Soft bricked 1st gen WH14NS40

[grayboardtiles]

Hey everyone, I accidentally flashed a 2nd gen LG WH14NS40 SVC50 firmware with the self update tool and forgot to check if my drive was compatible, and DVDs and Blurays are no longer detected by the drive. Tried flashing an old official firmware with the same tool and got the checksum error. I found a couple threads that mentioned the only way to fix this is with the dosflash tool, Windows PE, the data mover tool, and the old official firmware WH14NS40_140326_1.03-A0_NOBJ_DE.bin. Link from the first topic link:

download/file.php?id=1817

I made a 32-bit Windows PE bootable 4 gb usb with the Aomei tool and tried booting it just to see if it worked, but only my installed Windows 10 started. I haven't tried booting it with my SATA ports set to IDE, would that be why?

Also, does it matter what incorrect firmware my drive is currently using? Is the vital calibration data always encoded in the current firmware if it was flashed with the self update tool?

Links for anyone else looking for them:

https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic ... 16&t=19071

https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic ... 16&t=19588

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXgybNfHhcg

https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic ... 16&t=17058

https://club.myce.com/t/dosflash-v2-0-p ... ves/399911

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w8I-pH ... 0Pf0O/view

https://www.aomeitech.com/pe-builder.html

Instructions by SamuriHL from the first topic link for anyone else who needs them:

o) Create a WinPE boot usb stick with dosflash and WH14NS40_140326_1.03-A0_NOBJ_DE.bin and the data mover tool
o) Put the SATA port to IDE mode in the bios
o) Boot from the WinPE USB stick

The rest of this is INCREDIBLY important to not screw up so read this twice:

o) Using dosflash, extract (read) the current firmware
o) Run the data mover and move the data from the extracted firmware to the WH14NS40_140326_1.03-A0_NOBJ_DE.bin file and write out a new bin file
o) Flash the new bin file with dosflash

[d00zah]

I made a 32-bit Windows PE bootable 4 gb usb with the Aomei tool and tried booting it just to see if it worked, but only my installed Windows 10 started. I haven't tried booting it with my SATA ports set to IDE, would that be why?

You need to set the order of boot devices in the BIOS such that it tries USB before HDD.

Mine is typically set to try USB, then ODD (install DVD/BD), then HDD (installed OS). This covers MOST circumstances.

[SamuriHL]

And if you flashed it with the wrong firmware using a Windows flasher, then the calibration and encryption data should be in tact.

[grayboardtiles]

It worked, my drive can now read blurays and dvds again! Turns out my Gigabyte motherboard had Legacy USB support turned off which was preventing the BIOS mode 32-bit windows PE USB drive from starting up. I enabled it in the BIOS by holding down the delete key during system startup, going to classic setup from the home menu, going to the peripherals menu, and then enabling Legacy USB support.

I also made sure boot mode selection was configured to UEFI and Legacy under windows 8 features in the BIOS features section. I also noticed that windows didn't boot by default unless I booted it directly by holding down F12 during boot. It turns out that the BIOS was trying to boot to a nonexistent USB drive even when the drive was unplugged. Replugging the USB drive and putting windows boot manager and the ssd back together as the first and second boot options in the boot order fixed that. Thank you both for your help!

[guido79]

I've been reading this thread along with others in this forum about fixing my soft bricked WH14NS40 [Mfg. Date July, 2013; ROM VER: 1.01]. After flashing my firmware to 1.02_NS50 by accident, I'm no longer able to ready any disc inserted into the drive. I've done everything recommended in this thread to try to go back down to 1.01 but fail in the following ways:

1) Using any version of LG Firmware Updaters or modified Updaters (HL Data Storage flasher apps), I keep getting the "CheckSum is mismatched. Drive will go to BOOT mode Please retry again." error.
2) Using the AOMEI_PE created WindowsPE USB boot stick to try to do this:

o) Using dosflash, extract (read) the current firmware
o) Run the data mover and move the data from the extracted firmware to the WH14NS40_140326_1.03-A0_NOBJ_DE.bin file and write out a new bin file
o) Flash the new bin file with dosflash

I am not able to get DosFlash32 to see my drive. The Port: field is blank and all other indicators are blank telling me that DosFlash32 doesn't see the drive. I have made sure the bios is set to IDE and the drive is connected on Port 0 SATA connector on a Gigabyte logic board (GA-Z77X-UP5 TH). Different Ports 1, 2 or 3 do not make a difference.

Am I stuck or do I still have a chance to resurrect my soft bricked drive?

[SamuriHL]

You're stuck until you can figure out why dosflash isn't seeing the drive. That is the only method of resurrecting one of these bricked ns40's.

[guido79]

Ok. I'm fixed! No matter what I did on my newer Gigabyte system GA-Z77X-UP5-TH, I could not access the drive with DosFlash32. This logic board has both SATA and GSATA connectors which don't see my drive even after checking for IDE vs. AHCI SATA modes.

On a hunch, I put the drive in an older Gigabyte system GA-H61N-USB3 I had laying around and I was able to see and fix the drive by following the steps listed in this thread. I'm betting I was still missing something in my Bios on my new system but couldn't figure out any other settings beyond checking for IDE vs AHCI modes.

Thanks for the help!

[SamuriHL]

Awesome. Glad you were able to fix it.

[toddInPortland]

I have a WH16NS60 with firmware 1.02, similar to the WH14NS40 in the original post. I have MakeMKV 1.14.7 which can rip HD blue-rays, but not UHD. So my next step is to reflash the drive. While there is plenty of firmware to download, flashers are all over the place. So I've collected here what I have found hoping for someone in authority to clarify before I brick my drive. Please forgive the mistakes.

Among the postings in these forums and elsewhere, there are a variety of flashers suggested. I believe there are two primary methods:

1. Downgrade the drive to an older flash version (1.0?) to re-enable vendor commands. This allows MakeMKV to use discovered keys to perform the rip.
2. A new approach which uses a flash image that is slightly modified from the original, leaving the original security untouched, but enabling the vendor commands that allow security to be sidestepped.

I believe the different flashers can be used to accomplish A or B. So here are the various flashers I've found.

• DosFlash32, also referred to as dosflash, and elsewhere as DosFlash v2.0. This link (https://club.myce.com/t/dosflash-v2-0-p ... ves/399911) says it lives in the "official LD flashing utility, but there's no further links to the original; only the modified.
  
  This link has a surprisingly clear description and a link (https://club.myce.com/t/dosflash-v2-0-p ... ves/399911) to both firmware and DosFlash32.
• DevilsClaw’s Flasher. This is the easiest to find on github for both binary releases and source code (https://github.com/devilsclaw/flasher/releases).
  
  Note, however, that the code hasn't been updated since about 2011, with the exception of a change to the readme file in 2013. The source code builds on Fedora 29, but faults when trying to extract firmware from the drive. The 32-bit binary release works better, but complains that it "failed to find pattern".
• ASUS flasher, apparently known as ASUS_ODD_FW_Changer. Thanks to the fine write up on "Ultimate UHD Drives Guide" (https://www.2mkv.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... f7c05e6b90), there are four links to other postings about flashers. The links are about 1/3 through the initial posting under the paragraph titled Unlocked FlashersThe first link takes you to a posting about the ASUS flasher. This one looks safe.
• LG flasher. I think this is known as the MTK flasher. The second of the four links describes this in the context of method A, and makes it clear that method A is dangerous. It does provide a link to the flasher in the initial post, but that eventually takes you to zippyshare.com which is not a nice place. I tried several times but always got popup with either porn or spam and never the download of the MTK flasher. Fortunately, the first reply has a valid link to a patched ASUS flasher (ASUS_BW-16D1HT_3.02_OFFICIAL_(BYTE_PATCHED).bin.zip). I have never seen a valid link to an LG flasher, although I note that there are lots of good links to flashers for LG phones. I have no idea whether they are the same.

The third link describes method B in detail and provides a link to the patched MK firmware. It does not provide a link to any flashers, which implies that any of the flashers listed above should work.

The fourth link is not focused on a flasher, but rather on firmware for BU40N-N 1.02.

Conclusion (so far): flash the MK firware using the ASUS flasher. Did I get it right?

[SamuriHL]

EDIT: I want to CLEARLY state that what I'm talking about below has NOTHING to do with the subject of this thread. This is for the NS60 owner in the above post ONLY. DO NOT try this on an NS40.


Alrighty....let's begin, shall we?

First mistake. This thread is for the first generation NS40 drive, which is not, in fact the NS60. So, there's that. LOL

dosflash and devils claw flasher shouldn't even be on your radar at all. So let's ignore those.

Asus modified flasher (ASUS_ODD_FW_Changer) is good, yes.

LG modified flasher is also good, yes, but since you don't have a valid link to it let's just ignore that one for now, as well.

That leaves us with the ASUS modified flasher (ASUS_ODD_FW_Changer), which you have. Perfect. Using that flasher, and that one only in this case, you can now proceed to flash the MK 1.02 firmware for the NS60 on your drive. This will restore LibreDrive functionality (and allow downgrades to previous firmware should you choose to for whatever reason, however, that's not necessary) and you will then be good to go. At that point, you no longer need to flash anything further to your drive, even if "new" firmware comes out.

[toddInPortland]

Thanks very much for clarifying.

[ocb1640]

Hello,

I appear to have soft bricked my BH16NS40 thanks to the stupid updater from LG.

I see on the LG forum I am not the only one - with comments from this weekend from others!

How do I downgrade this drive, when it isnt the NS50, but older variant? The easy tools like mentioned above are only for BH16NS40 NS50.

Is the only option to use DosFlash on x86 WinPE and data mover etc?

[MartyMcNuts]

Hello,

I appear to have soft bricked my BH16NS40 thanks to the stupid updater from LG.

I see on the LG forum I am not the only one - with comments from this weekend from others!

How do I downgrade this drive, when it isnt the NS50, but older variant? The easy tools like mentioned above are only for BH16NS40 NS50.

Is the only option to use DosFlash on x86 WinPE and data mover etc?

Yes, in your case, dosflash is the only option.

PS: I've had a customer do the exact same thing as you with a BH16NS40. I suggested they try contacting LG about what happend to their drive and suggest they replace it. The customer got back to me a couple of weeks later stating that LG sent a BH16NS55 as a replacement drive. I suggest you try the same thing. You might just get a new drive out of it! ***(Please, under no circumstances mention what goes on here!)***

[Juan_Ladines]

hi guys, i bricked my WH14NS40 V1.01 November 2012 with latest firmware published on LG Official page today, my bad. There is a saying here in venezuela. If its not bad, don´t touch it. I wish to getback time now. The firmware updater could not perfom completely, it dropped a message "try in boot mode, but after that i could not read cd/dvd/and bluerays. It still says 1.01 Version, an does not work. I am going to enroll in this journey to save my only blueray player at home. I hope i can get it back to life with your help.

[Billycar11]

Post your makemkv drive info section
If your actually in boot mode you are in luck just flash the original firmware and it should be fixed
Here is old fw https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZtdhSX ... sp=sharing