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Thread: Can virus or maleware infect firmware of your DVD burner?

  1. #1
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    Can virus or maleware infect firmware of your DVD burner?

    From the little research I've done it seems unlikely but let me expalin why .
    My system is got a few years on it. Ivy Bridge core I7 3.4 GHZ from late 2012. I keep it completely up to date with windows 10 v1909 and secure with Norton , Malwarebytes, and superantispyware. This 8 year old system is certainly due for a replacement but that's not happing until the global pandemic subsides. In the meanwhile It's been behaving a little odd. My system had 2 burners on it, a HP blueray burner with lightscribe along with a NEC dvd burner. The Blueray is from 2012 and the NEC predates the system from 2008. Last week the NEC drive failed. Every time I put in a disk in it just makes clicks. So I figured that after 12 year the NEC was ready to die, but to be sure I tested it in another system. I didn't bother replacing it because you don't really need two burners anymore.
    Then yesterday the HP Blue ray died too. This seems like too much of a coincidence. Both dying a week apart? I wonder if some malware of virus could infect the drives firmware?
    I mentioned in a previous post that I think my system had been infected a few weeks ago. I thought I resolved the problem but I'm now concern it goes way deep.

    So concerned I've started using my older core 2 quad system from 2008 . It's still runs on windows 8.1 yet it runs better.

  2. #2
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    Don't believe I've heard of burner firmware becoming infected before. Of course that certainly doesn't mean it hasn't or can't.

    I'm leaning toward a possible hardware problem first. Failing PSU maybe? Have another you could try?

    Might also try disconnecting and reconnecting the cables between the drive(s), motherboard and PSU a few times in an effort to clean all the contacts up a bit.

  3. #3
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    So problem is solved thanks to Prime 95 . When i ran Prime the system froze, twice. I just happened to have a spare core i7 2.8GHz processor on hand. When i built the system i started with 2.8GMH then upgraded to a year later 3.4GHZ. Switching the processor to made the system noticeable faster despite the speed down grade. Also, the HD blueray started to work again for the most part. The Blueray won't acknowledged bluerays or DVD's but it will play any music CD with out a problem which it didn't do before. It also works with data CD's but I've yet to test with data DVD's .
    So the blueray is actually failing but not really dead yet. The NEC DVD burner is still dead.
    I"ve even over clocked the CPU to 3.1GHZ with out a problem.
    This now raises a new question and that is why did the CPU fail?
    Could i have a bad component on the motherboard?
    Could i have a bad power supply? if so how do i test it?

  4. #4
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    Just to clarify own more possible issue with the CPU and that is temperature was never a problem. I'm using a monster zalmen heat sink and I never noticed the CPU temperature exceeding 50C. I also never overclocked the 3.4GHZ processor. This is the first time every I've had a intel processor die on me. I had a Athlon XP once **** out but I think I was overclocking too much with out a specialty heatsink .

  5. #5
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    A good PSU Tester runs about $15 (USD) https://smile.amazon.com/Optimal-Sho...1&rps=1&sr=8-5

    A thorough motherboard test would run gadzillion$. A much cheaper solution is to swap it out with a known-good one. You can try some basic steps like these first though: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips...therboard.html

  6. #6
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    These parts must be replaced regularly(multiple times)after heavy use-after dying or causing strange behaviour: Videocard, PSU. lately i found out first Ram-Slot was dead causing crashes all the time. have a very old SSE-MOBO here.
    AND: Contacts must also be cleaned all over again. starting at drives, cards, memory. use a hard slim erazor(some say fiberglass-erazor shouldnt be used but i am using sometimes anyway. isopropylalcohol 90%(if 70% one must wait for evaporating water)for final cleaning. i am using fresh toothbrush.
    PSU was the cause of severe damage. always good to have a replacement-the right one.
    I was affected on my two old MOBOs by capacitor plague(google-there is even a forum). MOBOs from early 2000 affected. Dead or dying. I have a ultrahuge thread about it. better no starting reading its much complicated. but yours here is much newer and not affected by that.
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  7. #7
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    To replace regularly also: Optical drives and cables.
    Dying PSU may damage other parts.
    I would always have replacement parts: PSU, Memory, Videocard, Cables, copies of HDDs(backups)-HDD maybe also die but very seldom, MOBO-copies. From my Capacitor-plague-experience and other defects beforehand i have learnt: Always better having multiple MOBO-copies. The two brands were running for a long time till i had been hit by this plague mid 2018. the capacitors were dying killing some functions one after the others. they lasted less than 5000 hrs from the promised 10000.
    www.stereopan.org
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  8. #8
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    Forgot cold soldering points.
    More than often i was succesfully in resolding contacts not only on device but also mobos and there the battery-contact. On MOBOs when it was about capacitor plague.
    www.stereopan.org
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  9. #9
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    I've ordered the $15 PSU tester. I think it's well worth it. I suspect the 600 watt PSU is still good . I now believe I've been under powering my system . I did the best I could to calculate how much power each component was drawing and while it is hard to know exactly I calculated I'm using somewhere between 620 and 700watts of power. I"m sure long term this could cause havoc. My original configuration from back in 2012 to 2017 was using between 550 and maybe as high as 610. I've unplugged a few things and it appears to have also improved performance.
    I've decided that after 8 years a new rig is needed. I've just ordered a Gigabyte Z390 Aorus ultra motherboard . I will soon order a new PSU as well. I'm thinking 750 watts will meet any need.

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