superdrive firmware update 2.1

Does anyone have the files from BEN11. I'am unable to find them because the link is dead.

Google found the following reference:

http://www.macbook-fr.com/IMG/zip/SimpleFlash.zip

I've just downloaded it from there and it apperas to be the file referenced.

Susan

Hi guys,

I'm Bogdan from Romania. Last year I a friend came from US and brang me as a gift a MBP 2.33 GHz laptop. I never used Apple computers at that time but I was very excited and I said to all my friends until today that Apple is the best. I am also using Windows XP with BootCamp. Yesterday I switched to MAC OS Leopard and a list of updated came through. I said yes and waited till everything was completed. I just got married 2 weeks ago and for this reason, 2 hours ago I wanted to write a normal cd with the wedding pics and ... couldn't do that? Why? It took me 3 hours to figure it out trying switching from MAC to Windows and so on. After reading so many posts about the firmware update I said I have nothing to loose to try solving it somehow...

Anyway the story is like that... I downloaded the simpleflash utility from ben (I think is included in this post also, if not you can get it from here: http://www.anywhere.ro/b/simpleflash.zip

Unzip it, it will make a folder SimpleFlash (on your Desktop most probably).

Now I read all the posts and tried different ways of solving this Apple mess.

./simple_flash 0 UJ857-HAEA-MBP-rpc1.dat, yes, wait, says Finished...

Run it just one more time...

Also says finished...

Reboot, keep your computer like this for 10 seconds. Turn it on, press mac key + alt option + p + r (PRAM reset) for at least 3 seconds, you will get a strange screen like your computer is dead. Shut it down, turn it on... Now I got another big problem, my screen brightness was dead, keep on F2 for brightness, login, Shut Down

Turn it on again... For me my friends, IT WORKED! My drive burns cds again...


Apple Menu, About this Mac, More info, Disc Burning... Here is the current info:

MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-857D:

Firmware Revision: KBVB
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media:
Type: CD-ROM
Blank: No
Erasable: No
Overwritable: No
Appendable: No

Previously was the updated **** from apple which was posted so much here... Not sure it will work for you but for me WORKED...

I tried all the versions of this simple patch, all the tips and tricks and nothing, the only working solution was the one related here.. Hope you will be lucky as I was.


GOOD LUCK! Apple makes great computers, but their support ***!!!

'./simple_flash 0 UJ857-HAEA-MBP-rpc1.dat, yes, wait, says Finished...

Run it just one more time...

Also says finished...'

How do you actually run this? I'm not familiar with using terminal. Can you explain more? Thanks

If you open Finder and go to Application you will find Terminal, double click on it and it opens a Terminal window. Supposing you saved simpleflash.zip on your desktop you can do:

cd Desktop/
unzip simpleflash.zip
cd "Simple Flash" (you can use cd S and press tab for auto completion)...

on the terminal window you just write ./simple_flash 0 UJ857-HAEA-MBP-rpc1.dat

It asks you something, you can press either y or yes it's the same thing. After a short time a message like "Finished" appears. You just repeat this step one more time and the Shutdown...

All these are working on any Mac OS X version.

Good luck!

Does anyone have Ben's email address, website, yahoo messenger, icq or any other form of contact of him? Thanks

just one little problem after flashing the cd/dvd unit, it won't read previous written dual layer dvds... anyone experienced this?

I finally had the time to take the MBP off line for a while. I took it to the local Genius Bar this last Saturday and they called me today and told me it was ready. So as far as actually getting service from Apple.... cudos!!

The new drive is:

HL-DT-ST DVDRW GWA4080MA:

Firmware Revision: AE39
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW, +R DL
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media:
Media Type: DVD+R
Blank: Yes
Erasable: No
Overwritable: Yes
Appendable: Yes

Looks like a totally different type, if not different manufacturer, of drive. It's quieter too. I just loaded a blank dvd +r and used Toast to write a half gig of music and it was very fast.

I paid for the 3 year Apple Care and now I'm glad I did. I heartily recommend it if it's within your budget.

Good luck to all!!!!!!
Barry

'in the terminal window you just write ./simple_flash 0 UJ857-HAEA-MBP-rpc1.dat'
I get a permission denied in terminal everytime I try this.. Please help!!

Hi,

try a chmod +x simple_flash and then try again running ./simple_flash...

Anyway, don't get to excited as I was since my dvd unit still makes problems. Sometimes I can't write blank cds, I cannot read DL dvds and so on...

So I am not sure that the ben's simple flash utility is a real solution

For the life of me I cannot get this thing to run.

If I type/paste the file name I get:

-bash: /simple_flash: No such file or directory

The chmod thing did not seem to do anything. I tried altering the spelling of the folder name. Nothing.

I managed to change the directory in Terminal Utility to MGM:/simpleflash MGM$ to try to get at the folder. Not sure if that is relevant or not. Still no good. I get:

-bash: simple_flash: command not found

I have checked numerous times. The file is there. Help!!!

Hi,

Did you remember to type the "." (dot or period) in front of the "/simple_flash"?
The full command should be "./simple_flash" (without the quotes).

For anyone interested, here's a brief WHY: you may or may not have noticed every time you do a ls or ls -al (or even a dir on dos/windoze machines,) at the top of the list you'll always see "." and "..". Those are symbols indicating the current directory and the parent directory from where you currently are within the directory structure. By issuing the command "./simple_flash" you are telling the operating system to treat the current directory "." as root "/" and run "simple_flash". Any dependencies that simple_flash has, will be found under "./" and run from there. Without the "." in front of the command string, the operating system thinks you want it to look under "/" (root) of the system, find and run the program or command. In this particular instance, simple_flash is not located under / of the system so you get an error message. Apologies if this is too much or not enough info.

I have done it with and without. I have tried all sorts of variations, but I have definitely copied and pasted the text right out of the original Ben post.

When doing that after a dir change to /simpleflash I get this:

compiled at Sep 21 2007 12:00:00
Could not open device

Here's what I don't get about the directory/folder thing. And I admit I am no techie. When I unzip the original file it create a folder SimpleFlash. Shouldn't that mean that Terminal Utility need to look in that folder? Yet there is nothing in the command string to indicate a folder. That is why I tried to change the directory. But I also have copied all of the files in the SimpleFlash folder directly to my desktop as well as to my hard drive "MGM"

For "Could not open device" I would have to defer to others in this thread. I didn't see that response when my cd-dvd stopped working correctly. By any chance is your machine still within the warranty period? I ended up taking mine to the Apple store and they replaced the drive unit. Even simple_flash couldn't solve the problem with the original. Sorry I can't help further, but my best suggestion is to try Apple for a replacement.