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)

---

**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.

---

**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

---

**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

---

**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

---

**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?

---

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.

[aas88keyz]

Hi all,

I wanted to follow up on my original post with an update and ask for further guidance.

After following earlier advice, I was able to successfully recover the drive using the LG official flasher and restore it to a working state. It functioned normally for about a week and was able to read and rip Blu-ray and UHD discs without issue.

However, the problem has now returned, and I’m trying to determine whether this is still recoverable or if the drive has developed a hardware fault.

---

**Current behavior (new):**

* Drive is detected normally in Windows and MakeMKV
* Accepts discs and spins for an extended period (~45–60 seconds)
* Produces intermittent clicking and occasional grinding noises
* Fails to detect or mount any disc (DVD, BD, UHD)
* Eventually stops spinning without identifying media

---

**What I’ve tried since recovery:**

* Reflashed full chain using LG official flasher:

* NS50 1.02 (DE) → 1.03 (stock) → 1.05 (stock)
* Multiple full cold power cycles (including PSU disconnect, 5–20 min)
* Attempted patched firmware:

* NS50 1.05 NM00900 (regressed behavior → reverted)
* Tested via direct SATA connection (no enclosure)
* Attempted SDFtool rawflash again (previously succeeded once, later failed with DRAM write error)
* Verified MakeMKV toolchain (reinstalled to restore SDF.bin)

---

**Observed changes:**

* After clean reflashing, drive behavior improved slightly (longer spin attempts, fewer immediate failures)
* Patched firmware reduced spin time and increased clicking (worse behavior)
* Best current state is stock NS50 1.05, but still no disc detection

---

**Current assessment:**

At this point, firmware appears to be consistent and correctly restored. The drive does attempt to read discs more aggressively than before, but still cannot achieve a successful read or mount.

Given the regression after initially working, I’m starting to suspect:

* degraded optical pickup / calibration drift
* or possible instability in flash/controller memory

---

**What I’m looking for now:**

* Confirmation whether this pattern is consistent with hardware failure vs recoverable calibration issue
* Whether attempting a **full dump restore (MT1959)** is still worth trying in this state
* Any additional recovery steps I may have missed before writing the drive off

---

I appreciate all the help so far—this drive did come back once, so I wanted to take one last structured pass before replacing it.

Thanks again for any guidance.

[MartyMcNuts]

Hi all,

I wanted to follow up on my original post with an update and ask for further guidance.

After following earlier advice, I was able to successfully recover the drive using the LG official flasher and restore it to a working state. It functioned normally for about a week and was able to read and rip Blu-ray and UHD discs without issue.

However, the problem has now returned, and I’m trying to determine whether this is still recoverable or if the drive has developed a hardware fault.

---

**Current behavior (new):**

* Drive is detected normally in Windows and MakeMKV
* Accepts discs and spins for an extended period (~45–60 seconds)
* Produces intermittent clicking and occasional grinding noises
* Fails to detect or mount any disc (DVD, BD, UHD)
* Eventually stops spinning without identifying media

---

**What I’ve tried since recovery:**

* Reflashed full chain using LG official flasher:

* NS50 1.02 (DE) → 1.03 (stock) → 1.05 (stock)
* Multiple full cold power cycles (including PSU disconnect, 5–20 min)
* Attempted patched firmware:

* NS50 1.05 NM00900 (regressed behavior → reverted)
* Tested via direct SATA connection (no enclosure)
* Attempted SDFtool rawflash again (previously succeeded once, later failed with DRAM write error)
* Verified MakeMKV toolchain (reinstalled to restore SDF.bin)

---

**Observed changes:**

* After clean reflashing, drive behavior improved slightly (longer spin attempts, fewer immediate failures)
* Patched firmware reduced spin time and increased clicking (worse behavior)
* Best current state is stock NS50 1.05, but still no disc detection

---

**Current assessment:**

At this point, firmware appears to be consistent and correctly restored. The drive does attempt to read discs more aggressively than before, but still cannot achieve a successful read or mount.

Given the regression after initially working, I’m starting to suspect:

* degraded optical pickup / calibration drift
* or possible instability in flash/controller memory

---

**What I’m looking for now:**

* Confirmation whether this pattern is consistent with hardware failure vs recoverable calibration issue
* Whether attempting a **full dump restore (MT1959)** is still worth trying in this state
* Any additional recovery steps I may have missed before writing the drive off

---

I appreciate all the help so far—this drive did come back once, so I wanted to take one last structured pass before replacing it.

Thanks again for any guidance.

This is not a firmware issue. Flashing and re-flashing wil not do anything. Please stop doing that! Issues like this often happen with these junk LG drives.

1. Completely power down the drive (if external) or the PC if installed internally for about 10 minutes.
2. While waiting, grab yourself a coffee.
3. Power up the drive/PC and insert a disc.
4. Let the OS initialise the disc and that you can see it in explorer.
5. Now open up MakeMKV and the disc should be found.

If the issue is not resolved, the drive is probably faulty.

[aas88keyz]

Thanks for the response—I appreciate the straightforward guidance.

I followed your steps exactly to rule out any initialization or software timing issues:

1. Fully powered down the system (tested both internal SATA and external enclosure) for ~15 minutes
2. Booted back up and inserted a disc before launching anything
3. Confirmed the disc initializes in Windows Explorer
4. Then launched MakeMKV afterward

---

**Results:**

* In some cases, the disc is briefly recognized in Explorer after a fresh power cycle
* However, the drive consistently fails once any sustained read begins
* It spins up, then cycles with clicking/grinding, and ultimately fails to mount or read
* Behavior is identical across DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD

---

At this point, I’ve stopped all firmware flashing as suggested.

Given that:

* The drive was temporarily working after recovery
* Now shows degraded read behavior across all media
* And fails even under clean initialization conditions

…it does seem consistent with a **failing optical pickup or calibration issue** rather than firmware.

---

Unless there are any additional low-level recovery steps worth attempting, I’ll consider the drive unreliable and likely end-of-life.

**One final question:**
Given the current state, what firmware would you recommend I leave the drive on for maximum stability—stock NS50 1.05, or an earlier version?

---

Thanks again for the help and for helping rule out firmware as the cause.

[MartyMcNuts]

Thanks for the response—I appreciate the straightforward guidance.

I followed your steps exactly to rule out any initialization or software timing issues:

1. Fully powered down the system (tested both internal SATA and external enclosure) for ~15 minutes
2. Booted back up and inserted a disc before launching anything
3. Confirmed the disc initializes in Windows Explorer
4. Then launched MakeMKV afterward

---

**Results:**

* In some cases, the disc is briefly recognized in Explorer after a fresh power cycle
* However, the drive consistently fails once any sustained read begins
* It spins up, then cycles with clicking/grinding, and ultimately fails to mount or read
* Behavior is identical across DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD

---

At this point, I’ve stopped all firmware flashing as suggested.

Given that:

* The drive was temporarily working after recovery
* Now shows degraded read behavior across all media
* And fails even under clean initialization conditions

…it does seem consistent with a **failing optical pickup or calibration issue** rather than firmware.

---

Unless there are any additional low-level recovery steps worth attempting, I’ll consider the drive unreliable and likely end-of-life.

**One final question:**
Given the current state, what firmware would you recommend I leave the drive on for maximum stability—stock NS50 1.05, or an earlier version?

---

Thanks again for the help and for helping rule out firmware as the cause.

WH16NS60 1.02-MK is the recommended firmware for your drive model.

[Billycar11]

try cleaning the laser
and no not with a cleaning disc
take the drive apart and clean the lasers directly

[aas88keyz]

I did open the drive and it actually looked pretty clean inside already, but after flashing to WH16NS60 1.02-MK I went ahead and cleaned the lasers directly too.

Now the discs will spin for about a minute and then stop. There also isn’t as much grinding noise as before the flash and cleaning, so maybe that’s some kind of progress? I’m honestly not sure.

Tomorrow I’m planning to get a replacement drive while I still can. Even if the new drive works for what I need, I’m still going to keep trying to troubleshoot the old one too.