«

Greetings to all,

Running XP Pro, Service Pack 3

I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
drawers. (Okay ... no jokes about that!)

Both of them show up in Device Manager without asterisks and whose
Properties tell me they're "working properly."

Neither the button on the front, nor selecting "Eject" on their
context menus produce the same result ... a round of clicking and
brief moments of trying to open ... then stop.

I've disconnected the cables from both, then restarted XP, after which
they disappear from Device Manager ... then reconnected them ... let
Plug and Play find them as new hardware ... after which they
re-display in Device Manager as "working properly," but still have the
same problem.

I applied the most recent firmware from LITE-ON to one of them ... the
other one (the LightScribe model) has no firmware updates available.

Since both of them behave in the same way, I don't think it's a
mechanical problem. I have a feeing it's a corrupted driver problem,
but don't know how to fix it. I'm totally puzzled. Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Walden

Walden wrote:
> Greetings to all,
>
> Running XP Pro, Service Pack 3
>
> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
> drawers. (Okay ... no jokes about that!)
>
> Both of them show up in Device Manager without asterisks and whose
> Properties tell me they're "working properly."
>
> Neither the button on the front, nor selecting "Eject" on their
> context menus produce the same result ... a round of clicking and
> brief moments of trying to open ... then stop.
>
> I've disconnected the cables from both, then restarted XP, after which
> they disappear from Device Manager ... then reconnected them ... let
> Plug and Play find them as new hardware ... after which they
> re-display in Device Manager as "working properly," but still have the
> same problem.
>
> I applied the most recent firmware from LITE-ON to one of them ... the
> other one (the LightScribe model) has no firmware updates available.
>
> Since both of them behave in the same way, I don't think it's a
> mechanical problem. I have a feeing it's a corrupted driver problem,
> but don't know how to fix it. I'm totally puzzled. Can anyone help?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Walden
>

Windows allows programs you install, to add "shims" to the protocol stack.
A term for this is "upperfilter / lowerfilter". And that term refers to
a "filter driver", which is a driver that jams itself between two
regular parts of the driver stack, and filters the commands it sees,
or adds commands of its own.

Examples of interfering third party software would be CD/DVD burner
programs, virtual CDs (mount an ISO9660 image), ripping programs and
so on. In some cases, you may not be aware the program has potentially
interfering components (iTunes).

With regard to feature set, here is a section from a copy of the ATA/ATAPI
spec I have on disk here.

******* d1532v1r1a-ATA-ATAPI-7 *******

4.11.2 Removable Media feature set

The Removable Media feature set is intended only for devices not implementing
the PACKET Command feature set. This feature set operates with Media Status
Notification disabled. The MEDIA LOCK and MEDIA UNLOCK commands are used to
secure the media and the MEDIA EJECT command is used to remove the media.
While the media is locked, the eject button does not eject the media. Media status
is determined by checking the media status bits returned by the MEDIA LOCK and
MEDIA UNLOCK commands. Power-on reset, hardware reset, and the
EXECUTE DEVICE DIAGNOSTIC command clear the Media Lock (LOCK) state and the
Media Change Request (MCR) state. Software reset clears the Media Lock (LOCK)
state, clears the Media Change Request (MCR) state, and preserves the
Media Change (MC) state. The following commands are defined to implement
the Removable Media feature set.

- MEDIA EJECT
- MEDIA LOCK
- MEDIA UNLOCK

*******

If some software is issuing MEDIA LOCK commands, that could account for a
lack of user control of the situation.

A more far-fetched cause, would be a bug in a root kit, such as TDSS/Alureon,
impacting the function of the ATAPI interface. Kaspersky hosts a tool
called TDSSKiller for that, but I would only run that if there was evidence
you needed it. A root kit can prevent a user from fixing things, such as
running System File Checker and attempting to repair files that make the
protocol stack for a storage device. TDSS interferes in such a way, as to
hide its presence, and uses an unused part of the disk, to store any
information it might need for re-infection or starting itself at
boot time. A tool that might detect TDSS is MalwareBytes MBAM.
TDSS would be a giant, pain in the ass kind of filter driver.

TDSSKiller
http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses...?qid=208280684

(The free version is suitable for scanning and curing problems)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malwarebytes

If you have any trouble running tools like that, that's generally
a sign you're infected.

What you've done recently to the computer, whether the computer
has acted "weird" recently, may give you some hint as to what
the problem is. It's possible for the tray mechanism to fail,
but as you observe, the odds of two drives failing in exactly
the same way, is far fetched.

If you can

1) Turn off the computer power.
2) Turn it on again (necessary, because the design of SATA doesn't
guarantee sanity unless you turn off the power).
3) Start the computer.
4) Enter the BIOS setup screen. The BIOS setup screen should be
a relatively benign environment for testing.
5) Practice inserting and removing a CD or DVD via the button,
and it works...

then that would tell you the tray mechanism isn't broken.

The tray mechanism has a form of overcurrent detection. If the
tray "meets resistance" while it is opening, it can reverse
direction. This occasionally accounts for the symptoms, and
might give a bit of noises as well. But it isn't likely that
two drives die at the same time. If you press the button,
and there is no state change at all evident (drive still
spinning, no new noises), that's "MEDIA LOCK".

If the media inserted in the drive is virtually unreadable,
has a high error rate, flaky etc., that can also cause
the drive to freeze. The drive may be attempting to read the
media tag, and do its discovery thing, and then, ignoring
all other user or computer input. Test the tray with
"known good" media.

Paul

Walden wrote:

> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
> drawers.

Do this test:

Open the drawer manually using the pin hole. Put a CD in the tray. See
if the eject mechanism now works properly for open and close.

Such Lite-On trays are notorious for a magnet related problem which is
improved/remedied by the effect of a disk in the tray.

--
Mike Easter

Walden was thinking very hard and all he could come up with was:
> Greetings to all,
>
> Running XP Pro, Service Pack 3
>
> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
> drawers. (Okay ... no jokes about that!)
>
> Both of them show up in Device Manager without asterisks and whose
> Properties tell me they're "working properly."
>
> Neither the button on the front, nor selecting "Eject" on their
> context menus produce the same result ... a round of clicking and
> brief moments of trying to open ... then stop.
>
> I've disconnected the cables from both, then restarted XP, after which
> they disappear from Device Manager ... then reconnected them ... let
> Plug and Play find them as new hardware ... after which they
> re-display in Device Manager as "working properly," but still have the
> same problem.
>
> I applied the most recent firmware from LITE-ON to one of them ... the
> other one (the LightScribe model) has no firmware updates available.
>
> Since both of them behave in the same way, I don't think it's a
> mechanical problem. I have a feeing it's a corrupted driver problem,
> but don't know how to fix it. I'm totally puzzled. Can anyone help?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Walden

Would a Drive Tray program work as a temporary quick fix until you
solve the problem?

I use WineCD tray program regularly so I don't have to fumble around
under the desk to find the button, and there are quite a number of
these programs out there on any freeware site.

It won't fix your problem, but it might give you some access until the
problem is fixed.

--
-There are some who call me...
Jim


It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road,
and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be
swept off to.
-Samwise Gamgee quoting Bilbo Baggins, edited

"Walden" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Greetings to all,
>
> Running XP Pro, Service Pack 3
>
> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
> drawers. (Okay ... no jokes about that!)
>
> Both of them show up in Device Manager without asterisks and whose
> Properties tell me they're "working properly."
>
> Neither the button on the front, nor selecting "Eject" on their
> context menus produce the same result ... a round of clicking and
> brief moments of trying to open ... then stop.
>
> I've disconnected the cables from both, then restarted XP, after which
> they disappear from Device Manager ... then reconnected them ... let
> Plug and Play find them as new hardware ... after which they
> re-display in Device Manager as "working properly," but still have the
> same problem.
>
> I applied the most recent firmware from LITE-ON to one of them ... the
> other one (the LightScribe model) has no firmware updates available.
>
> Since both of them behave in the same way, I don't think it's a
> mechanical problem. I have a feeing it's a corrupted driver problem,
> but don't know how to fix it. I'm totally puzzled. Can anyone help?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Walden
>

You have lost the power supply voltage to them. You still have the logic
voltage, so they show up in Device Manager -- the walk and talk and chew gum
so the Device Manager is happy. They don't have the power to spit the gum
out, and the device manager doesn't know about that.

If there is a tiny hole in the front of the tray, you can straighten a
paperclip and insert it into the hole to release the lock and open the tray.
All you get from this is your CD back, the tray will still be broken.

You might actually have the voltage since you describe hearing it attempt to
open. This would mean the trays are broken. Busted drive belts, something
like that. Do you have a kid that might have put a penney in them?

On Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:24:44 -0400, Paul <> wrote:

>Walden wrote:
>> Greetings to all,
>>
>> Running XP Pro, Service Pack 3
>>
>> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
>> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
>> drawers. (Okay ... no jokes about that!)
>>
>> Both of them show up in Device Manager without asterisks and whose
>> Properties tell me they're "working properly."
>>
>> Neither the button on the front, nor selecting "Eject" on their
>> context menus produce the same result ... a round of clicking and
>> brief moments of trying to open ... then stop.
>>
>> I've disconnected the cables from both, then restarted XP, after which
>> they disappear from Device Manager ... then reconnected them ... let
>> Plug and Play find them as new hardware ... after which they
>> re-display in Device Manager as "working properly," but still have the
>> same problem.
>>
>> I applied the most recent firmware from LITE-ON to one of them ... the
>> other one (the LightScribe model) has no firmware updates available.
>>
>> Since both of them behave in the same way, I don't think it's a
>> mechanical problem. I have a feeing it's a corrupted driver problem,
>> but don't know how to fix it. I'm totally puzzled. Can anyone help?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Walden
>>
>
>Windows allows programs you install, to add "shims" to the protocol stack.
>A term for this is "upperfilter / lowerfilter". And that term refers to
>a "filter driver", which is a driver that jams itself between two
>regular parts of the driver stack, and filters the commands it sees,
>or adds commands of its own.
>
>Examples of interfering third party software would be CD/DVD burner
>programs, virtual CDs (mount an ISO9660 image), ripping programs and
>so on. In some cases, you may not be aware the program has potentially
>interfering components (iTunes).
>
>With regard to feature set, here is a section from a copy of the ATA/ATAPI
>spec I have on disk here.
>
>******* d1532v1r1a-ATA-ATAPI-7 *******
>
>4.11.2 Removable Media feature set
>
>The Removable Media feature set is intended only for devices not implementing
>the PACKET Command feature set. This feature set operates with Media Status
>Notification disabled. The MEDIA LOCK and MEDIA UNLOCK commands are used to
>secure the media and the MEDIA EJECT command is used to remove the media.
>While the media is locked, the eject button does not eject the media. Media status
>is determined by checking the media status bits returned by the MEDIA LOCK and
>MEDIA UNLOCK commands. Power-on reset, hardware reset, and the
>EXECUTE DEVICE DIAGNOSTIC command clear the Media Lock (LOCK) state and the
>Media Change Request (MCR) state. Software reset clears the Media Lock (LOCK)
>state, clears the Media Change Request (MCR) state, and preserves the
>Media Change (MC) state. The following commands are defined to implement
>the Removable Media feature set.
>
>- MEDIA EJECT
>- MEDIA LOCK
>- MEDIA UNLOCK
>
>*******
>
>If some software is issuing MEDIA LOCK commands, that could account for a
>lack of user control of the situation.
>
>A more far-fetched cause, would be a bug in a root kit, such as TDSS/Alureon,
>impacting the function of the ATAPI interface. Kaspersky hosts a tool
>called TDSSKiller for that, but I would only run that if there was evidence
>you needed it. A root kit can prevent a user from fixing things, such as
>running System File Checker and attempting to repair files that make the
>protocol stack for a storage device. TDSS interferes in such a way, as to
>hide its presence, and uses an unused part of the disk, to store any
>information it might need for re-infection or starting itself at
>boot time. A tool that might detect TDSS is MalwareBytes MBAM.
>TDSS would be a giant, pain in the ass kind of filter driver.
>
>TDSSKiller
>http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses...?qid=208280684
>
>(The free version is suitable for scanning and curing problems)
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malwarebytes
>
>If you have any trouble running tools like that, that's generally
>a sign you're infected.
>
>What you've done recently to the computer, whether the computer
>has acted "weird" recently, may give you some hint as to what
>the problem is. It's possible for the tray mechanism to fail,
>but as you observe, the odds of two drives failing in exactly
>the same way, is far fetched.
>
>If you can
>
>1) Turn off the computer power.
>2) Turn it on again (necessary, because the design of SATA doesn't
> guarantee sanity unless you turn off the power).
>3) Start the computer.
>4) Enter the BIOS setup screen. The BIOS setup screen should be
> a relatively benign environment for testing.
>5) Practice inserting and removing a CD or DVD via the button,
> and it works...
>
>then that would tell you the tray mechanism isn't broken.
>
>The tray mechanism has a form of overcurrent detection. If the
>tray "meets resistance" while it is opening, it can reverse
>direction. This occasionally accounts for the symptoms, and
>might give a bit of noises as well. But it isn't likely that
>two drives die at the same time. If you press the button,
>and there is no state change at all evident (drive still
>spinning, no new noises), that's "MEDIA LOCK".
>
>If the media inserted in the drive is virtually unreadable,
>has a high error rate, flaky etc., that can also cause
>the drive to freeze. The drive may be attempting to read the
>media tag, and do its discovery thing, and then, ignoring
>all other user or computer input. Test the tray with
>"known good" media.
>
> Paul


Thank you for your suggestions, Paul. My friend had to take his
compuetr back home for a few days to do some word processing, so I
won't be able to check them out for a few days.

I'll have it back before the weekend, and will tell you how I made
out.

On Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:23:07 -0700, Mike Easter <>
wrote:

>Walden wrote:
>
>> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
>> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
>> drawers.
>
>Do this test:
>
>Open the drawer manually using the pin hole. Put a CD in the tray. See
>if the eject mechanism now works properly for open and close.
>
>Such Lite-On trays are notorious for a magnet related problem which is
>improved/remedied by the effect of a disk in the tray.

Thank you Mike! This worked perfectly, as you suggested. Something
I would never have tried without your help. Another lesson learned
.... and your experience has also taught me to avoid Lite-On drives in
the future ... and that's another blessing in itself.

Walden wrote:
> Mike Easter
>> Walden wrote:
>>
>>> I have two DVD drives manufactured by LITE-ON (LH-20A1P and LH-20A1H)
>>> that have worked properly, then suddenly decided not to open their
>>> drawers.

>> Such Lite-On trays are notorious for a magnet related problem which is
>> improved/remedied by the effect of a disk in the tray.
>
> Thank you Mike! This worked perfectly, as you suggested. Something
> I would never have tried without your help. Another lesson learned
> ... and your experience has also taught me to avoid Lite-On drives in
> the future ... and that's another blessing in itself.

YW.

Here's the longer version of the story I posted recently.

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.c...31b1f911?hl=en
or http://bit.ly/hB2MnG

Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Subject: CD drive magnet problem
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:14:38 -0700
Message-ID: <>


--
Mike Easter

Jeff's voltage theory makes the most sense to me seeing as though both
drives are all of a sudden dead - too coincidental. The reason I'm writing
is that I just visited a custom computer shop where it's possible to sit at
the work bench. The three foot tall Ferrari he was currently building had
two Lite-On disc drives. I wouldn't suspect they would put crap into that
where everything looked wildly high-end. I'm sure there's different models,
some better than others, but I would get a Lite-On drive in a heart beat.




------------
"Jeff Strickland" <> wrote:

You have lost the power supply voltage to them. You still have the logic
voltage, so they show up in Device Manager -- the walk and talk and chew gum
so the Device Manager is happy. They don't have the power to spit the gum
out, and the device manager doesn't know about that.

If there is a tiny hole in the front of the tray, you can straighten a
paperclip and insert it into the hole to release the lock and open the tray.
All you get from this is your CD back, the tray will still be broken.

You might actually have the voltage since you describe hearing it attempt to
open. This would mean the trays are broken. Busted drive belts, something
like that. Do you have a kid that might have put a penney in them?

Kele banged his head on his keyboard to write :
> Jeff's voltage theory makes the most sense to me seeing as though both
> drives are all of a sudden dead - too coincidental. The reason I'm writing
> is that I just visited a custom computer shop where it's possible to sit at
> the work bench. The three foot tall Ferrari he was currently building had
> two Lite-On disc drives. I wouldn't suspect they would put crap into that
> where everything looked wildly high-end. I'm sure there's different models,
> some better than others, but I would get a Lite-On drive in a heart beat.
>
>
>
>
> ------------
> "Jeff Strickland" <> wrote:
>
> You have lost the power supply voltage to them. You still have the logic
> voltage, so they show up in Device Manager -- the walk and talk and chew gum
> so the Device Manager is happy. They don't have the power to spit the gum
> out, and the device manager doesn't know about that.
>
> If there is a tiny hole in the front of the tray, you can straighten a
> paperclip and insert it into the hole to release the lock and open the tray.
> All you get from this is your CD back, the tray will still be broken.
>
> You might actually have the voltage since you describe hearing it attempt to
> open. This would mean the trays are broken. Busted drive belts, something
> like that. Do you have a kid that might have put a penney in them?

I've had good and bad experiences with Lite-On. Most of the time, you
can't beat it for price. Like anything these days, you never know what
you get.

--
-There are some who call me...
Jim


"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean
that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel
good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
-Gandalf, after Bilbo Baggins says "Good Morning"