You see, the firmware of the DVD writer contains information, so called media codes, that tell the writer how it has to handle the media inserted. This includes reading and writing speed. If media are not stored in the firmware the default read and write speed will be used which is always slower than what it could be.

Media Code Speed Edit is a software that reads the firmware of a DVD writer and displays the current list of supported media. It can also modify entries and replace entries. Supported are many DVD writers from companies like LiteOn, LG, Pioneer, NEC, Philips, HP and Benq.

The first thing you need to do after starting Media Code Speed Edit is to load a firmware file. You need that file locally which means that you have to either visit the manufacturers homepage and search for a firmware for your device or visit a website like the firmware page to grab an already modified one. Once you have done that you will see a screen that looks like the one below.

Media Type, name and write speed are displayed in a large list. Media Type is the type of the media, e.g. DVD+R9, DVD+R aso. The name is the media identifier used by the manufacturer and the write speed is the max write speed available for that media on your computer.

We do have two possibilities now. We can change settings immediately if that feature is supported in the firmware by selecting a line in the list and changing the speeds or we can use a program like DVD identifier to identify the media that we are using and replace a line that we are not using with the new media.

Open DVD Identifier and click on Options > Clipboard and activate Attach ‘Media Code’ Block. Now put the media in your DVD drive and click on Identify. The DVD will be identified which takes a few moments. Click on Clipboard to copy the results to the clipboard.

Now open Media Code Speed Edit again and select an unused media code. Make sure that it is of the same media type, e.g. replace a DVD+R with a DVD+R code. Once the line is selected click on Import on the left and paste the contents of the clipboard into the form. Click on OK and you are done.

Once you are done click on Save to save the firmware and patch your DVD writer afterwards with the new firmware. Reboot your computer and test if the changes had a positive effect.

This are lots of information at once. A good place to get started are the forum threads discussing DVD writers of several manufacturers which tell you what can be done and what can’t be done. Below are some forum threads to get you started.

Media Code Speed Edit
BenQ / Philips discussion / results
LG discussion / results
NEC discussion / results
Pioneer discussion / results

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The major annoyance is most likely the fact that users can’t add third party applications to their iPhone anymore which is in my opinion a major mistake by Apple. The community is always creative no matter if the product is a PSP, an iPhone or an Nintendo DS. They create so many useful applications that people will stick with the device no matter what.

I do not own an iPhone and have no intention to buy one. I’m perfectly happy with my Nokia N73 which allows me to install any applications that I would like. (supported ones only of course.) I nevertheless thought it would be good for all iPhone users to copy and paste the instructions on how to downgrade the iPhone firmware from version 1.1.1 to 1.0.2.

1.0.2. is the one that can be modified.

Downgrading iPhone Firmware Instructions:

1. First, download the iPhone1,1_1.0.2_1C28_Restore.ipsw from Apple. On a Mac, do not unzip the file, iTunes will do this for you in step 4.
2. Then connect phone to dock, and hold down home button and power button for about 10 seconds or until the screen goes black.
3. Now release the power button but continue holding the home button. After about 10 seconds the computer will detect the iPhone in restore mode, and iTunes should tell that the phone needs to be restored.
4. Hold down SHIFT key (Windows) or Option/ALT-key (Mac) when clicking the Restore button, and select the file you downloaded in step 1.
5. Let the restore complete and ignore the error at the end. (Should be error 1013).
6. Now your phone should show the “Connect to iTunes” screen with the yellow triangle.
7. Run AppTap to jailbreak your phone – it will restore it to a working 1.0.2 firmware it even though you will get an error at the end. Just dismiss the error and quit the installer.
8. Run AppTap again to actually install the installer.app. It should successfully complete. Keep rerunning AppTap if it doesn’t work the first time – it may take a few tries.
9. At this point you will have a jailbroken iPhone that still needs to be activated (as usual). Google is your friend.
10. AT&T Users: Reset your iPhone before you start using your phone again. Failure to do so may result in you being charged for your “free services.”

Read More:

Downgrade Iphone Firmware

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• support for additional sound codecs such as ogg and flac
• support for games such as Doom, Sokoban and Sudoku
• support for applications like calculators, battery related and text editors
• video support (yes even for ipod nanos 1st gen for instance)
• Gameboy emulator

Installing Rockbox is not as difficulty as it sounds. Take a look at the manual pages which contains all the information you need for all supported mp3 players. Again, you should be very careful before you proceed. Everything is explained in detail and it should not be that much of a problem to install the new firmware. The rockbox forums are also a great way to have any remaining questions answered before making the changes.

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I tried utilities like speedfan which were compatible with my card but I was not able to alter the fan speed at all. The option was not active. I then found a forum entry from a user who changed the firmware of the card and was able to reduce the fan speed afterwards. I decided to give it a try and it worked like it should. The cards fan is now running at an ultra low level when I´am working and at full speed when I´am playing games. The way it should be.

In computing, firmware is software that is embedded in a hardware device. It is often provided on flash ROMs or as a binary image file that can be uploaded onto existing hardware by a user.

Now, what I want to explain with this little story is that firmware updates might be worth looking at for your hardware. They can make your hardware faster, enable features or get rid of bugs. I decided to create a list of good sites that offer firmware updates for various products like graphic cards, dvd drives, raid systems, motherboards and routers.

Before I start with the list I´d like to remind everyone that firmware flashing is no easy task and could damage your hardware. Make sure you know what you are doing.

DVD Writers:

Dvd writers can benefit in several ways from new firmware versions. Some could get added double layer support, increase their writing speed or disable the regional code.

Flashing a dvd drive is a simple task. You need to know the manufacturer, the model and the firmware version. To find this information do the following: (in windows xp)

Start – All Programs – Accessories – System Tools – System Information

Click on components and select CD-ROM.

Look at the row PNP Device ID. There is a large underline in the middle, after that you see your firmware. Now visit a site like the firmware page and search for your manufacturer. It should show a entry and give you a link to all the firmware versions that are available. If you find one that enables new features download it and follow the guidelines from there on.

General links:

club.cdfreaks.com – A forum with a firmware section.
etnas firmware page
The dangerous brothers
The firmware page

Specific links:

Liteon, Memorex and Pioneer firmwares
Nec firmwares
Nec firmwares 2

Graphic Adapters:

New firmwares speed up your card, enable temperature sensors to work or even change the model of the card into a newer one.

Ati and Nvidea cards need different tools to flash the firmware. I recommend the atitool for ati cards and for nvidea cards a utility like nvflash

Search for your card, download the latest firmware if it adds new features and follow the guidelines of the text file.

General links:

Mvktech
Techpowerup.com

Raid Controller:

I never updated a raid controller. They can be updated to support additional raid and udma modes. A very good site is storage-raid-forum.de which offers downloads for many companies.

You use the same flash utility when flashing your motherboards bios if the controller is an internal one. Take a look at the homepage of your manufacturer to recieve the information on how to flash a motherboard.

Router:

I never flashed a router myself but flashing could enable features or allow you to change parameters. Good sites with lots of information are openwrt.org and sveasoft.com

[tags]firmware, update, bios, flash, rom, ram, dvd, graphic[/tags]

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