Member Avatar for deadman573

Hello everyone I am new to this site and really don't know how it works so if I'm asking questions on the wrong part of this site I am sorry. I am having a bit of trouble with my Tecra 8100. After installing a LG Multi DVD Rewriter model# GSA-T20L ROM VERSION NR02AA I get a IDE #1 BOOT ERROR. I have read all the old posts and I just cant seem to get my drive to work on boot up. If I let the laptop boot then when at windows XP pop the drive out and push it back in it seems to work fine. I have read more then one post on jumping pins 45@47 on the DVD drive I cant believe that's the only way to make a DVD burner work on a TECRA 8100. Most all of the posts were from 04 or before. I was wondering if anyone knows of a better way to make a DVD burner work on a 8100 so I can boot with the drive. Or if anyone can show me a photo of just how to jumper the pins that would help alot do to the fact that the new drive has no sticker giving me a pin order I don't know what pins are what and I cant seem to find any old photos of how to jump the pins and what pins are #45@47. Any help would be VERY much appreciated. This is very frustrating I have asked Toshiba TECH support for help with this problem and also LG TECH support. Nether Co. wanted or even sounded interested in helping me with this problem.

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Dani AI

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A concise expert addendum to the thread started by . The symptom described — IDE #1 BOOT ERROR after installing an LG GSA-T20L, with the drive working only after a Windows hot-swap — most commonly indicates either (a) a POST-time device-ID conflict between the HDD and the slimline optical, or (b) an intermittent physical/contact issue at power-on. correctly called out device-ID conflict and the commonly-cited 45/47 pad-short workaround, but the thread lacks a few diagnostic steps and safety notes that make testing safer and more conclusive.

Recommended non-destructive diagnostic sequence:

  1. Check BIOS setup at power-up and note the boot device list and BIOS version. If boot-from-CD is not required, set the hard disk ahead of optical or disable CD/DVD boot to avoid the POST error while testing.
  2. Confirm HDD-only boot by removing the optical drive and booting. Success here isolates the problem to the optical or its interaction with POST.
  3. Test the LG drive outside the laptop (slimline adapter or USB-to-IDE) to see how the drive reports itself and to allow firmware queries/updates from LG. This also makes pad identification much safer by providing clear photos.
  4. Inspect/clean the slimline connector and confirm the drive is fully seated and the bezel/bracket is not misaligning the connector. Intermittent contact can explain the hot-swap behavior.

If pad changes are required, prefer reversible methods first: document pad layout with high-resolution photos, use a multimeter to verify pad function, and try a temporary conductive jumper only after confirming pad IDs. Avoid permanent soldering unless pad IDs are certain and the drive is expendable. As lower-risk alternatives, an external USB DVD or sourcing a known-compatible slimline drive (correct device-ID preset) are practical options.

Data backup and ESD precautions are essential before any hardware work. The thread benefits from adding BIOS checks, HDD-only testing, and external-drive testing to the existing pad-change discussion started by .

Member Avatar for Chaky

is an illustration of what you need to short.

Seems like your HD and optical drive are in master/slave conflict. Apparently, most of the slim CD/DVD drives are pre-determined as master or slave drives, with no jumper or dip-switch to change that setting.

Inspect the drive's back side for dip-switches or jumpers. If there are none, then the logical solution is to flash the drive's firmware with correct settings.

Shorting pin 45-47 supposedly fixes this conflict. Some would recommend soldering, but that would be permanent change and it is possible that you would permanently damage the drive.

Since those pins are next to each other, you can simply wrap some alu-foil around them making them connect and plug the cable over that.


If you have Nero installed, then you can use Drive Info tool to see it's capabilities.. T20L means that it is LightScribe-capable... Nice!

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