WH16NS40 NS50 soft-bricked after wrong firmware – no disc detection – need recovery guidance / possible full dump

[aas88keyz]

Hi all,

I’m looking for help recovering an LG WH16NS40 (NS50 variant) that appears to be soft-bricked after a firmware mismatch.

**Drive info:**

* Model: WH16NS40
* Variant: NS50
* Interface: SATA (also tested in external enclosure)

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**What happened:**
I mistakenly flashed NS40 firmware onto this NS50 drive. Since then, the drive is still detected by Windows, but it no longer recognizes or reads any discs.

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**Current behavior:**

* Drive is detected normally in Windows and tools
* Accepts discs and spins for ~10 seconds
* Then stops spinning with no read attempt
* No DVD, Blu-ray, or UHD discs are recognized
* Same behavior across all media types

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**What I’ve tried so far:**

* Reflashed stock NS50 firmware (1.05)
* Attempted downgrade/recovery path (NS50 1.03 → 1.05)
* Used SDFtool (recover/write modes)
* Attempted rawflash with DE firmware (1.02 NS50)
* Multiple full power cycles (including PSU disconnect)
* Tested via both SATA and USB enclosure

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**Current issue:**

* Still no disc detection at all
* SDFtool initially reported “No drive tool logic found” (worked around with rawflash attempts)
* Behavior suggests firmware/calibration corruption rather than laser failure

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**What I’m looking for:**

* Guidance on whether this is still recoverable via software
* Whether a full dump (MT1959) restore is required at this point
* If so, would anyone be willing to share or point me toward a compatible WH16NS40 NS50 dump for recovery?

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I understand calibration data is per-drive, but I’d like to attempt recovery before writing the drive off.

Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.

## Thanks in advance.

**(Optional additional info I can provide if needed):**

* Current firmware string reported by MakeMKV
* Manufacturing date / label info
* Full debug logs

[Billycar11]

Try using lgs official updater to unbrick it
Or the unlocked LG or Asus flasher in the guide

[aas88keyz]

Try using lgs official updater to unbrick it
Or the unlocked LG or Asus flasher in the guide

Thank you for the guidance—I really appreciate the help.

I was able to recover the drive successfully. The LG official updater worked immediately to restore the factory firmware and bring the drive back to a readable state. From there, I used the unlocked LG flasher with a downgraded firmware, which then allowed me to proceed with flashing the MK firmware using SDFtool.

The drive is now fully functional again. I’m able to read and rip Blu-rays and UHD discs without issues. As an added bonus, it’s now successfully reading a stack of UHD discs that my replacement drive previously struggled with.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction—this saved the drive.