Not sure what to try next...

[animale38]

Hello, I've been having trouble. Hopefully this is right forum to ask for help in.

I've been backing up TV shows recently and using MKV. I just finished ripping about 8 seasons of two different shows from DVDs no problem (about 24 discs?). I've moved on to blu-ray discs and I've run into a problem. My computer doesn't seem to recognize blu-rays. When I put a disc in, Windows 10 doesn't pop up notifying me that a disc is inserted. When I go to look at the drive in file explorer, it shows no disc. When I open MakeMKV it also says no disc is loaded. Here's what I've tried:

-I've tried multiple blu-ray discs, in case one or more discs are bad.
-I've tried cleaning the discs, in case one or more discs are dirty/scratched.
-I've tried reinstalling Windows drivers for optical discs multiple times.
-I've tried rolling back the firmware on the optical drive multiple times. The most current firmware is 1.03...I've tried 1.02, 1.01, and 1.00.

I'm not sure what to try next. The blu-ray drive is an old LG. According to MakeMKV it's a BD-RE BH14NS40. Bought it back in 2012 maybe? I've searched these forums and haven't found a solution. Maybe I don't know what I should be looking for? If it's a software or firmware issue, I'm not sure if there's a patched firmware for my drive and/or how to install it. I don't want to brick the drive. If it's a hardware issue, then, I'll probably need a new drive (could anyone suggest a good, basic, current model?) I'd like to continue backing up my TV shows, but, the remainder discs are blu-ray (standard...not UHD). Not sure what steps to take next.

Thanks for any help.

Oh, here's what MakeMKV says about my drive:

Drive Information
OS device name: H:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BH14NS40
Revision: 1.03
Firmware date: 2114-05-07 10:12
Bus encryption flags: 17

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1939
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 1.03
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Partial
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

No disc inserted

[bill_w]

Most likely, the blu ray laser is dead. They seem to die a lot faster than the DVD lasers. I have half a dozen blu ray drives that now only read DVDs.

[animale38]

Thank you for your assessment. I think you may be right, unfortunately. Suppose I’ll start looking for a new Blu-ray drive this evening.