My computer shows LG GSA-4167B as a CD drive

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers LG burner
#1

Hi, its my first time here, and i m kinda a newbie on stuff about dvd drives.
sry if the same question was asked before… i couldnt manage to find it…

I got LG GSA-4167B around Feburary this year, and it hasnt read any data dvds that i have burned ever since… i didnt bother to fix it until now…
the reason is because, everytime i enter a dvd the drive automatically turns into a CD drive from DVD-RAM.
It some how magically reads dvd movies (sometimes)… and it can burn dvds, and read normal cds.
by burning dvds i mean data dvds, and they are readable by my other friends’ dvd drives. i use nero to burn them, and they seems to be works fine when burning, but it just want read any dvd thatz in it.
i tried to unintall the device and reboot, but it didnt work, and i tried to install the driver i got from the LG website that was provided on this site.
nothing works…

Can someone plz help me… i really want to read some of the dvds i burned…
thank you in advance!

#2

It is just the explorer which is telling you lies. It has a bug, m$ calls it a “feature”.
It’s not needed to use the explorer with blanks of any kind. For that you have software like Nero, to be able to burn data onto cd and dvd media…

#3

As Chef said before…
This doesn´t indicate any problem of the drive, but is merely a cosmetic problem that does not limit the functionality of your drive at all. Windows uses different icons for the optical drives installed, depending on the media inserted in the drive. :rolleyes:

#4

If you cant read back any of the burnt discs then yes you have a problem. This is typical of the “PSU issue” with this model drive.

You basically have three options :

  1. Drop a lot of money on a new PSU (power supply unit) for your computer and pray that it fixes the problem.

  2. Try the “capacitor fix” (search for posts under my username).

  3. Exchange the drive for almost any other brand/model and it will probably work fine with your existing PSU.

#5

what is the minimum requirement of PSU? also, my dad’s computer which has another model of the LG dvd drive is having the same problem since he reformated the computer. also, when i go into the device manager and check the driver details, what should i c? cuz wut i m seeing on the first like is a file called cdrom.sys i donno if thatz the right driver…
on top of other things, i can only burn DVD+R, but not DVD-R…
also another thatz bothering me is if i can burn then doesnt it means that the PSU has enough power? and when i plug in a video dvd it acutally plays using the software that came with the drive. thatz wut makes me think its not the PSU problem but the driver.

#6

Find my other posts on the subject. Before I fixed my PSU I could write DVD’s but not always read them back properly (though they read back fine in other drives). The symptoms vary somewhat depending on how bad is the PSU, but the general issues are that the drive has problems reading burnt DVD media and also in recognizing some types of DVD blank media.

What’s the issue with DVD-R. When you insert a blank do you just get the green light blinking for a long time until it eventually times out and nero disc info says “no disc inserted”. If so then that is EXACTLY the symptoms of the PSU problem.

what is the minimum requirement of PSU?

Unknown but it seems to be related to the quality of the capacitors and not the rated wattage. My original 4167B wouldn’t work with a 300W PSU but worked fine with the 235W PSU in my old computer. Others have had similar experiences. Search for the info in other threads on this topic.

#7

so you are telling me too much W of PSU is not good? cuz i got 350W PSU. also, no only when i insert a dvd-r nero doesnt recognize it and says no disc inserted, even i insert burned dvd in the drive and try to read. so its no the drive’s fault? but the PSU?
can someone check their driver details on device manager and tell me what should have there.

#8

cuz wut i m seeing on the first like is a file called cdrom.sys i donno if thatz the right driver…
Nothing wrong there (except your writing skills).

so you are telling me too much W of PSU is not good?
No I said it wasn’t related to wattage but seemed to be related to the quality of the capacitors and hence the overall quality of the PSU more than wattage.

#9

also, no only when i insert a dvd-r nero doesnt recognize it and says no disc inserted,

Why do you say “NO”, I thought that was exactly what I told you would happen if it was indeed the PSU problem!

#10

i meant by “NOT ONLY” but some how i typed too much backspaces…
other than that, how do I check the qualities of the capacitors of my PSU?

#11

How do I test the qualities of the capacitors of my PSU?

You probably cant. That’s why I said “pray that it fixes the problem” in my first post, because you really wont know until you try it. But it is clear that you’ll have a better chance with a quality brand PSU than a cheap generic. Quite a lot of people here have had your exact same problem and fixed it by replacing the PSU. Personally I’d rather replace the burner if you vendor will do it without hassles. It might be difficult however if your vendor insists on sending the drive to be tested as they might test it with a good PSU and say nothing is wrong and even charge you shipping. Many people have found that their 4167B that wont work in one computer will work perfectly in another.

Here are some links to read :

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=167731

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=166553

#12

okay… i just went to the website of the place where i bought this thing, its open today even tho its vicotria day (i live in canada). i m gonna go and let them fix this problem even though its already 3 month i bought it from there, but if they wont, i will just ask if i can exchange with another one, i just saw they had a deal on H10A for $39.99, i will see if they can change that one for me… i m gonna get thing work, so i get some of my stuff off harddrive!

#13

No the issue with your dad’s computer is probably something else. For one thing, the PSU issue only affects the 4167B. No reports of it happening with any other model of LG writer. Secondly, if it was the PSU at fault with your dad’s computer, it makes no sense that it worked before he reformatted his computer.

#14

true… somehow it magically got fixed, but i donno y the reading speed is so slow and when i try to copy a file from the dvd to the harddrive, it either gives error or takes forever… can someone tell me what is wrong with the drive? i got my drive fixed by buying a new one and paid extra for installation so i dont mess up anything… maybe i should try install the old 4167B on my dad’s computer, i have no idea what model of LG buner he has now, but i will check it sometimes…

#15

Rather confused here - are you now talking about the drive in your dad’s system or the one in your own system?

#16

Yep I was a bit confused too. I think he means his dads drive somehow miraculously fixed itself but is still running sub-standard whereas he just bought a new burner to replace his 4167B.

maybe i should try install the old 4167B on my dad’s computer,
Yes you should try that. Or at least try it in some other computer as chances are that it will work just fine if matched with a power supply that it likes.

BTW Emptiness, I’m just wondering what your vendors response was when you tried to exchange it. Did they seem to know about the common occurance of power supply issues with this model drive or what?