Still having problems with slim-slot....

**RedGTiVR6** · 02-09-2005, 07:51 PM

Ok - so here's what's new....

Got the new external enclosure from NewEgg (the MaPower one).

Plugged it in, it's a no go.

So we took it along with the slim-slot drive up to a local 'high end' computer shop here in town. They plugged the drive into a laptop and it worked perfectly.

*So we know that the drive isn't bad.

Brought it home. Plugged the new card into the same drive then plugged the USB into my home computer and powered it up. Everything worked great. Took in a CD and read it back just fine.

*So we know it's not the Drive OR the MaPower board.

So we take the drive and the card out to the car. Plug the card into the wall, and the USB directly into the MOBO (not using any extensions, using the same USB and power that were used in the house). It's a no go. It will find the drive and keep it.....but when you put a cd in the drive, it just spins for a bit, then stops, then spins back up for a bit, then stops. It will do this forever if you let it.

My home computer is running XP with all the updates, as is the car computer. I didn't install drivers here on the home computer and it worked just fine. Don't have drivers installed in the car either.

So what gives?

Could it be a bad windows install on the car?

Could it be a bad USB port on the mobo? I don't see how if I can plug the touch screen into both USB ports on the mobo and it works fine. But plugging the dvd-drive into both ports yields the same results: nothing.

I needed to reinstall windows anyways with the n-lite cd so that's about my only option as I see it.....

anyone have any other ideas?

**PatO** · 02-09-2005, 10:06 PM

I don't know if this could be your problem, but watch out which port you plug the power brick into on your mapower. The round connector fits both the audio out and the power in. Without the power connected, my drive worked, but was very flaky. Some DVD's would play, but CDRom's would not.

Absolutely drove me nuts!

I suppose you could check your USB drivers in device manager... Any yellow exclamations? Plug the drive in and see if Windows autodetects it and installs the default drivers properly (shows up as a drive in the DVD/CD-ROM drives section of device mgr).

Aside from that, I'd say pick up a cheap pci usb card from a store with a good return/exchange policy.

**RedGTiVR6** · 02-09-2005, 10:31 PM

no yellow exclimations...and I am positive that we are plugging into power, not audio out....since it says it on the case and on the board

=]

windows detects it and finds it....then it loses it, shows up in the device manager even....then it loses it

a PCI card is not an option for me in my install, it simply wont stay put, not do I have enough clerance for it

**PatO** · 02-09-2005, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by Red GTi VR6

windows detects it and finds it....then it loses it, shows up in the device manager even....then it loses it

Did you jiggle?

Connections, I mean... Loose cable?
Doubtful, but could it be that you're hitting the threshold of your power supply or battery? Just not enough juice to read bits and bytes from the cd?

Instead of wrecking your software, borrow a spare hdd and re-install...

I don't know how power is distributed through the USB system, but perhaps you're maxing it out with extra peripherals... Unplug everything else.

**RedGTiVR6** · 02-09-2005, 11:05 PM

when it looses it I'm holding it still, sometimes it's laying on the ground so it's not being moved at all....

wshouldn't be hitting the threashold of the PSU since it and the hard drive are the only things I'm powering really. Battyer isn't an issue - running a constant 14.5+ running and 12.5+ with the car off.

I can't tell you about data from the cd - the drive won't take CDs, windows looses it before it can read a cd!

power isn't going through USB since the case runs off of it's own dedicated 5v power line (that's reading at 5v at the plug that's hard wired into the car), but using the dedicated wall plug it still wont work...even if it did run off of USB the only other thing hooked up to usb is the touch screen....and the screen has it's own dedicated hard wired 12v power lead as well....

**PatO** · 02-09-2005, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by Red GTi VR6

the drive won't take CDs, windows looses it before it can read a cd!

Does this mean that the drive won't let you shove cd's into it or spit them out when you push the button? My drive does this reguardless of whether its plugged into a computer or not - if it has power from its brick, it will allow me to insert and remove cd's.

Other than that, it looks like you have a software (Windows) driver problem. Or, something funky is going on with your USB ports, but a re-install of the OS will confirm or deny the likelyhood of that.

Good luck!

**seanshine** · 02-09-2005, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by Red GTi VR6

I needed to reinstall windows anyways with the n-lite cd so that's about my only option as I see it.....

anyone have any other ideas?

You know it's not the drive...You know it's not the enclosure.
Have you tried another usb cable?
I suspect however,that it's the "lite" install that is giving you the trouble.
Try a standard xp installation,and see what you get.

Btw,the rest of your install is very well done,congratulations on what I am sure will be a show winning setup.

**RedGTiVR6** · 02-09-2005, 11:39 PM

tried the new USB cable that came with teh new enclosure - it worked in teh house - but didn't work in the car....same cable

i didn't do a lite install...I did the full XP install.....was planning on doing a lite install this next time around

thanks for the props too!

=]

**RedGTiVR6** · 02-09-2005, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by PatO

Does this mean that the drive won't let you shove cd's into it or spit them out when you push the button? My drive does this reguardless of whether its plugged into a computer or not - if it has power from its brick, it will allow me to insert and remove cd's.

Other than that, it looks like you have a software (Windows) driver problem. Or, something funky is going on with your USB ports, but a re-install of the OS will confirm or deny the likelyhood of that.

Good luck!

I simply can't put cds into it while it's plugged into the car....but in the house and while it's in a laptop you can put cds in it find, and they will eject just fine....

screwey!

**PatO** · 02-09-2005, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by Red GTi VR6

I simply can't put cds into it while it's plugged into the car....but in the house and while it's in a laptop you can put cds in it find, and they will eject just fine....

I'm guessing you have a power problem there. Bricks are notoriously inaccurate in their output. Perhaps the "5v" output of the brick is actually 6-7v and the mapower only functions properly at those levels. Or, is your 5v source in the car fluctuating when under load?

Try this - disconnect the usb from the carputer, but leave it plugged into the 5v from the car - does it accept/eject the disc? If yes, then power is likely good and software/computer is bad. If no, then power is bad.