Hi, I'm new to the forum, and completely over my head as far as firmware stuff goes. (Which is how I got into such a mess.)

I'm running Windows XP on a Packard Bell EasyNote B3800, with an NEC ND-6500A drive. The other day I began investigating ways to remove the region from my dvd drive, thinking it would be simple... I was wrong. Long story short, the firmware on the drive is now 2.23, downgraded from 4.60. I did not backup the original firmware, becuase I was not using binflash at the time, and I didn't understand the risks. The 2.23 firmware means that the drive works very slowly, and slows down the entire computer when burning or ripping.

I've tried so many different things (including Binflash with the 4.60 firmware Emperor posted), but nothing works. The flash stops and gives one of two errors: 'Mixing master and slave firmware!', or 'drive was not detected properly'.

I don't care about the region anymore, I just want my drive working again! Please help.

Yours, FS.

How about the following flasher? It is for 65xx in DOS. Maybe the binflash is the problem.

http://herrie.rpc1.org/downloads/6x00/NEC6xx00A.ZIP

(in reply to Furbystein)

Check also below:

http://tdb.rpc1.org/

(in reply to Antonio)

How do I use the DOS flashers? More importantly, how the hell do I get into DOS on this Packard Bell laptop? (It has a modified boot screen that doesn't give the option.)

(in reply to Antonio)

[Deleted by Admins]

(in reply to Furbystein)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Antonio

How about the following flasher? It is for 65xx in DOS. Maybe the binflash is the problem.

http://herrie.rpc1.org/downloads/6x00/NEC6xx00A.ZIP

That link is dead, where else can I find it? (I have no idea wether any of the other ones on that site will work.)

***Have made boot disk.

(in reply to Antonio)

This seems to work:

http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_file.php?site=tdb1&file=NEC6X00A.ZIP

You may want to get the original firmware from below:

http://tdb.rpc1.org/

"...
NEC ND-6500A
Currently supplied as binaries suitable for flashing in DOS. The package includes original stock firmware, RPC1 with Rip Lock, and Rip Lock only. The patched version include the 6100 @ 6500 patch. 2.22, 2.23, 2.40 (Fuji-Siemens), and 203D (DELL)
..."

Sorry if this won't also help you. I am just trying to lead you to the correct websites with the appropriate infos.

(in reply to Furbystein)

When I click that it comes up with this:

" phpBB : Critical Error

Could not connect to the database"

This is really starting to annoy me.

(in reply to Antonio)

quote:

ORIGINAL: emperor

NEC ND-6500A (Only for 4.xx Firmware Revisions)

Many ND-6500A drives come with 4.xx firmware installed. All those drives have REVERSED ATA and all the 2.xx firmwares WON"T WORK! In order to convert a 4.xx to 2.xx you need to hardware mod your drive!

Special Package

* 6500Boot.zip (Needed to flash 6500 drives to reversed-ATA, needed with specific laptops)

Released Firmwares
* 460.bin (rather old firmware, contains two different dated files)
* 424.bin (the latest firmware as released from NEC)

^^ This is the firmware I need. It's what was originally on the drive. BUT when I try to Binflash it it says I'm mixing master/slave firmware. How do I find out wether it's slave or master? Which one is this firmware for? And how do I change slave/master settings (with the stupid Packard Bell bios)?

(in reply to Furbystein)

There is no jumber setting for a notebook drive.

(in reply to Furbystein)

This kind of problem must have happened before.

On Binflash it says I can ask for a custom flash. Should I email the Binflash guys?

(in reply to Antonio)

http://liggydee.cdfreaks.com have a large database of NEC firmware

(in reply to Furbystein)