Burner firmware update questions?

[tigerb]

What is the probability that the burner will be OK by updating to the latest firmware officially released by the manufacturer?

My burner has been doing great with stock firmware except when using Maxell-R 8X discs (only this particular brand/type), when using this particular Maxell disc, 30-40% of the time the disc would not close/finalize upon completion and sometimes even after successful burn, the disc could not be read by the burner! All my other brand/type of discs are OK.

Would updating my stock firmware BY01 to BYX3/BYX4 MIGHT possibly solve my Maxell discs problems?

Do you always update your firmware to the latest one? Thanks for your help/feedback in advance.

[guns1inger]

Updating firmware always carries a risk of killing your burner. A small glitch, power spike, possum on the roof could result in a completely screwed piece of kit.

That said, sometime an update is the only ay to fix a problem. Before jumping in willy-nilly, read through the release document for the update and make sure your problem is covered. If it is a well known problem, and has multiple references in a support forum somewhere, then there is a good chance it will be.

Unlike drivers which can be pretty easily rolled back is something goes wrong, you should only update to fix a specific problem, or to open up new or better functionality that you require. Usually, however, to get this you will be using unofficial firmware, which then opens up warranty issues etc.

So - read the release notes. If the fix is there, go for. If you haven't updated before, or for several generations, go back and check all the release notes. Updates are cumulative, so something released two versions ago will still be in this one.

[winifreid]

Tiger, I have flashed my firmware back and forth comparing different versions and strategies countless times, the likelihood of a problem is almost nil, and in almost all cases can be fixed anyway. Don't worry. Most updates are to add new media codes and improve write strategies for old ones. Since the sony you have is really a lite-on, you can use the code guys omnipatcher and hacked firmware. Look here
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=97590
Depending on which Maxell you have, you might try lowering the write speed; I have to burn at 2.4 to get great burns with mine. I can burn TY at 8x. There might be a write strategy swap you can use to get better burns. Check at CDfreaks to see if anyone has had similar experience.

[tigerb]

Thanks guns1inger and winifreid for your help/feedback/link.

I updated my firmware, so far so good and I no longer have any problems with Maxell discs. Great OmniPatcher link, winifreid, thanks (I will have another tool on standby to FIX my burner in the future if needed!)