdrv.dll: 1.1.28.0
PxMas.dll: 2.0.72.501
PxWave.dll: 2.0.72.501
PXWMA.dll: 1.0.0.3

I mentioned this error message to IBM Tech Support, but I was only able to read the first two lines to the guy before he told me that it was a software conflict and the only thing that could be done was to restore the system to factory default settings. I want my drive back, but I'm not quite ready to do something so drastic yet. I was wondering if there was a better solution (there had better be)...

If anyone has any ideas at all, please help me out. This really sucks.

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Will

[billy_curtis]

By the way, I checked all of the .dlls mentioned, and they are all in the /system32 folder with no duplicates.

[NS]

Hello,

Is that an ultrabay enhanced drive? CDRW/ DVD-rom drive? Do you have any friends using a thinkpad which can use ultrabay enhanced drive? If yes, please swap the ultrabay drive to your friend's thinkpad and try to read and write CDs from there. If the CD can be read and written on your friend's thinkpad, then your ultrabay drive in your friend's thinkpad is not the main problem.

It might be the problem with your thinkpad itself. Try my above mentioned suggestion and report back.



With respect,

[billy_curtis]

Hello,

Is that an ultrabay enhanced drive? CDRW/ DVD-rom drive? Do you have any friends using a thinkpad which can use ultrabay enhanced drive? If yes, please swap the ultrabay drive to your friend's thinkpad and try to read and write CDs from there. If the CD can be read and written on your friend's thinkpad, then your ultrabay drive in your friend's thinkpad is not the main problem.

It might be the problem with your thinkpad itself. Try my above mentioned suggestion and report back.



With respect,

Hey, thanks for the response:) I'm at home now and don't have another Thinkpad I could swap drives with right off, but my friend at college has a Thinkpad and I'll try swapping with him when we get back to school in a week and a half or so...anything I could try in the meanwhile? Thanks all

[NS]

Why not you try to detach the CD-RW/DVD drive from your thinkpad and try to burn and read CDs on an external drive?

BTW: Welcome to thinkpads.com

[billy_curtis]

Thanks NS!

OK, just tried swapping drives with my friend's Thinkpad Z60m. And it worked! Burned and played a music CD in iTunes no problem.

Although his drive is compatible with my computer, it is a different model drive than my computer came with. Mine says "Model No. UJ-830B" while his says "Model No. UJ-830Z."

Here's my analysis:

When I sent my Thinkpad to IBM tech services for the system board replacement, they replaced it with a different system board than the one it came with. My model, the A29, isn't made for the US market (I got it in Taiwan) and they may have replaced the system board with one intended for the US R52 series?

Further evidence of this is that (I didn't notice this until a few days ago) my computer no longer has a Firewire port. There's just an empty hole in the chassis where it used to be.

So...I imagine my options are...

1. Try and get IBM to find me a new system board, importing it if necessary.
2. Tell them they messed up and ask them for a UJ-830Z. I'd like the Firewire port, but if 1. doesn't work I'd like to have a working drive, anyway.
3. Buy a UJ-830Z myself. Anyone know where I can do this?

Thanks!

[NS]

Try to post about the thing you want to buy in the \"for sale; want to buy\" forum.