Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs Forum

I would like to upgrade my Toshiba Satellite A305-S6858 laptop's internal optical burner to a blue ray burner. The laptop's serial number is 88171130Q. The laptop has been operating quite well since April when Microsoft Support replaced the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system with Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. This was after 48 some hours of trying to resolve an inability to perform software updates or the installation of patches.

Would an LG 6X BD-R 2X BD-RE 8X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 6X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Super-Multi Slim Blu-ray Burner BT30N - OEM, Newegg number N82E16827136263 be a proper selection?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827136263

What software application would one recommended to operate it?

Thank you for any assistance, Chris

That drive will very likely work. To verify you'll want to remove the existing drive and check to see that the connectors on the rear are a match. Also check that the faceplates match in size and shape. To install the replacement drive you'll probably have to transfer over one or more mounting brackets from your existing drive.

For software you can use free utilities like ImgBurn and the VLC Player to read, write and play discs including Blu-Ray. Scott.

Thank you Scott. I'll verify the connectors tonight and order the drive tomorrow. I'll keep you informed.

Again, thank you kindly - Chris

Hi Scott,

I removed the optical drive and found it to be an H-L Super Multi DVD Rewriter model GSA-T40F (ATAK780) drive which has a PATA type connector (Slim ATAPI?) instead of the SATA connection the LG 6X requires.

Rats!

I did find a few Blu-Ray burners advertized on eBay such as this Panasonic UJ-215 burner: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-new-Panas ... 2c6f689b3c

or this Panasonic UJ-220: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MATSHITA-UJ ... 0573607023

Do you have any other recommendations?

Thanks, Chris

I don't have any recommendations other than what you've already found. Of those I'd choose the cheaper one and again verify that the connector and front panel shape matches yours exactly. If you get it let me know how it works out. Scott.

Hi Scott,

Thank you for all the past help,;

I installed the BD burner and all seemed well. Later as things would have it (Microsoft), I was forced to upgrade to Windows 10.

That was the last time my BD burner functioned properly. Sometimes it will burn and read properly and now most of the time not.

I searched the Internet and found that Sony said Matsushita needed a new firmware upgrade. I then updated the BD drive firmware to version 1.05 using EP0000203289.exe from Sony.

I opened Device Manager and found that Windows 10 (64 bit) listed the drive as MATSHITA BD MLT UJ220S ATA DEVICE. The device type was DVD/CD-ROM Drives. The Driver tab lists Microsoft as the provider, Date 06/21/06, File version 10.0.16299.15 WinBuild 160101.0800.

Next I tried to replace the driver using Sony's MTFOPD-0020389-1020.EXE. That did not work as it is only for VIAO specific model numbers.

I searched for the proper driver but only seem to find it on web sites that require you to download a driver management program e.g. Driverscape. Which I have no trust in letting it mess with my opsys.

Is there a safe trustworthy driver management program that doesn't come with strings attached? Sorry about the cynicism but I'm now 68, served in Vietnam for 19 months and have little trust left for "Try it - You'll like it" touts. (On our side by the way. USN)

Now, the $64 (,000) question is: where do I get the proper driver which I can install without peril?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Chris

I think you might just need another replacement drive,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Internal-IDE-P ... 0645273100

Also think you might be confusing Firmware with a driver. You shouldn't need any driver for an optical drive. Those will be native to windows. If windows doesn't report any error with the driver or reports that the device is working properly than it might be the software that you are using to do the burning, or the drive itself has failed or is failing.

Try installing CdburnerXP,

https://cdburnerxp.se/en/home


Just a semi-educated guess from me. I'd wait for Scott though. Also interested in what Scott has to say about this.

Hi FatGuy,

Sorry, not a chance that I would be confused about the difference betwixt a peripheral driver and firmware.
i.e.:

I built my own HAM radio and was a licensed HAM operator at age 14; Component level analog, digital and computer, Radar, Krypto Communications and Weapons System Specialist USN Vietnam by age 24; Field Engr. thru Senior Advisor Corp Technical Support at Data General Corp: component level analog/digital electronics, machine and assembly code level diagnostic programming and RTOS, MSDOS through AOS/VS operating system level software support, MV system specialist by age 40. Now at age 68, I have retired from Eaton Cutler-Hammer as the lead 3D MIL-SPEC mechanical designer and mentor for young designers and engineers creating sub surface nuclear vessel power systems.

Hell, I've been around since bits were wooden. I even used to repair core memory mats component level. (not the wee littlle itty bitty ferrite rings though)

That doesn't mean I have never made mistakes nor does it mean I know everything. It just means I have not yet figured out what I want to do for a living except learn more about everything.

Greedy - Huh?

The improper Windows driver problem for Matshita Blu-Ray Burners is well documented on the Internet. It just doesn't tell me where I can get the execrable driver from.

Not to worry Mate, I just get verbose about things like my CV.

Thank you kindly for your response, Chris

Ok, so that leaves me with a question, if the OS doesn't report a problem with the device, then how did you come to the conclusion that it's a driver issue?. If people on the internet say it's a driver issue, than what led them up to that conclusion?. I'm truly interested because I like learning these things myself. Maybe at this point you'd be better off just getting a replacement that is a different brand. Or maybe an external one, might even be cheaper that way.

You say that sometimes it will burn and read blue properly and sometimes not. That too me sounds like it might be more of a hardware problem. Are you using the same software or have you tried different software?.

Another thought is maybe you can "Upgrade" back to windows 7. Clean install and try it then.

The intermittent nature of the problem sounds like hardware (e.g. the drive is failing) to me. If that is the case the only way to know for sure is to replace it with a known good spare. Scott.