Warning to owners of Liteon LTD-163D DVD drives

Liteon recently released a firmware upgrade for this drive, GHR6. Unlike previous firmware update releases this one uses a windows based (as opposed to dos based) installer. Be forewarned though that it has some serious "kinks". Trying to use it and installing GHR6 often results in a hang during the update, with the drive being unuseable afterward (see below though). It has been said that disabling DMA for the drive (both in windows and the bios) and having the drive run in PIO mode during the flash may prevent the problem.

I would suggest avoiding this flash update for those maybe considering it (until liteon addresses the issue). For those who have tried to update and seemingly ruined their drive there is a way that should enable it to be recovered (I've used it with success a couple times). If anyone is in this boat post back and I'll post the relevant links/info.

Thank you very much for the heads-up Doc. :)

I do,indeed, have this drive in my main machine...Haven't contemplated updating the firmware on it,but thanks to you,,i'm forewarned. Any links or info you have will also be much appreciated...;)

Hey, if my post saves one person some some heartache Ridge then it was worth it. I posted it because I believed I had seen a number of these drives mentioned here.

I happened to run in to the problem a couple times yesterday and this morning. Did a little looking in to it and happened to see some posts of problems on a couple boards. As far as I know (as of writing this) Liteon still has the flash out there.

Fortunately if one does muck up their firmware there is a generic flasher that will work on the 163D and can be used to force an older firmware on to the drive even when the Liteon flasher can't.

thanx for the info! Here is the site where I've downloaded the latest firmware for my Lite-On products, but hesitating whether or not to update. I did notice that the recent firmware for my Lite-On dvdrom can be executable in Windows.

http://www.firmware.fr.st/

Chorro,

The link there to GHR6 (which is from Liteon/JLMS) shown at the site you posted is the problem one. Run it at your own risk.

GHR3 or GHR5, which use a dos based installer, are fine.

Quote:

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Originally posted by DrMDJ
Liteon recently released a firmware upgrade for this drive, GHR6. Unlike previous firmware update releases this one uses a windows based (as opposed to dos based) installer. Be forewarned though that it has some serious "kinks". Trying to use it and installing GHR6 often results in a hang during the update, with the drive being unuseable afterward (see below though). It has been said that disabling DMA for the drive (both in windows and the bios) and having the drive run in PIO mode during the flash may prevent the problem.

I would suggest avoiding this flash update for those maybe considering it (until liteon addresses the issue). For those who have tried to update and seemingly ruined their drive there is a way that should enable it to be recovered (I've used it with success a couple times). If anyone is in this boat post back and I'll post the relevant links/info.

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DrMDJ: You should power down your system, then, while holding the eject button down on your drive, power the system back on. Keep the eject button held down until the operating system starts loading. On many CD/CDRW/DVD drives, this restores the factory firmware.

Thought this was rather interesting,,,only 1 is offered to run under DOS...Others are greyed out...:confused:

http://www.jlms.com.tw/download.htm

Wonder why???

Doc....great post...that should help out a bunch of folks....

AlaricD,

Unfortunately that trick will not work. In the case of these drives the only way to get things back is to use a generic flasher for the firmware chipset used and reflash. This will do it. The 163D (and 163) uses a Mediatek chipset and the best generic flasher to use would be MTKFLASH.

Ridge,

Yes, that is interesting. I don't recall yesterday seeing the other's (GHR3 GHR5) "greyed out". However, if you take the url provided for the GHR6 file and change the ending filename from D163DGHR6.zip to D163DGHR5.zip (or GHR3) you can get the old firmware versions.

Darn, and it worked so well for this guy...

It makes sense though that the ability to exploit various tricks or features would be chipset specific.

Another trick often used is hot swapping drives (boot up with good drive, then swap in problem drive).

Once again procrastination and sloth win out over aggressive competence. I didn’t even know there was a new firmware update so it has caused me no problems at all.

Thanks for the heads up Doc. Think I’ll just wait for them to sort it out as mine is working fine.

Hello all,
I have found this board with Copernic, because I wanted to flash my LiteOn 163D DVD Drive with the GHR6, but the upload crashed.

Now, my motherboard can't detect it, and the eject button doesn't work.

Please help me, I don't know what to do and what utility I must use. I'm french, so please be as clear as possible, thank you very much.

Athlon XP2000
Asus A7V333 ARU
256Mb 2700
40gb 7200 Maxtor
40gb 7200 IBM
80gb 7200 IBM
80gb 7200 Seagate
Radeom 8500LE
SBLive Audigy
LiteOn DVDROM 163D
WinXP SP1

*sigh* I just bought this dvd rom. I'm new to this stuff and this flashing I dont quite understand it and now im scared to do it. Since I just bought this, will i have to update anything right away? Or should i leave well enough alone.

Running it with a Asus p4pe

KL33,

You don't really need the latest firmware (GHR6) for the LTD-163D (assuming it isn't on the drive now). Firmware versions GHR3 or GHR5 will be fine. If you really wanted GHR6 there is a way to safely install it, but...

BliZarH,

To recover your drive you'll need to do the following:

1) Download the following file: Mtkflash.zip. Unzip this to a temporary directory. The file Mtkflash.exe will be created.

2) Download the following file: GHR3.zip. Unzip this to a temporary directory. The file GHR3.bin will be created.

3) Create a MSDOS bootable floppy disk. I see you're using Win XP so make sure you choose the right option on the format dialog screen.

4) Copy Mtkflash.exe (from step 1) and GHR3.nin (from setp 2) to the floppy just created.

5) Boot from the floppy you created. You should get to a dos prompt.

6) At the pompt type in the following command, followed by the Enter key (note: in the below command replace the "x" with 1 if your 163D is the primary master, 2 if it is the primary slave, 3 if it is the secondary master, and 4 if it is the secondary slave):

MTKFLASH x W /B GHR3.BIN

So, if you're drive is the secondary master you would enter MTKFLASH 3 W /B GHR3.BIN. Make sure the spacing and everything is exactly as shown.

7) The flash should start. Wait for it to completely finish, then remove the floppy, power down the computer, wait a bit and then power back on and boot up normally. The firmware in your drive should be restored (to GHR3). If you want to update to GHR5 then download that from Liteon's site and install it normally.

DrMDJ

It woooooorks !

After a test with GHR5.EXE and GHR6.EXE (in DOS mode) with no success last night, I've read your answer on the forum. Then I used Mtkflash as you wrote, and now it's OK.

To continue my tests (I'm a bit maso), I've run GHR6.EXE program) after, and my DVD is alway usable... but I think I will not continue to explore the world of "DVD flashing"... so I'll not try to use the Windows software.

hum...
and to have a region free drive ?.....

BliZarH

Thanks again

Glad you're back in business. "Dos mode" flashing with GHR6 (after acquiring the bin file) can be done successfully. The problem seems to be in the Window's based installer provided by Liteon and when UDMA is enabled in the bios for the drive. People have reported that (temporarily) turning UDMA off for the drive in the bios (until after flashing) and using the liteon supplied flash has been successful.

A region free drive is possible. But rules are rules, so I'm afraid that can't be discussed here.