'Linux fried my LG CDROM drive??'

[darkhorse]

Someone pointed me to this article.

Apparently Mandrake Linux 9.2 and LG CDROM drives do not mix

Error scenario: Installing 9.2 and being told unable to install the base system and subsequent reboot reveals that CD-ROM drive is physically dead.
Why: According to LG Electronics, their ODD (Optical Disc Drive) products do not support Linux nor do they test with Linux. Unfortunately, many Dell computers (possibly others) come with these CD-ROM drives.
Solution: Currently there is no solution or work-around for this issue; it is still under investigation. Damage occurs even when doing a network install. At this point, please do not install Mandrake Linux 9.2 on any computer containing a LG-based CD-ROM drive or it will damage your CD-ROM drive! We are actively looking for a solution to this problem.

[TripleRLtd]

Someone pointed me to this article.

Apparently Mandrake Linux 9.2 and LG CDROM drives do not mix

Perhaps the drive won't work but a driver (which is software) WILL NOT cause damage to hardware unless it is a flashable bios upgrade or firmware upgrade.
It is like a virus.
A virus can do much damage, but it will not do any physical damage to a hard drive.
The same with drivers for CDRom drives.
Also, why do you need a driver for a CD drive in the first place???

[DocPC]

Perhaps the drive won't work but a driver (which is software) WILL NOT cause damage to hardware unless it is a flashable bios upgrade or firmware upgrade.
It is like a virus.
A virus can do much damage, but it will not do any physical damage to a hard drive.
The same with drivers for CDRom drives.
Also, why do you need a driver for a CD drive in the first place???

Untrue....the Chernobyl virus killed motherboards as well as hard drives.......

[TripleRLtd]

Untrue....the Chernobyl virus killed motherboards as well as hard drives.......

Sorry Doc, but tis true:
Remember I said flashable BIOS.
From Symantec:

The first payload overwrites the hard disk with random data, starting at the beginning of the disk (sector 0) using an infinite loop. The overwriting of the sectors does not stop until the system has crashed. As a result, the computer will not boot from the hard disk or floppy disk. Also, the data that has been overwritten on the hard disk will be very difficult or impossible to recover. You must restore the data from backups.

The second payload tries to cause permanent damage to the computer. This payload attacks the Flash BIOS (a part of your computer that initializes and manages the relationships and data flow between the system devices, including the hard drive, serial and parallel ports, and the keyboard) and tries to corrupt the data stored there. As a result, nothing may be displayed when you start the computer. A computer technician would need to fix this.

So, software attacks software!!!!

[DocPC]

We shall see........I would wait on other comments.

[TripleRLtd]

We shall see........I would wait on other comments.

But I won't...
...just admit it.
Is it so hard???

[jaeger]

Hmm, software can't physically kill hardware? Seem to remember a slight screwup a while ago where a certain Nvidia driver set neglected to turn a gpu fan up during 3D screensavers, resulting in the odd dead card. Course, you have an out from any perspective, since the only way to run any computer is via some form of code. Nevertheless, software coding mistakes can kill hardware. Ya might wanna be a bit more respectful of DocPC. He may stink like infected arse, but he does know his business.

[darkhorse]

Certain LG models that receive the 'flush cache' command understand this to be a 'firmware update' command. And if the data flowing is not that of the firmware...

[TripleRLtd]

Ah, so again, as jaeger puts it, some type of coding.
It's almost like "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you".
Remember that one?
Well, what if the words indirectly cause a heart attack?
PS,
As for Doc, I was just returning a favor.

[TripleRLtd]

Seem to remember a slight screwup a while ago where a certain Nvidia driver set neglected to turn a gpu fan up during 3D screensavers, resulting in the odd dead card. Course, you have an out from any perspective, since the only way to run any computer is via some form of code. Nevertheless, software coding mistakes can kill hardware. .

I assume you mean turn the speed of the gpu fan up, but the fan was still working? And, the card died? Many manufacturers of Nvidia cards only use heat sinks, so would that be why this card you refer to died?

[DocPC]

But I won't...
...just admit it.
Is it so hard???

It may be or may not mean anything, but I have on my desk a NEW 6.4GB laptop drive that was hit by Chernobyl years ago. There is nothing physically wrong with it, it just won't work.

Also I have an old MB that was hit by the same virus. Hot-swapped the bios, etc. Still will not work.

Are they physically damaged or is it something else?

I have tinkered with these 2 parts for years.......never could get them to work again.

[TripleRLtd]

It may be or may not mean anything, but I have on my desk a NEW 6.4GB laptop drive that was hit by Chernobyl years ago. There is nothing physically wrong with it, it just won't work.

Also I have an old MB that was hit by the same virus. Hot-swapped the bios, etc. Still will not work.

Are they physically damaged or is it something else?

I have tinkered with these 2 parts for years.......never could get them to work again.

That is interesting.
Personally, as well as thankfully, I never came upon Chernobyl with any of my customers.
With the dirive, can you not do a "factory" low-level format and then rewrite to it?
With the board, perhaps Ruslan could get in on this, but did you replace it with a compatable flash rom?

[DocPC]

That is interesting.
Personally, as well as thankfully, I never came upon Chernobyl with any of my customers.
With the dirive, can you not do a "factory" low-level format and then rewrite to it?
With the board, perhaps Ruslan could get in on this, but did you replace it with a compatable flash rom?

The drive was low-level formatted, checked sector-by sector, fdisked, etc.....keep in mind I have been messing with it for years. I think at one time I even sent it back to IBM with the response that it was not salvageable from the virus having damaged it, therefore no RMA.

As for the board, it is no longer worth anything....takes a max PII450. It's just a matter of tinkering now.

I replaced the the BIOS with 2 known working chips by hot-swapping them. The BIOS chips will work fine in other boards after I remove them from the "Chernobyl" one, but not in it.

[TripleRLtd]

The drive was low-level formatted, checked sector-by sector, fdisked, etc.....keep in mind I have been messing with it for years. I think at one time I even sent it back to IBM with the response that it was not salvageable from the virus having damaged it, therefore no RMA.

As for the board, it is no longer worth anything....takes a max PII450. It's just a matter of tinkering now.

I replaced the the BIOS with 2 known working chips by hot-swapping them. The BIOS chips will work fine in other boards after I remove them from the "Chernobyl" one, but not in it.

Well then, perhaps I AM wrong and deserve one of these:
The confluence of hardware and software and the various dependencies is getting scarier by the day.

[imagoon]

Certain LG models that receive the 'flush cache' command understand this to be a 'firmware update' command. And if the data flowing is not that of the firmware...

If that is the issue then they should be shidded for making non standard hardware, or not following the standard to a tee.

~Chris