Hi there,

I have a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT916V and have reinstalled a fresh version of
Windows on it but cannot read any recorded DVD discs. The default DVDRW
driver that has been installed (in the Device Manager) is: 'SONY DVD
RW DW-U54A'. Is this correct? Or is there a better driver I can use?

I cannot seem to read DVDs at present, but CDs are fine.

Also, on the offchance I have to replace the DVD drive inside, would
anyone happen to know where I might be able to buy a replacement
internal DVD recorder (in England, ideally in the North)? Are they all
fairly standard plug-and-play type devices?

Any help greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance,
Roger

<roger_graham********.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1166995329.191273.305320@73g2000cwn.googlegro ups.com
> Hi there,
>
> I have a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT916V and have reinstalled a fresh version of
> Windows on it but cannot read any recorded DVD discs. The default
> DVDRW driver that has been installed (in the Device Manager) is:
> 'SONY DVD RW DW-U54A'. Is this correct? Or is there a better driver
> I can use?
>
> I cannot seem to read DVDs at present, but CDs are fine.
>
> Also, on the offchance I have to replace the DVD drive inside, would
> anyone happen to know where I might be able to buy a replacement
> internal DVD recorder (in England, ideally in the North)? Are they
> all fairly standard plug-and-play type devices?
>
> Any help greatly appreciated.

Can it read any DVDs? Like data DVDs? If it can't read any DVDs
whatsoever, it is very likely the laser is out. It uses a different
laser to read CDs.

Yes most drive replacements is not that hard. The hard part is to
replace the face plate. As it is very hard to get one to fit another
one. Although I have no idea, but I would think a working drive without
a face plate is better than no working drive at all. Anybody have a
problem with this?

--
Bill

In message <1166995329.191273.305320@73g2000cwn.googlegroups. com>,
roger_graham********.co.uk writes
>Hi there,
>
>I have a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT916V and have reinstalled a fresh version of
>Windows on it but cannot read any recorded DVD discs. The default DVDRW
>driver that has been installed (in the Device Manager) is: 'SONY DVD
>RW DW-U54A'. Is this correct? Or is there a better driver I can use?
>
>I cannot seem to read DVDs at present, but CDs are fine.
>
>Also, on the offchance I have to replace the DVD drive inside, would
>anyone happen to know where I might be able to buy a replacement
>internal DVD recorder (in England, ideally in the North)? Are they all
>fairly standard plug-and-play type devices?
>
Lite-On SLW-831S available from both www.microwarehouse.co.uk and PC
World (current price £45.95).
--
Tony Morgan

There are no drivers required for any IDE or SATA optical drives. They
are handled by Windows directly (writing requires additional software
although not really drivers as the term is normally used).

When you say that you can't read DVDs, do you mean that you can't watch
MOVIE DVDs, or that you can't read DATA from DVDs? BIG DIFFERENCE.
Watching DVD movies requires an MPEG decoder, and Windows does not come
with one. You have to supply that yourself. But it's not required to
read data from a DVD (even to read the MPEG files from a movie DVD).

These drives are standard up to a point but not completely. The main
issues are mechanical .... mounting and the bezel. Also, sometimes,
master / slave / Cable Select configuration (there are usually no
jumpers for this, they are set at the factory, and if set wrong they
won't work). Really, you almost just have to try it, it is very
difficult to predict, in advance, if a replacement drive will work.
Even if it's the same drive model, it may have a different (perhaps
incompatible) bezel and/or incompatible drive select configuration.



roger_graham********.co.uk wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I have a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT916V and have reinstalled a fresh version of
> Windows on it but cannot read any recorded DVD discs. The default DVDRW
> driver that has been installed (in the Device Manager) is: 'SONY DVD
> RW DW-U54A'. Is this correct? Or is there a better driver I can use?
>
> I cannot seem to read DVDs at present, but CDs are fine.
>
> Also, on the offchance I have to replace the DVD drive inside, would
> anyone happen to know where I might be able to buy a replacement
> internal DVD recorder (in England, ideally in the North)? Are they all
> fairly standard plug-and-play type devices?
>
> Any help greatly appreciated.
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Roger
>

Hi everybody!

Thanks for your help - sorry I haven;t replied earlier but I have been
ill over the holiday period.

A quick question for Tony, have you tried the model you suggest in the
916V yourself? Or is it a generic 'well known' (well, as well known as
it can be outside of Sony's club-vaio community! ;-)) replacement for
the DW-U54A. I think this drive is common across most (if not all)
VAIOs from what I've read. Also, do you know if the bezel is compatible
with this device?

Has anybody any experience with this drive? What are their views?

Thanks all for your help!


Best Regards,
Roger

I also have a VAIO (GRT996VP), which is equipped with the same DVD-RW
and I have a similar problem. The drive reads CDs OK but is very
tempermental when it comes to reading DVDs (ROMs and movies). I have
tried a (dodgy-looking) firmware update and that improved things for a
while but right now it makes a whirring sound like it's trying to read
the DVD but gives up after about 5 seconds.

I can't offer much help but I just thought that I'd let you know that
you're not alone on this one...


--
YodaBoy
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As mentioned before, my DVD drive is unreliable but the thing that seems
to kick in back into action again (so that DVD-ROMs can be read again)
is putting a DVD movie in the drive. I do this, let Media Player
start, close it, pop the DVD moviw out, put a DVD-ROM in and off I go
again. Not a seamless user experiance by any means but it means that
I'm not totally stumped. I was wondering whether any experts out there
can deduce anything about the problem from this...

Yodes


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YodaBoy
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"YodaBoy" <YodaBoy.2k0d94@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
news:YodaBoy.2k0d94@nospamplease.com
> As mentioned before, my DVD drive is unreliable but the thing that
> seems to kick in back into action again (so that DVD-ROMs can be read
> again) is putting a DVD movie in the drive. I do this, let Media
> Player start, close it, pop the DVD moviw out, put a DVD-ROM in and
> off I go again. Not a seamless user experiance by any means but it
> means that I'm not totally stumped. I was wondering whether any
> experts out there can deduce anything about the problem from this...

Yes Yodes! One of your lasers is failing in the drive (I'm 99.9% sure of
it). You will find it will read some DVDs reliably and some others not
at all. And some others it may take 4 or 5 times. Trust me! It won't be
long when no DVD can be read, no matter what you do.

--
Bill

Thanks for the info Bill - forewarned is forearmed (or something like
that...).

Can you (or anyone else) suggest a way forward. A replacement Sony DVD
drive would be best: preferably not the DW-U54A because it's always been
pants but are any other, better Sony drives compatible with my
PCG-GRT916V???

Alternatively is the other model further down the post, Lite-On
SLW-831S, compatible?


--
YodaBoy
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"YodaBoy" <YodaBoy.2k601d@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
news:YodaBoy.2k601d@nospamplease.com
> Thanks for the info Bill - forewarned is forearmed (or something like
> that...).
>
> Can you (or anyone else) suggest a way forward. A replacement Sony
> DVD drive would be best: preferably not the DW-U54A because it's
> always been pants but are any other, better Sony drives compatible
> with my PCG-GRT916V???
>
> Alternatively is the other model further down the post, Lite-On
> SLW-831S, compatible?

Well there is some hope. That the lense is just dirty. At least that is
worth a shot. <grin>

--
Bill