Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, I believe that's correct. When I went
to the Asus site I found 2 methods, one seemingly quite complicated,
the other using ASUS EZ Flash. Well the second one seems easier so I
followed the instructions:-

"1. Download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS Website. Save the file
to a floppy disk."

Okay, I downloaded UltraWinDrvB29.zip. When unzipped I find 3 files in
the XP folder

Ultra.inf, Ultra.sys & Ultra.cat

Which of these is the file that has to be copied to a floppy disk?

Four days ago I asked Asus support this seemingly simple question. So
far all I've heard from them is an acknowledgement saying that I'll
get a response in 48 hours. Hmmm! Time moves slowler in Taiwan?

I know it's an old board, but the machine does everything I need so
I'm reluctant to scrap it and get into the expense of new memory etc.
Any suggestions and help greatly appreciated since I've never done
this before?

David

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

David,

Those are not the correct files; they are driver files. The latest non-Beta
BIOS is:

http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/m [...] VU1009.zip

The unzipped file is AVU1009.awd.

Regards,

Bob Knowlden

Address may be scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"David" <rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote in message
news:ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com...
>I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, I believe that's correct. When I went
> to the Asus site I found 2 methods, one seemingly quite complicated,
> the other using ASUS EZ Flash. Well the second one seems easier so I
> followed the instructions:-
>
> "1. Download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS Website. Save the file
> to a floppy disk."
>
> Okay, I downloaded UltraWinDrvB29.zip. When unzipped I find 3 files in
> the XP folder
>
> Ultra.inf, Ultra.sys & Ultra.cat
>
> Which of these is the file that has to be copied to a floppy disk?
>
> Four days ago I asked Asus support this seemingly simple question. So
> far all I've heard from them is an acknowledgement saying that I'll
> get a response in 48 hours. Hmmm! Time moves slowler in Taiwan?
>
> I know it's an old board, but the machine does everything I need so
> I'm reluctant to scrap it and get into the expense of new memory etc.
> Any suggestions and help greatly appreciated since I've never done
> this before?
>
> David

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

In article <ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com>, David
<rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:

> I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, I believe that's correct. When I went
> to the Asus site I found 2 methods, one seemingly quite complicated,
> the other using ASUS EZ Flash. Well the second one seems easier so I
> followed the instructions:-
>
> "1. Download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS Website. Save the file
> to a floppy disk."
>
> Okay, I downloaded UltraWinDrvB29.zip. When unzipped I find 3 files in
> the XP folder
>
> Ultra.inf, Ultra.sys & Ultra.cat
>
> Which of these is the file that has to be copied to a floppy disk?
>
> Four days ago I asked Asus support this seemingly simple question. So
> far all I've heard from them is an acknowledgement saying that I'll
> get a response in 48 hours. Hmmm! Time moves slowler in Taiwan?
>
> I know it's an old board, but the machine does everything I need so
> I'm reluctant to scrap it and get into the expense of new memory etc.
> Any suggestions and help greatly appreciated since I've never done
> this before?
>
> David

First of all, step away from the keyboard :-)

The file you've downloaded is not a BIOS file. So don't do
anything you'll regret later. There are in fact, certain
BIOS from-to combinations that you have to be very careful
with. There is no need to rush the BIOS upgrade process,
no matter how much Microsoft support wants you to trash
your motherboard.

The www.a7vtroubleshooting.com site has some warnings for
various A7Vxxx models of motherboards. The same information
is on the Asus site, but it is harder to piece together.

I think it would be better if you described what is happening
to your SP2 update. And perhaps try to explain the thinking
of the Microsoft support people, as to why a BIOS upgrade is
necessary. On SP2, there were problems with boards having a
Prescott and needing a microcode update, but that doesn't apply
to your AMD board.

And give us a few minutes to research how risky the BIOS
upgrade will be...

http://www.a7vtroubleshooting.com/ [...] ex.htm#133

Paul

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:07:56 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:

>In article <ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com>, David
><rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:
>
>> I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
>> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
>> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, Ipreciated since I've never done
>> this before?
>
>First of all, step away from the keyboard :-)
>
>The file you've downloaded is not a BIOS file. So don't do
>anything you'll regret later
>I think it would be better if you described what is happening
>to your SP2 update.

Thank you both very much for the words of warning. I'll look at the
links and see if I can make sense of it all.

I still have 2 problems, both started after updating with SP2.

1. My DVD burners are not recognized as burners, only CD ROM's. The
drives are Memorex DVD+/- Dual X1 and Sony DVD RW DW022a
When I try to burn anything, CD or DVD, I get the same warning:

"K:\ (or J:\) is not accessible
Incorrect function."

The only option is OK. In Device Manager for both drives it says "This
device is working correctly."

2. I sometimes cannot install software, although this problem didn't
materialize until some later date than the DVD problem. In other words
I was able to install some software before this happened. None of the
software was anything less than "main stream," (Photoshop V7, Premier
6, Eudora 6, Forte Agent 2.0, MS Word & CA Antivirus & Adaware spyware
etc) Now when I try to install anything I get the first window as the
program "unpacks" itself (sorry for the terminology) then up comes,
Windows Installer "Preparing to Install" The system hangs for maybe 2
minutes then a Windows Installer warning:

"The Windows installer service could not be accessed. This can
occur if you are running Windows in Safe Mode, or if the Windows
Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel
for assistance"

This all started way back in January and at that time MS suppport said
it would be solved by getting an XP installation disk updated with SP2
which they said they would send. A couple of weeks later, before it
arrived, I left the country for 5 months. I don't know what happened
to the CD but have only just received a copy yesterday. MS support
said it would have been better if I had done a clean install of XP
before adding SP2. However this is exactly what I did so the next
suggestion was that probably I needed the BIOS update.

One other problem has manifested itself just recently, I get a warning
when I try to defrag drive E.

"Defragmentation of E: has been cancelled due to inconsistencies that
were detected in the file system. Please run CHKDSK on E: to repair
these inconsistencies then run Diskeeper again."

I have tried to run CHKDSK with and without switches, nothing happens.
I'd very much like to sort out the mess before re-installing
everything.

David

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

"David" <rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote in message
news:0nc0e1hcgu0pstq2ltvu4gf17nb4jsfpm7@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:07:56 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>
>>In article <ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com>, David
>><rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
>>> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
>>> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, Ipreciated since I've never done
>>> this before?
>>
>>First of all, step away from the keyboard :-)
>>
>>The file you've downloaded is not a BIOS file. So don't do
>>anything you'll regret later
>>I think it would be better if you described what is happening
>>to your SP2 update.
>
> Thank you both very much for the words of warning. I'll look at the
> links and see if I can make sense of it all.
>
> I still have 2 problems, both started after updating with SP2.
>
> 1. My DVD burners are not recognized as burners, only CD ROM's. The
> drives are Memorex DVD+/- Dual X1 and Sony DVD RW DW022a
> When I try to burn anything, CD or DVD, I get the same warning:
>
> "K:\ (or J:\) is not accessible
> Incorrect function."
>
> The only option is OK. In Device Manager for both drives it says "This
> device is working correctly."
>
> 2. I sometimes cannot install software, although this problem didn't
> materialize until some later date than the DVD problem. In other words
> I was able to install some software before this happened. None of the
> software was anything less than "main stream," (Photoshop V7, Premier
> 6, Eudora 6, Forte Agent 2.0, MS Word & CA Antivirus & Adaware spyware
> etc) Now when I try to install anything I get the first window as the
> program "unpacks" itself (sorry for the terminology) then up comes,
> Windows Installer "Preparing to Install" The system hangs for maybe 2
> minutes then a Windows Installer warning:
>
> "The Windows installer service could not be accessed. This can
> occur if you are running Windows in Safe Mode, or if the Windows
> Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel
> for assistance"
>
> This all started way back in January and at that time MS suppport said
> it would be solved by getting an XP installation disk updated with SP2
> which they said they would send. A couple of weeks later, before it
> arrived, I left the country for 5 months. I don't know what happened
> to the CD but have only just received a copy yesterday. MS support
> said it would have been better if I had done a clean install of XP
> before adding SP2. However this is exactly what I did so the next
> suggestion was that probably I needed the BIOS update.
>
> One other problem has manifested itself just recently, I get a warning
> when I try to defrag drive E.
>
> "Defragmentation of E: has been cancelled due to inconsistencies that
> were detected in the file system. Please run CHKDSK on E: to repair
> these inconsistencies then run Diskeeper again."
>
> I have tried to run CHKDSK with and without switches, nothing happens.
> I'd very much like to sort out the mess before re-installing
> everything.
>
> David

Is there any chance that you could wipe the HDD and start all over? This
really doesn't seem like a BIOS issue to me.

--
Bob Horton

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 01:01:21 GMT, "Bob Horton"
<no_re_horton_jr_maps@hotmail.com> wrote:

>"David" <rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote in message
>news:0nc0e1hcgu0pstq2ltvu4gf17nb4jsfpm7@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:07:56 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>>
>>>In article <ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com>, David
>>><rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
>>>> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
>>>> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, Ipreciated since I've never done
>>>> this before?
>>>
>>>First of all, step away from the keyboard :-)
>>>
>>>The file you've downloaded is not a BIOS file. So don't do
>>>anything you'll regret later
>>>I think it would be better if you described what is happening
>>>to your SP2 update.
>>
>> Thank you both very much for the words of warning. I'll look at the
>> links and see if I can make sense of it all.
>>
>> I still have 2 problems, both started after updating with SP2.
>>
>> 1. My DVD burners are not recognized as burners, only CD ROM's. The
>> drives are Memorex DVD+/- Dual X1 and Sony DVD RW DW022a
>> When I try to burn anything, CD or DVD, I get the same warning:
>>
>> "K:\ (or J:\) is not accessible
>> Incorrect function."
>>
>> The only option is OK. In Device Manager for both drives it says "This
>> device is working correctly."
>>
>> 2. I sometimes cannot install software, although this problem didn't
>> materialize until some later date than the DVD problem. In other words
>> I was able to install some software before this happened. None of the
>> software was anything less than "main stream," (Photoshop V7, Premier
>> 6, Eudora 6, Forte Agent 2.0, MS Word & CA Antivirus & Adaware spyware
>> etc) Now when I try to install anything I get the first window as the
>> program "unpacks" itself (sorry for the terminology) then up comes,
>> Windows Installer "Preparing to Install" The system hangs for maybe 2
>> minutes then a Windows Installer warning:
>>
>> "The Windows installer service could not be accessed. This can
>> occur if you are running Windows in Safe Mode, or if the Windows
>> Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel
>> for assistance"
>>
>> This all started way back in January and at that time MS suppport said
>> it would be solved by getting an XP installation disk updated with SP2
>> which they said they would send. A couple of weeks later, before it
>> arrived, I left the country for 5 months. I don't know what happened
>> to the CD but have only just received a copy yesterday. MS support
>> said it would have been better if I had done a clean install of XP
>> before adding SP2. However this is exactly what I did so the next
>> suggestion was that probably I needed the BIOS update.
>>
>> One other problem has manifested itself just recently, I get a warning
>> when I try to defrag drive E.
>>
>> "Defragmentation of E: has been cancelled due to inconsistencies that
>> were detected in the file system. Please run CHKDSK on E: to repair
>> these inconsistencies then run Diskeeper again."
>>
>> I have tried to run CHKDSK with and without switches, nothing happens.
>> I'd very much like to sort out the mess before re-installing
>> everything.
>>
>> David
>
>Is there any chance that you could wipe the HDD and start all over? This
>really doesn't seem like a BIOS issue to me.

Yes, I now have the XP+SP2 CD, and I would have done a format by now
except that MS support threw in that bit about the BIOS. At worst
it'll only be some hours wasted, and who can tell, it might even work!

Thanks,

David

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Have you seen this MS Link?
http://support.microsoft.com/defau [...] -us;316529

Nero Info tool also gives insight to your CD/DVD
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/neroinfo.html .. it's free


"David" <rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote in message
news:0nc0e1hcgu0pstq2ltvu4gf17nb4jsfpm7@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:07:56 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>
>>In article <ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com>, David
>><rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
>>> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
>>> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, Ipreciated since I've never done
>>> this before?
>>
>>First of all, step away from the keyboard :-)
>>
>>The file you've downloaded is not a BIOS file. So don't do
>>anything you'll regret later
>>I think it would be better if you described what is happening
>>to your SP2 update.
>
> Thank you both very much for the words of warning. I'll look at the
> links and see if I can make sense of it all.
>
> I still have 2 problems, both started after updating with SP2.
>
> 1. My DVD burners are not recognized as burners, only CD ROM's. The
> drives are Memorex DVD+/- Dual X1 and Sony DVD RW DW022a
> When I try to burn anything, CD or DVD, I get the same warning:
>
> "K:\ (or J:\) is not accessible
> Incorrect function."
>
> The only option is OK. In Device Manager for both drives it says "This
> device is working correctly."
>
> 2. I sometimes cannot install software, although this problem didn't
> materialize until some later date than the DVD problem. In other words
> I was able to install some software before this happened. None of the
> software was anything less than "main stream," (Photoshop V7, Premier
> 6, Eudora 6, Forte Agent 2.0, MS Word & CA Antivirus & Adaware spyware
> etc) Now when I try to install anything I get the first window as the
> program "unpacks" itself (sorry for the terminology) then up comes,
> Windows Installer "Preparing to Install" The system hangs for maybe 2
> minutes then a Windows Installer warning:
>
> "The Windows installer service could not be accessed. This can
> occur if you are running Windows in Safe Mode, or if the Windows
> Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel
> for assistance"
>
> This all started way back in January and at that time MS suppport said
> it would be solved by getting an XP installation disk updated with SP2
> which they said they would send. A couple of weeks later, before it
> arrived, I left the country for 5 months. I don't know what happened
> to the CD but have only just received a copy yesterday. MS support
> said it would have been better if I had done a clean install of XP
> before adding SP2. However this is exactly what I did so the next
> suggestion was that probably I needed the BIOS update.
>
> One other problem has manifested itself just recently, I get a warning
> when I try to defrag drive E.
>
> "Defragmentation of E: has been cancelled due to inconsistencies that
> were detected in the file system. Please run CHKDSK on E: to repair
> these inconsistencies then run Diskeeper again."
>
> I have tried to run CHKDSK with and without switches, nothing happens.
> I'd very much like to sort out the mess before re-installing
> everything.
>
> David

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

In article <0nc0e1hcgu0pstq2ltvu4gf17nb4jsfpm7@4ax.com>, David
<rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:

> On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:07:56 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>
> >In article <ms30e1lgbolnh2umsnt3727ebdbrhf3nti@4ax.com>, David
> ><rhinds_no_spam_@cwnet.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I had all sorts of problems after "Updating" XP Home with SP2. Now MS
> >> support suggest that I should update the BIOS on an Asus A7V-133. The
> >> BIOS version is Award Rev 1007, Ipreciated since I've never done
> >> this before?
> >
> >First of all, step away from the keyboard :-)
> >
> >The file you've downloaded is not a BIOS file. So don't do
> >anything you'll regret later
> >I think it would be better if you described what is happening
> >to your SP2 update.
>
> Thank you both very much for the words of warning. I'll look at the
> links and see if I can make sense of it all.
>
> I still have 2 problems, both started after updating with SP2.
>
> 1. My DVD burners are not recognized as burners, only CD ROM's. The
> drives are Memorex DVD+/- Dual X1 and Sony DVD RW DW022a
> When I try to burn anything, CD or DVD, I get the same warning:
>
> "K:\ (or J:\) is not accessible
> Incorrect function."
>
> The only option is OK. In Device Manager for both drives it says "This
> device is working correctly."
>
> 2. I sometimes cannot install software, although this problem didn't
> materialize until some later date than the DVD problem. In other words
> I was able to install some software before this happened. None of the
> software was anything less than "main stream," (Photoshop V7, Premier
> 6, Eudora 6, Forte Agent 2.0, MS Word & CA Antivirus & Adaware spyware
> etc) Now when I try to install anything I get the first window as the
> program "unpacks" itself (sorry for the terminology) then up comes,
> Windows Installer "Preparing to Install" The system hangs for maybe 2
> minutes then a Windows Installer warning:
>
> "The Windows installer service could not be accessed. This can
> occur if you are running Windows in Safe Mode, or if the Windows
> Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel
> for assistance"
>
> This all started way back in January and at that time MS suppport said
> it would be solved by getting an XP installation disk updated with SP2
> which they said they would send. A couple of weeks later, before it
> arrived, I left the country for 5 months. I don't know what happened
> to the CD but have only just received a copy yesterday. MS support
> said it would have been better if I had done a clean install of XP
> before adding SP2. However this is exactly what I did so the next
> suggestion was that probably I needed the BIOS update.
>
> One other problem has manifested itself just recently, I get a warning
> when I try to defrag drive E.
>
> "Defragmentation of E: has been cancelled due to inconsistencies that
> were detected in the file system. Please run CHKDSK on E: to repair
> these inconsistencies then run Diskeeper again."
>
> I have tried to run CHKDSK with and without switches, nothing happens.
> I'd very much like to sort out the mess before re-installing
> everything.
>
> David

In your "main stream" list, you mention CA Antivirus & Adaware spyware.
Now, I'm a hardware guy, but my intuition says any program with the
word "antivirus" in it, meddles at low levels in the OS. Antivirus
software can intercept calls, screen certain activities, and
generally mess things up. To me, that would be one area to
explore (i.e. go to CA website, if they have a knowledgebase,
see if there are any entries with respect to XP SP2).

Another area of concern, is the tool sets people use with burners.
I've only owned a DVD burner for a week (it was a gift for a family
member, and I "tuned" it up, by buying and testing media, until
I found a brand that worked and had a low error rate at the media
level). That gave me an opportunity to see how invasive some of
the tools can be. Any time a burner package installs its own
drivers, there is a possibility they will interfere with the
OS. Here is a post extracted at random from Google.

http://groups.google.ca/group/micr [...] dvd+burner

Have a look in Device Manager, at your DVD drives. See what driver
files are listed against them. Look for anything that belongs to
the burner tools, as being a suspect. For a forum that deals
in burner issues, try here - I did extensive reading here about
the drive I bought, and about tool issues:

http://club.cdfreaks.com/

As for the motherboard, you can get a manual for your board here:

http://www.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/so [...] 33-105.pdf

The Aflash program, and a DOS boot floppy, is one method for
updating your BIOS. It is less risky than using Asus Update, as
there is less that can interfere with a successful flash.
(Especially, considering that currently your OS is compromised
somehow, using Asus Update might not be a wise idea.) On
my older motherboards, I like to use tools from the era of
the release of the motherboard, so a copy of Aflash from your
motherboard CD would be one source of the Aflash program.

If you no longer have the motherboard CD, this is the
currently listed Aflash version on the download page:
http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/m [...] ash221.zip

The A7Vtroubleshooting page has some advice at the bottom
of the BIOS page. You can use that to get some help with
preparing your DOS boot floppy plus flash tool and BIOS
file.

But, personally, I wouldn't reach for the BIOS upgrade
tools, unless I could somehow prove that the BIOS was responsible
for the problems. You potentially have enough intrusive
applications, for that to be the problem instead.

If you have a spare hard drive, you could try doing a test
install on there. Put your WinXP SP2 on there, install the
DVD support tools, then test and see what happens. If things
are working, have a careful look in Device Manager, see what
driver files, like atapi.sys, aspi.sys and the like, are being
used for storage devices. Perhaps by comparing a clean install
on a spare disk, to your current install, you'll see some
important differences.

While you could try a "repair install", using a WinXP SP2
version of installer disk, I don't know what happens when
driver files from intrusive tools meet with the files from
the installer. Presumably, nothing gets cleaned up, and
problems could persist. I don't know, cause I'm just a
hardware guy :-)

Paul

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Bob Knowlden wrote:
> David,
>
> Those are not the correct files; they are driver files. The latest
> non-Beta BIOS is:
>
> http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/m [...] VU1009.zip
>
> The unzipped file is AVU1009.awd.

Generally, for old motherboards, when Asus officially has stopped support,
they will often supply new bioses. They label them as "beta" due to the fact
that they do not officially support the board. The latest beta for old
boards, especially if it has been posted for a while, can be regarded as
perfectly safe, so there is no reason to recommend staying away from them.
Flash latest beta for old boards.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Egil Solberg wrote:

Generally, for old motherboards, when Asus officially has stopped
> support, they will often supply new bioses. They label them as "beta"
> due to the fact that they do not officially support the board. The
> latest beta for old boards, especially if it has been posted for a
> while, can be regarded as perfectly safe, so there is no reason to
> recommend staying away from them. Flash latest beta for old boards.

And that is the 1010.01b that adds support for large harddisks.

ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/ [...] 3A/A7V133/

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:50:06 -0700, "Wookie" <Tom@comcast.net> wrote:

>Have you seen this MS Link?
>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316529
>
>Nero Info tool also gives insight to your CD/DVD
>http://www.snapfiles.com/get/neroinfo.html .. it's free
>
>
Yes, I saw that article, but since it only refers to CD burners I
didn't change that registry entry.

Tried out the Nero Info tool. Everything is shown as I'd expect, both
drives as burners.

And Paul, thanks for your extensive input. The drivers are MS, and
searching the MS site comes up with no later versions of them. Will
plough through your suggestions. It does seem to me that any programs
with many installed copies in use every day, like AdAware & CA
antivirus would have produced a considerable amount of squawking by
now if they were conflicting with SP2.

I'll work through all suggestions, I do have a new, spare 160Gig drive
so I can try a clean install on that and see how it turns out.

Thanks,

David

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

David wrote:

> I'll work through all suggestions, I do have a new, spare 160Gig drive
> so I can try a clean install on that and see how it turns out.

If you're going to use that drive on the a7v133, it's smart to update bios
first.