Hi,
I have a Micron Laptop whose bios can only recognize a Samsung CD-ROM
drive that it came with originally. I installed Win XP using the
Samsun CD-ROM drive and then upgraded to a Samsund DVD-CDRW combo
drivce. It worked fine. When I wnated to reinstall Win XP it didn't
boot off the XP cd, the bios didn't recognize the DVD-CDRW drive.
This problem happened before and I was able to install XP with the
original Samsung CD-ROM drive, but I don't have that particluar CD-
ROM drive anymore. I tried with two other CD-ROM drives that I have,
but the same problem occurs. When the laptop powers up, the DVD-
CDRW drive lights up and make some spinning sound but does not
catch on and the screen says "remove disks or other media and press
an

http://support.mpccorp.com/>See if there is a bios upgrade for your problem.I only recommend bios upgrade as a last resort to someone who is familiar with the process.Usually when you enter you notebook serial number at the site it will take you to all available downloads.First read what the upgrade fixes or adds support for in your case.If it does not mention cd rom,dvd,cdrw,ect..then don't even try it.They may have a simple support for you problem at the site.

Some systems are priority to their original software that is another thing to consider.Maybe it did not originally come with windows xp.Then perhaps you would need to install original software and do a windows xp upgrade with your xp disk.

I do have the latest bios. The bios seesm to recognize only the original Samsung CD-ROM. After I Install XP using the Samsung CD-ROM I can replace the CD-ROM with anything. Win XP recognizes any CD/DVD drive, even though the bios doesn't (The secondary master is shown as "none" during startuo in bios. Since the problem is at the bios level it cannot be an XP issue. In fact I
was trying to install XP in a blank Hard Drive. So
I don't see how XP can be an issue here as someone
suggested. My gut feeling is that it may be a master slave configuration problem, and maybe only the original Samsung CD-ROM drive is configured correctly for this bios. I am not sure though. And I have no idea how to configure master slave configuartions for laptop drives.

Thanks

Did you check for an option in the BIOS to enable the Secondary controller?

The bios does not have an option to "enable"
secondary "controller". All it has is an option to set teh secondary master to "auto/CD-ROM/IDE Removable/Atapi Removable.." I set it to all possible values. Nothing worked, it automatically resets to "None" and does not see the Cd-ROM (at least not let me boot off the CD in it, although I see the light on the drive light up). Still at a loss.

Then you appear to have accidentally jarred something loose memory maybe,you have a bad ide ribbon cable,or weak powersupply,or cpu.I have not found anywhere in searching where you laptop would not be compatable with the new hardware.Sorry, Best of Luck photon.Hope someone else has the fix fou you.

Street1, before you give up I just want to make sure you understood my problem. If there was any loose connections or some hardwire problem the CD-ROM would not work at all, but as I said the CD-ROM (actually DVD-CDRW, but I will refer to it as CD=ROM) works fine once windows XP is running, Windows XP drivers do recognize the drive and the drive works (plays DVD, burns CD). Its just that the bios doesn't. Without the bios recognizing it, I cannot install XP (reinstall over the existing
HD, or fresh install on a new one, which is what
I am trying to do). I am stuck with the HD I have. I cannot upgrade to a different HD or reinstall XP on the existing HD. Thats the problem. Thanks for trying to help.

Do you have a 3.5 floppy drive or only cd-rom?What is your model number of laptop?

Unfortunately my laptop does not have a Floppy drive, just the cd-rom. It is a Micron LT laptop, PIII 650MHZ. Thanks

The model number is Micron Transport LT. Sorry I missed the "Transport". Thanks

Check your E-mail

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=906&sku=17705

I sent an e-mail to photon ends up his samsung cd-rom was priority to his laptop.The bios looks for the installed driver for the samsung cd-rom.Response 12 is a link to> LAPTOP to IDE HARD DRIVE ADAPTER.This is the only workaround we could come up with.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302577&sd=tech>photon.If you use workaround for your problem in response 12,go to this site and think about using sysprep.Best of Luck, Robert