Dell Optiplex SX280 install failure - can't see CDROM

[Jonathan Byrne]

My workstation was just "upgraded" to a Dell Optiplex SX280.  I was 
previously running Hoary quite happily on an Optiplex SX260 but the disk 
bit the dust and the MIS department just handed me a box with a new 
computer in it.  It's a nice little machine, bit I've had no luck trying 
to install Hoary.

I've tried the third install release from Jan. 20 and also the daily 
build of Feb. 04.  Both of them get as far as detecting the CD-ROM 
before they fail, claiming that no CD-ROM can be found (not true, of 
course, or I would never get to that point in the first place).  I 
haven't tried a Warty install, but if anyone knows (not thinks, but 
knows <g>) that it will work on this machine, I'm willing to do a 
minimal install of Warty, then dist-upgrade to Hoary.

The drive is a Philips CDRW/DVD-ROM drive, model CDD5263 in a Dell 
modular bay that can also accept a floppy.  In the BIOS, I can set the 
modular bay to just be "on" or to be specifically in IDE mode.  Neither 
setting influences the problem, and either way it works under XP Pro SP 2.

Looking at syslog, it complains about a  missing module ide_mod, but it 
seems implausible that it's really missing, more like it's choking on 
this hardware and can't load it, or so.

The BIOS is the most recent (A02).

Has anyone had any luck installing Ubuntu on one of these?  Any ideas 
are welcome!

Thanks,

Jonathan

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