Memorex 52MAXX 2452AJ (want to flash it to Lite-On 52x24x52)

[Gustavo]

Hi all. I have a new Memorex 52x24x52 and I´d like it to be a real Lite-On 52x. They say it would be easier to update the rom. I did not install it, yet. Could you, please, tell all the steps to do this job ? (Flash Fix ?) Should I perform it in Win Xp safe mode ? Uninstall some softwares, etc. ? In advance, I thank you very, very much for your help and your attention. Sincerely.
Gustavo (from Brazil, my e-mail is ggarcez@wnetrj.com.br)

[dimitri]

I can only give you my own humble opinion:
Make the Liteon firmware ready to flash your drive by dragging it into the FlashFix window.
Before you flash I recommend you follow these general precuations for flashing in Windows:
http://digi.rpc1.org/how.htm#precaution
You don't need to go to safe mode.

[cfitz]

Dimitri has given you the key to the easiest way: use FlashFix.

The following are somewhat more detailed steps.

Here is LiteOn's firmware download page:

http://www.liteonit.com.tw/english/e-down-f.asp

You will want the latest LTR-52246S firmware (6S0C):

http://www.liteonit.com.tw/webfw/LTR-52246S/R526S0C.zip

Extract the 6s0c.exe file from zip file, then get FlashFix from Dimitri's site ( http://digi.web1000.com/ ) by following the "The LiteOn/JLMS DVD's pages" and "NEW: Allow a firmware to flash ANY drive with FLASHFIX" links to:

http://digi.web1000.com/flashfix.htm

Download FlashFix, read the instructions, and then run FlashFix. Drag the 6s0c.exe updater file into the FlashFix window, and FlashFix will patch the 6s0c.exe file so that it will flash any drive, including your Memorex. Finally, run the patched 6s0c.exe file, select your Memorex drive as the target, press “Flash” then enjoy your "new" LTR-52246S drive.

cfitz

[BillyG]

Thanks for the info, I have been wanting to do this to my Memorex drive for months, I've just been busy.

I have the Memorex 48MAXX (48x12x48x) drive - what Lite-On drive exactly matches it? The LTR-48125S, LTR-48125W, or LTR-48126S? Is there any way you can tell?

[dhc014]

Billy, would you please backup the firmware from your drive before you do any flashing and send it to me? What is the firmware version? I am not 100% sure, but I think that this drive has been out too long for the drive to be based on a LTR-48126S. You can probably tell what drive it is from the firmware version. It is probably a LTR-48125S...

The 48MAXXv2 as they call it on their site is a 48x24x48 drive and is an OEM LTR-48246S, this si the drive that I own.

[BillyG]

Billy, would you please backup the firmware from your drive before you do any flashing and send it to me? What is the firmware version? I am not 100% sure, but I think that this drive has been out too long for the drive to be based on a LTR-48126S. You can probably tell what drive it is from the firmware version. It is probably a LTR-48125S...

The 48MAXXv2 as they call it on their site is a 48x24x48 drive and is an OEM LTR-48246S, this si the drive that I own.

Whats the best program to back up the old firmware? Sorry im still a newbie with flashing bios. I bought mine in the fall of last year.

[dhc014]

You must use mtkflash in real DOS mode. Please see here for instructions for backing up.

[Gustavo]

Dimitri and Cfitz. Thanks a lot for your help. I´ll follow the instructions. BTW, should I also uninstall Nero 5.5.9.9, too ?
Gustavo

[cfitz]

:) BTW, should I also uninstall Nero 5.5.9.9, too ?

There is no need to do that for the sake of flashing. However, you might want to update to a newer version just for the benefit of the latest fixes. If you do decide to update, make sure to keep your 5.5.9.9 version so you can downgrade if necessary. The latest version, 5.5.10.0, has improvements but also has some new bugs that are causing trouble for some people, so you will want the option of going back to a version that is already working for you. I am running 5.5.9.17 right now, and personally plan to wait at least for the next release before upgrading my version.

Also, be aware that if your Nero is the OEM version that came with your Memorex drive, it won't work with your drive once you have flashed it into a LiteOn. The serial number supplied with the Memorex locks Nero to Memorex drives only.

cfitz

[Gustavo]

I´m now ready to flash. But excuse me for one last question before I do it: Should I uninstall diskeeper ?
Thanks for your patience.
Gustavo

[cfitz]

If you are talking about the same Diskeeper I know of (hard disc defragmenter), then it shouldn't be strictly necessary to uninstall it, since it doesn't have anything to do with CD-R operation. However, you might want to shut down it and any other unnecessary programs in the interest of increasing system stability. The one thing you don't want to have happen is for your system to crash while in the middle of the flash.

Dimitri has some good tips on his "How to Flash" page:

http://digi.web1000.com/how.htm

In your case, the applicable portions are the last two sections that discuss flashing under Windows.

cfitz

[Gustavo]

Dimitri and Cfitz, thanks a lot for all your help. My Memorex was succesfully flashed to a Lite-On. I´ll send you a picture of my new burner. I don´t know if it is possible to send the picture to the forum.
Sincerely
Gustavo
PS.: excuse me all the extra precautions. When I tried to update firmware of my other burner, a Yamaha CRW-F1, I was not succesfull. Windows-XP did not accept the new firmware (1.0f version) so I gave up of updatind it. It gave me a lot of work, etc.

[cfitz]

Hi Gustavo,

Glad to hear you flashed your Memorex successfully. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by wondering if it is possible to send a picture to the CDRLabs forums. Does this answer your question?

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=8826

As for the F1, Yamaha has some fairly explicit instructions in the readme file and on the download page:

http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product ... fw-10.html

Three things they mention are to make sure that auto-insert notification is turned off on all drives that share the F1's IDE bus, to make sure that no disc is in the drive, and to make sure that DMA is disabled (in other words, set the IDE transfer mode to PIO before flashing).

I don't flash my drives as a matter of course like some people do. I only flash them when there is a known benefit to doing so (just my personal style - not a knock against those who flash early and flash often! ). In the case of the F1, I think there is a worthwhile reason to flash from 1.0c to 1.0f, because you get added 24x and 32x manually selectable burn speeds and improved rewriting quality for 16x and 24x CD-RW discs.

cfitz

[Gustavo]

Cfitz,
Tthanks again. I mean I could ilustrate this message with a picture of my "new" Lite-On burner. Well, because I put on it a label which says: (Memorex) >Lite-On. Just to tell people how proud I am to have been succesful by flashing the Memorex drive.
Gustavo

[cfitz]

Good deal, Gustavo, and happy burning with your new Memorex->LiteOn drive!

cfitz

[Gustavo]

Also, be aware that if your Nero is the OEM version that came with your Memorex drive, it won't work with your drive once you have flashed it into a LiteOn. The serial number supplied with the Memorex locks Nero to Memorex drives only.

cfitz[/quote]
Hi cfitz,
My Nero version (5.5.9.9) is a registered one. So, it works fine with my two burners. BTW, how can I download and install the version you recommend me (5.5.9.17) ? At the Ahead site ?
Thanks again for your help.
Gustavo

[dodecahedron]

how can I download and install the version you recommend me (5.5.9.17) ? At the Ahead site ?

yes
http://www.ahead.de/en/index.html#download
download the file nero55107b.exe
run it, it will update your Nero.

[Erik]

I know this is a little late, but I just wanted to say thanks for the tips for Memorex flashing. I flashed mine last night using cfitz's instructions near the beginning of this post, and I'm now happily enjoying my new Lite-On drive. Thanks for all your help.

One more stupid question, I know it's nice to have the Lite-On firmware and all, but what other advantages does the Lite-On firmware give you compared to the original Memorex firmware? I'm a CD-R newbie even though I've been burning since I bought my first Sony 8x drive. Thanks again.

[dhc014]

Well, more regular updates is one benefit... not much else. I doubt that Memorex will release a firmware update themselves for a while and each update provides better media compatibility...