HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW GGC-H20L unable to read certain discs

[untouchablejen]

I formatted my computer 2 weeks ago, and ever since my disc drive hasn't been working properly. Its a HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW GGC-H20L.

I am unable to play blu ray movies/dvd movies/games on dvd discs. When I put any of those types of discs in my drive contiously spins them, obviously trying to read them. I open up my computer, and it says its empty. Occasionally it'll work by itself, or i'll restart with the disc in the drive and a couple minutes after start up it'll work.

It has NO problem at all reading any other types of discs like music cds, or games on regular discs.

I've tried to manually start the disc for example, when I put in the sims 3, I open up its launcher and try to load it that way and it tells me I need to put the disc in the drive even though it is already in there.

I compared the driver version with the most recent version I found on the internet and its up-to-date with what I found(Driver Version= 6.1.7061.17514). But I was unable to actually find a download for the driver. I also uninstalled the disc drive and it installed automatically but nothing changed.

I've formatted my computer numerous times, and since I never made discs for windows 7 I use the vista discs, then upgrade to windows 7 afterwards and it has NEVER caused any problems before.

So is it a hardware issue? Or software? It only reads blu-ray/dvd discs when it feels like it, but any other discs it reads normally......

What can I do?! This is CRAZY already. HELP!!!!!!!!!!

 

[untouchablejen]

BUMP!!!!!!

Someone must have some sort of idea. HELP!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ibshaw]

So, before you started to re-install the OS (for what reason ?) the drive would work OK with all media types only since new the OS install has this problem started ? If you are convinced you have the latest driver installed from the manufacturer's website, I suggest you look at drive firmware level also in case there is a newer one that may be a factor (i.e. a known problem with certain media types)....

 

[untouchablejen]

I formatted because my hard drive failed. So I transfered everything over to my second hard drive and took the other out.

Before the formatt ALL TYPES of media discs would work. And I have formatted my computer the same way numerous times with no problem(vista discs then upgrade to 7).

Problem is I bought this computer alrdy built by HP. I'm unsure of the manufactor of the disc drive, and when I go into its properties in device manager to look at the manufactor it just says (Standard CD-ROM Drive)....I went on the HP website and found my computer but they don't tell you who makes the drive either. Or give you any links of where to get updates for it.

I found one website with a driver, but there is no link to download. And I have no idea how to check the firmware level.....

Also I have downloaded numerous "drive detectives" and none of them come back saying my disc drive is out of date.


This is the link to my EXACT computer
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?product=3688711&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us

 

[ibshaw]

Check the links below...... see if they help. Suggest you go onto the LG website to check the driver level rather than the numerous websites that try to do it for you and ask for payment. I am assuming you have got this product number from a label and not from an OS detection (which can be different).

Let me know how you get on.

Drive type
http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/lg-ggc-h20l-super-multi-blue-blu-ray-disc-hd-dvd-rom/features.html

Firmware level / update
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?cc=uk&lc=en&dlc=en&softwareitem=pv-57706-1

 

[untouchablejen]

No I havn't gotten it from the label, I'll open up and check it. But I can see the front of it and it doesn't have an LG logo anywhere on it.

I've already downloaded that second link you posted I'm pretty sure...the page was very very familiar and I was desperate yesterday. I tried to download it again but it told me I didnt mean the min reqs.

See... it works when it wants to.. I just put in a dvd game disc and now its running where as 10 minutes before this I put it in, and windows explorer froze when I double clicked on it after 3 min of it doing nothing, I restarted, still wouldn't work, put it back in. Forgot about it, then cpl min later I tried again and it worked.. Lol.

 

[ibshaw]

Any searches I did suggested it was an LG drive but the logo certainly won't be on the front and likely somewhere on the underside. Anyway, the symptoms i.e working sometimes and not other times suggests either its had a jolt or the firmware needs upgraded (why I put in the link) but these are only suggestions..... the drive may be developing a fault - run the diags and see if it finds anything.

 

[James7679]

I hate to give a partial post, but I am on my phone and don't have the link on here. There is a Microsoft Fix It that may resolve this issue. Go to the Microsoft Fix It center and look for optical drive issues. Again, sorry for the partial post.

 

[untouchablejen]

Apparently I can't get microsoft fix it center because the beta is closed... I tried searching anything to do with Disc Drives and it tells me there is no matches. Please post a link if you get a chance.

And I've run numerous diagnostics on it and nothing comes up, I'm starting to think maybe some files got messed up during the transfer from HD to HD.

My firmware version on it is 1.05, and I realized why I can't download the 1.07 firmware version link you posted earlier.....because I have windows 7 64 bit. That link is for xp and vista..which is why its telling me I dont meet the min reqs to download it.

 

[James7679]

I will post it for you tomorrow morning, 8am EST.

 

[jumanji]

Link to Microsoft Fix it Solution Center Microsoft Fix it Solution Center: troubleshooting software issues

 

[James7679]

Thanks Jumanji! My radiator decided it wanted to vent the whole capacity of the cooling system on my way to work this morning. Needless to say, I was late getting in.

EDIT: This is the exact link that I was speaking of: http://support.microsoft.com/mats/cd_dvd_drive_problems/en-us

 

[cyclic]

You can download or run their fix it util from here.!

Removed link..........doesn't seem supported by MS, but still useable at MS!

Working fine at this time.

BTW you seem to have installed a new HDD ? have you checked that you didn't disturb the cables during that. ?

 

[untouchablejen]

I didn't install a new hard drive. My computer alrdy had 2 hard drives installed I just transfered the data to the good one and took out the one that wasn't working properly.

Thanks for the links but........Microsoft Fix it tells me my drive is working correctly and doesn't detect anything to be wrong..........

 

[James7679]

Hrm, I hate to ask something so simple, but have you uninstalled the Drive and rebooted and reinstalled it? Are you missing any Codecs that you may have previously had?

 

[untouchablejen]

Yes i've uninstalled the drive, and after restart it installed automatically by itself.

Codecs?? Explain lol



And btw could a lose cable really cause the drive to only read certain types of discs, and other types whenever it feels like it? I'll double check all the cables regardless.

 

[James7679]

Codecs: Codec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What program are you using to access and play the media in question?

 

[untouchablejen]

Well blu-ray/hd dvd should open up in this "DVD Play Blu-Ray & HD DVD" program that my computer came with, BUT I know its not an issue with this program because I have autoplay set to open up asking me WHAT to do, and it worked perfectly before formatting.

When I put in a blu-ray/hd dvd 9/10 nothing will pop up. And I can hear the drive making a very faint beeping sound, or a very faint stuck sound. But like I said I can get it to work if I restart my computer with the disc in the drive, a couple minutes after start up it'll pop up asking me how I want to run the movie.

If I leave a disc in there too long without it loading I'm unable to eject it and have to restart to get it out. I have tried the "emergency" eject button directly on a drive, and when I pressed it with a pin it started making this crazzzzzzzy sound.


DVD game discs seem to be working more frequently now, although when it worked yesterday when it felt like it I havn't took the disc out and it hasn't had any problems reading it, or popping up the what to do with this disc screen.

The dvd game disc I'm talking about is the sims 3, which also has its own launcher that is supposed to pop up when the sims 3 is put in the drive. When it doesn't work I've opened up the launcher and pressed the play button, but it trys to load and a cpl seconds after it tells me there is no disc in the drive.. but there is.

 

[jumanji]

Have you tried cleaning the lense with a lense cleaner CD?

Give it a good three or four runs and then check.

Did you reinstall the DVD/BD player software - that you say came with the computer - properly? ( I presume it should be Power DVD)

Whatever, when you open the player ( without any DVD/BD in the optical drive) does it see the drive?

A DVD should play in Windows Media Player. Does it?

You may also try uninstalling and then reinstalling the player software and check whether it works.

An easy way to determine whether there is a problem with the drive or your system is to hook up an external USB DVD/BDROM drive and check whether it can play DVDs and BDs. Can you borrow from a friend and do it?

 

[untouchablejen]

No I havn't tried cleaning the lense, but I will do so.

No I don't have power DVD installed, it didn't come with it. I got cyberlink dvd suite deluxe, I think thats to burn. And then it came with a player called "DVD Play BD & HD DVD" I just went to look for updates and it brought me to a Cyberlink page to update so there both cyberlink.

Yes the problem isn't playing the disc(when I can get it to read it), the problem is getting it to read. Its like it gets stuck loading blurays/dvd movies/dvd games but it has NO problem loading music discs or regular game discs. I can also burn regular cds.

And yes i can see the drive in the player blank, then I put a regular game disc in and it tells me that disc.

I have uninstalled the drive a couple times.

I will try the external usb method.