LG BluRay Drive Won't Read DVDs

[jkach6]

Hello,

I have an LG BluRay drive in my PC. The exact model is the CH08LS10, and I have had it for around 6 months. Originally, it worked fine and could read DVD discs of all kinds (Game install discs, software, movies, etc.) However, over the last few months it has developed a problem with any non-BluRay discs that I try to use. After inserting a DVD, the drive will begin clicking a few times every second, and nothing else happens. I don't get any error messages, and I can't eject the disc without shutting down or restarting the computer.

So far I've tried updating to the 2.0 firmware for the drive on the LG site, which made no difference. I also used LG's online chat to talk to one of their customer service technicians, who told me to delete 2 files from my registry (the drivers for the device). It now appears that the 2 files are still gone even after rebooting and trying to update the drivers, and indeed I get an error message when I open iTunes for example, which says the drivers necessary for importing music from discs are missing.

I'm using Windows 7 64-bit, and each of the discs I've tried to use have worked fine on my laptop so I know they are not the issue.

Did I just get a bad drive, or is there some sort of fix for this?

Thanks!

 

[spasse]

jkach6,

Go to Control Panel/System/Device manager and under DVD/CD-ROM drives, right click on the “HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW CH08LS10 ATA Device” and Select “Uninstall”. This will uninstall the driver. Then under “Action” in the Device Manager select “Scan for Hardware Changes” which will reload the drivers.

I had the same issue. Blu-Ray & CDs would read, but DVDs would not. After the driver reinstall, CDs, DVDs, & Blue-Ray disks all read correctly.

Regards,

Scott

 

[zyruss]

jkach6,

Go to Control Panel/System/Device manager and under DVD/CD-ROM drives, right click on the “HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW CH08LS10 ATA Device” and Select “Uninstall”. This will uninstall the driver. Then under “Action” in the Device Manager select “Scan for Hardware Changes” which will reload the drivers.

I had the same issue. Blu-Ray & CDs would read, but DVDs would not. After the driver reinstall, CDs, DVDs, & Blue-Ray disks all read correctly.

Regards,

Scott

spasse, I have the same problem but my drive WILL open without me shutting down... I tried what you said, but it didnt work. It still clicks, and doesnt read... Any other suggestions?

 

[WyomingKnott]

If I remember correctly, there are two read heads. One can read blu-ray; the other can read DVDs. If that's the case, it is possible for one head to be broken / unable to track. Unlikely, but a possible cause.

 

[TheKLF99]

However, over the last few months it has developed a problem with any non-BluRay discs that I try to use. After inserting a DVD, the drive will begin clicking a few times every second, and nothing else happens.

Hi,

Unfortunately I too have a LG Super Multi-Blu Ray writer that just outside of it's warranty started clicking.

When I bought it I nearly didn't buy an LG because I remembered my dad being a TV engineer used to remark about how cheaply their stuff was made, especially when they were called "Goldstar" (even though in the advert we're made to believe LG stands for Life's Good, it does actually stand for "Lucky Goldstar" - however apart from the fact that they're lucky at ripping people off with cheap poorly made electronics and are lucky to get away with it till the device is out of it's warranty, it certainly isn't very lucky for the people who buy their junk!).

I had heard the LG's stuff had been improved since becoming LG and not Goldstar, and my first CD drive I bought was an LG and that lasted quite a while, so I guessed that like Datsun and Nissan, Goldstar's new branding of LG was a major improvement. However it seems that LG have started going back to their old ways of trying to sell cheap junk that just about works until the end of the warranty, and then you have to go buy it again.

I have noticed a number of LG drives all failing with exactly this same error. I've got my Blu-Ray drive, we had a re-badged "Sony DVD recorder" made by LG (this one didn't even make it to the end of it's warranty, we then replaced it with a Panasonic which is now currently about 7 years old!) and my dad had an LG HDD recorder.

All three did the same - just constant clicking.

The constant clicking is caused because the drive keeps trying to fire the laser system up and is unable to focus properly on the disc and so keeps retrying until it gets a valid answer (either no disc present or it's able to read the disc).

In a Blu-ray drive there is two lasers, one for reading DVD's and CD's and the other for reading/writing Blu-Ray's.

It seems from yours that the DVD/CD laser is out of focus for some reason. It could be that the lens has a bit of dirt on it, or in a worse case scenario it could be that the lens has fully packed up. If it has packed up you can get replacement laser units for some drives, however I would say that you might be cheaper buying a new drive.

Firstly if you know what your doing you could try to dismantle the drive and give the laser a bit of a clean - this can be quite tricky and you will invalidate your warranty.

Things you'll need to do this

1 x screwdriver (probably philips head #0 or #1)
1 x bottle of isopropyl alcohol (DO NOT drink it or test it - it isn't the same as the alcohol found in drinks, it can be quite toxic if ingested! - it might also be known as rubbing alcohol or tape head cleaner)
a box of cotton wool sticks

Firstly you'll want to unplug the drive - under no circumstances should you ever dismantle any type of optical drive whilst it's still plugged in. There are a few issues if you do - firstly there is a risk of electric shock (although it's hardly likely to kill you it certainly wont be very pleasant), but also there is a very strong risk of severe damage to your eyesight. The laser beam in a drive will normally shut off until the drive is closed because there is a switch, however if you take the case off the top of the drive the safety mechanism doesn't know this (because it's assumed that only qualified people will take the lid off!) and so if the drive has power there is a very strong risk that you could be hit with the laser from the drive - also this is invisible laser radiations - you wont see a blue/purple/red/green streak of light like you see from "laser lights" - hence the reason why there is all those stickers over the drive warning of "Laser Radiation" "Do not stare directly into the beam".

Once you've unplugged the drive and removed the lid, get one of the cotton wool sticks (the type you use for cleaning ears out with), and dip it in a little bit of the isopropyl alcohol (or if it's a spray, spray some isopropyl alcohol onto the stick). You should see in the drive a laser unit, it looks like small circular piece of glass on a track. Clean the lens with the cotton wool stick and alcohol.

After it's been cleaned re-assemble the drive and test (do not test the drive without re-assembling first due to laser radiation). It might fix it, it might not, but it's worth a go if your going to change the drive anyway!