95% fact-free newbie can't even discover firmware version

[distendo]

I wasn't really too interested in firmware, as my Sony DW-U12a was burning Be-All disks very well (I chose them for their claimed life-expectancy i.e. 100 years). Then my supplier ran out, and I was thinking of buying some unbranded Ritek DV 341, but they seem to need a 4x burn.

Nero offers me a choice of 3.1x (4,278kb/s) or 2.6x (3,588kb/s), and I don't know how that matches.

So I starts looking around, on the basis that this is the OEM version of the DRU-510a, and downloaded a couple of firmware updates: PK-000211-02 (the 2.0c ?) & 4242fb12c (1.2c). Out of curiosity (expecting an option window to pop up) I d/clicked the first one, but there were a lot of ????? on the window, so closed it! I can't even figure out whether the 2.0c is more recent than the 1.2c...

It then occurred to me I don't even know how to check the firmware version of the drive. It seems such an elementary thing to everyone else I couldn't find a 'how to' guide anywhere...

Any comments on discovering firmware versions, firmware upgrading, or (archival-quality) DVD-R media, most welcome!

Thanks.

[mkelley]

I have to tell you, your topic cracked me up (this early morning). Couldn't resist reading.

Okay, upgrades are numbered as you would expect -- 2.x is always greater than 1.x, so even 2.0 is better than 1.9. The letter on the end is (I guess) Sony's further definition of the process, but it also proceeds as you might think: 1.2d would be a later upgrade than 1.2c. Got it?

Here's the Sony site where you can always find the latest Sony drivers for your drive:

http://sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/downloads.htm

Looks for sure like 1.0c is the latest driver for you -- and when I installed my drivers for my Sony (the 500) it checked my drive and told me the version, so I would at least go ahead and try installing this driver (following the instructions -- make sure you turn off DMA before you do it) and see what happens.

As to finding your current driver -- this is (usually) pretty easy. Go to explorer and right click on that drive. You should see a properties tab, and that tab should tell you (somewhere) what driver you're using. I'm not at a machine that I can test this out on, but if you still can't find it right again (or someone here will jump in and correct me).

[SLICK RICK]

Or you could download DVDInfo from the tools section for free. It not only gives information about the media in your DVD burner but it can also give you info about the drive.

GOOD LUCK,

SLICK RICK

[distendo]

That DVDInfo's a good recommendation, thak you, Slick!

Turns out the firmware's v1.2c. So it looks like my drive's up to date.

Thanks too to mkelley. Glad the subj got you - that was the intention! It always seems to me to be rather cheap to just write "Help me with this", and I like to try and pay the piper a penny up front...

The 5% of me that's up to speed on matters PC found this page somewhat confusing when it comes to firmware versions: http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_firmware.php?download_id=1518
where it lists revisions thusly:
"Sony DW-U12A - 2.0b, 2.0c, 2.0c - 030515 NEW! / 1.2c NEW!"
and wondered if Sony were just bucking the trend...

Which just leaves me wondering (for now) about Nero's choices between 3.1x (4,278kb/s) or 2.6x (3,588kb/s), and how that matches 2x or 4x required by some media... It doesn't seem to offer any further adjustment to these settings.

Thanks again for replying!