The Firmware Page

OK people, it's time we get organnized about the DRV-104 and get a proper report of what's working regarding the universal upgrade and what's not.

I have just updated the upgrade so that the "Kernel Attribution Mismatch error" should not occur any longer.

But other people seem to get other errors, so I need a lot more details than I currently have to try to figure out what's going on.

If you have tested this new universal upgrade, I would apreciate if you could report here, and give:

1/ The type of your drive (Original Pioneer, Sony, NEC, Mac, etc...)

2/ The revision of the firmware before flashing (1.10, 1.20, 1.30) and whether it was RPC-1 or RPC-2

3/ The COMPLETE report from the upgrade program.
I know it's a pain in the ass to write down, but you have no idea how much it helps a patcher get the full report when he doesn't have a drive.

Hopefully, with all this info, we will be able to work out problems more efficiently.

Well, I tried the universal A04 to go back to v1.20 (I'm using v1.30).

I don't get any error message, all seems to work, but in reality don't flash anything.

I don't have problems with v1.30, but I want my LED ON/OFF on my drive again.

Gradius

>NIL:

v1.30 from Sony uses the infamous anti-downgrade protection. I dunno about v1.20.

Gradius

Report :

1) Pioneer 104 with firmware 1.1, model in iMacG4.
2) It 's RPC2
3) used universal upgrade to 1.20 rpc1, obtained "Kernel Attribution Mismatch error"

thx.

@Gradius

Hi,

I have the same problem - I think only an hardware hack can help us...

[/quote]

Well, I tried the hardware hack, but I dunno about reset button, since there's nothing there now.

I'll wait for v1.30 or better from Pioneer, both v1.20 & v1.30 contains bugs.

Gradius

Wait a minute. I have patched the "Kernel Attribution Mismatch error" with yesterday's version of the Universal Upgrade.
If I did my job well, it's absolutely impossible that you got this message again!!!

There are exactly 2 conditional branches that yield this message, and I patched them both. I have downloaded the files I upped to digilander to check and this "Kernel Attribution Mismatch error" just cannot be displayed with the current version!

Are you sure U used the latest version? What date have you for the Pioneer.cab archive on the floppy? It should be 2002.07.13 22:14

Could you please check that U used the latest version?

To >NIL:

Hey NIL: any news about broken the anti-downgrade protection?

Gradius

Still on my list. I've been busy with the DCR-111 tonight (see the advanced section)...

i would like to test latest ver. where do i grab?

look >NIL:'s PROFILE

Yup! I see that. Good luck!

Gradius

OK, guys, as there are a few of you waiting for progresses and not excuses, let's say I promise that I will look seriously at the downgrade issue this week-end (but still, I don't promise anything), is that OK for you?

jc7875, you'll find the latest universal upgrade on my site.
I still have to get a report with the latest here, as I don't think the ones with "Kernel Attribution error" were done with the latest.

I have upgraded the 104 with new universal 1.20rpc1 and the master work good.....no problem, no error kernel.

Thank Nil

Hi

I've recently got a Pioneer A04 myself

I've upgraded to the universal Bios for RPC1

(before anyone asks I quit out of all other programs plus any bits and pieces
in the background using cntl-alt-del)
Using Windows ME for the Operating system, 1.2Ghz processor 75Gb + 60Gb ATA 100 drives
Pioneer 105 DVD ROM Drive, Pioneer DVD R/RW A04 Drive (configured as secondary master)
Plextor SCSI 12/10/32 CD Writer with Geoforce 4, and SB Live, SCSI, Ethernet cards
Motherboard KT7A Raid with ACPI turned off

However there is a couple of things I've spotted

For CD's

using Nero 5.5.9.0 (latest one)
trying to write a CD off at Track at Once mode works fine
trying to write a CD off at Disk at Once mode or Disk at Once Mode/96
gives an "Invalid block address" error

Using Instant Copy (from Instant CD+DVD)
works perfect using Disk at Once
except when you select "Extended Data" for the transfer mode
instead of "User Data"
The extended data mode gives the error

"Error writing the Lead in
Extended Information:
Device Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-104 (X:)
ILLEGAL REQUEST: INVALID FIELD IN PARAMETER LIST
70 00 05 00 00 00 00 0E 00 00 00 00 26 00
5D 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00"

Its not much of an issue to me (since I have another 2 CD Writers)
and the "User Data" mode will copy PSX stuff anyway
for the "Extended Data" transfer mode under Instant Copy
I'm not even sure if thats supposed to work.


For DVD's

for this test I tried to copy Metal Gear Solid 2

I started to copy using disk at once under Nero no problem
set to write in simulation mode
I accidently interupted it when I tried to go into My Computer
I thought no problem it was only set to simulation
however after looking at the disk, half the disk had actually been written to

initial thoughts after this were "[*profanity*]" as it was the only DVDR I had
(the one that came with the writer)

I'll confirm this and run some more tests when I get some more media
in a couple of days time.
I'll see how Instant Copy deals with DVDR/DVRW's as well

Official firmware site:

Change history:
http://wwwbsc.pioneer.co.jp/product-e/i ... 02r_e.html

Firmwares (RPC-2 only):
http://wwwbsc.pioneer.co.jp/product-e/i ... 01r_e.html

Gradius

Jumping,

Too bad you didn't answer the 3 questions I asked testers at the top of this thread. Thanks for testing anyway...

Arglllllllllllll I hate this forum... I posted all the review of my flashing... and it loose everything !!! I HATE THAT..,...

ok I repeat all again

here are the answer of your questions NIL

0/ I took the universal firmware today (22 july 2002 at 19h GMT) on your site.

1/ Superdrive from Apple (iMAC flat screen) Pioneer DVR-104

2/ According to the paper on top of the drive firmware : 1.10
according to the software from my PC Revision A214

3/ Here is goes again...

1st try

---------------(UPGR4.EXE Ver.1.01A)---------------------
Pioneer DVD-R/RW Firmware Update Program for DVR-104
---------------------------------------------------------------
Now IDE drive checking...
ID=0 --> Error : CD-ROM Drive no present
ID=1 --> Error : CD-ROM Drive no present
ID=2 PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-104 A214 02/02/03
ID=3 --> Error : CD-ROM Drive no present
Enter Target ID -->2
Now rom contents checking...
Now update mode setup executing... --> Complete
Now update binary file loading... (r4100003.098) --> Complete
Now firmware(kernel) rewriting... -> Complete
Now update binary file loading... (r4100103.120) --> Complete
Now firmware rewriting...

And the process stops here without continuing ...

after 10 minutes, I rebooted my computer and I tried it again

here is the result

---------------(UPGR4.EXE Ver.1.01A)---------------------
Pioneer DVD-R/RW Firmware Update Program for DVR-104
---------------------------------------------------------------
Now IDE drive checking...
ID=0 --> Error : CD-ROM Drive no present
ID=1 --> Error : CD-ROM Drive no present
ID=2 PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-104 0000 00/00/00
ID=3 --> Error : CD-ROM Drive no present
Enter Target ID -->2
Now rom contents checking...
Now update mode setup executing... --> already update mode
Now update binary file loading... (r4100003.098) --> Complete
Now firmware(kernel) rewriting... -> Complete
Now update binary file loading... (r4100103.120) --> Complete
Now firmware rewriting...

and again the process stoped here.

At least the PC recognize the drive !!! so all hope is not lost!


Well I hope it helps you and you can correct my problem soon !!!!

Best regards,
Little

OK NIL !!!

sorry for my last desperate mail...

I took the other tools afterwards to upgrade a normal Pioneer drive in a RPC-1 drive (so not the universal one...)

and guess what... after some misslaunch of the program... I could flash it to the firmware 1.20 RPC-1 !!!

here is the output


/// DVD-ROM/DVD-RW Firmware Upgrade Utility Ver1.04A

Current Revision>> PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-104 0000 00/00/00
Processing 100% --> Complete
Now internal rebooting with new firmware....
New Revision >> PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-104 1.20 02/03/19
Success to upgrade the firmware.
Upgrade operation is completed.



Wow !!! I had fear, but now it works !! I'll keep you inform in how everything works.


Summary of all the process (subjective view)
the universal upgrade work to clear the mac superdrive and then using the normal one, it has put the correct firmware in it!!!

Good night !
LG 8)

Well I'm a bit annoyed that the universal upgrade didn't work...

It seems that once the kernel has been rewritten, the drive loses some vectors to the normal part and is unable to complete the task, leaving the drive with a working kernel but an unusable normal part.
Thus, the drive detects a problem with the normal part and enters its failsafe mode (in which, it will report a firmware rev. of 0.00 as it is unable to properly access the main part)

Now, in failsafe mode, you are still able to flash the normal part (though not using the universal upgrade, as it will first flash the kernel again and cause the same problem), which is why you could use the windows tool.

The solution might be to modify the universal upgrade so that it flashes first the kernel, leaving the drive in failsafe mode, and then call the program again so that it flashes only the normal part, for I see no reason that the windows utility could flash while the DOS could not.

This is very interesting testing indeed, and it also gives some new opportunities with the downgrade pbm, as it proves that there is some way to enter failsafe mode via software...

Thanks a million for taking the risk to test this mate, and the detailled report!

Oh, and by the way, how is that RPC-1 patched "true" Pioneer drive working on the Mac?

Hello >NIL,

From what I have seen, I could burn a CD-audio to 80 minutes with CD-R and 74 minutes with CD-RW (I have no 80 minutes in cd-rw!)

I could burn DVD-RW with data inside (no movie as the software from Apple does not allow to burn movie in DVD-RW)

Everything is ok, but I didn't try yet to burn a DVD-R with a movie, but I will try in the next few days.

I could play some zone 1 and zone 2 in my drive, and it works wonderfully especially with Region X!

All the tests I had with my CD-RW were correct, except for one CD-RW from sony... so I think that the disk is corrupted or something, because the mac does not seem to see it at all. Need to check with my PC.

When I tried the drive in PC it was working wonderfully too!

Well perhaps the led is not working as other have pointed out... but it is not a concern for people with an iMac flat-screen, as the drive is inside the plastical dom and prevent to see the led!!!! And I am not sure but I think they have stripped out the led... I haven't really looked... (well it was for the firmware 1.30 for sony if I am not wrong...)


All I can say... I am relieved that the drive works correctly now!
I have seen your hack for several weeks... and I was waiting that someone tests it. And yesterday I told myself... what the heck, just go and we will see !!!

Hope it helps someone else who want to do the same !

Bye bye 8)
LG

Thanks again for all this info Little Green.
I was almost certain that using a conventional Pioneer DVR-104 with the Mac would work fine, and now we have confirmation.

Still the process of turning a Superdrive into a "true" Pioneer is quite hairy, and I have to work on a more convenient process...

Enjoy your Mac and your region free drive! 8)

WOW... my drive was dead in the water...

When I originally tried to flash it with the RPC-1 1.20 the tool found two drives? (I only have one of cause (IDE, second-master)) I said no to patch both and choose the pioneer via the correct drive letter (it reported a second one with a drive letter, actually taken by a harddrive on a SCSI chain). The firmware was updated, but it requested a failure... (sorry can't remember the exact one).

I tried all firmwares, but the drive seemed dead... firmware version 00000... no LED, no response to the open tray button...
All patch tools flashed the firmware, but always stated that the drive could not have been put back to normal mode ?
So I guessed, I had killed the drive...

However, using the Universal firmware, I was able to revive my original Pioneer.... juts ran it... all back to normal AND RPC-1 ...

Needless to say... THANK YOU!!!! WELL DONE!!!

Sorry for this silly question, but as a Mac user I can't figure out how to put my drive in to ID 2. Either it's ID 1 or 3 bur never 2, so that I get a hardware missmatch error.
Happy for any hint.

Thanks