On Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 11:43 AM, Scott Silva <ssilva at sgvwater.com> wrote: > on 7-28-2008 6:26 PM Lanny Marcus spake the following: <snip> >>>> >>>> Mark: Try that! On my Desktop, it gives me the SN for the HD (hda), >>>> but the space for >>>> SN is blank, for hdc (DVD reader) and hdd (CD-RW). . If you are lucky, >>>> on your box, it will give you the SN for the DVD >>>> burner. Lanny >>> >>> I don't think most optical drive manufacturers embed serial numbers in >>> their >>> drives. Hard drives are different, as their testing process lets them >>> change >>> something like a serial number, but an optical drive would require a >>> custom >>> firmware to be created and then loaded to the drive. That would slow the >>> process. >> >> That probably explains why when I tried it, there were no serial numbers >> for my >> opticlal drives. I always see an SN for a HD, when running diagnostics on >> them. >> Sounds like Mark is going to need to pull the bad DVD burner anyway, so >> when he >> does, he can read the SN on the label and get an RMA for it. > > I would have tried also, because now the system needs to come apart twice > unless you just buy a new one and let the replacement be a spare. Mark: Scott has the right plan for you. Buy a new drive and install it, when you take out the defective one. Send the defective drive in on an RMA and they will probably replace it with a remanufactured drive and you keep that one available as a spare or install it in another box.. If your box is like 3 of ours, it is a PITA to R&R a 5.25" drive. We have 2 Dell Dimensions that are very easy to open (that's the idea, if it works). Dell Latin America replaced one of them, after I got it, because I could not open it. It took two (2) of their Tech Support people, to get the thing open, so I asked for a new one. Plastic cases...... Lanny