First, let me thank the MakeMKV crew on outstanding software and the helpful MakeMKV forum members and moderators for all the help they give. I'm a (currently unemployed) tech professional not new to optical media backup and ripping, but I am relatively new to UHD ripping.
Brief background: I wanted a second backup slim drive to complement my primary full-height drive. I found a used HP BU40N but needed an enclosure. The UHD flashing guide's recommended enclosure from Vantec was discontinued. So I bought a few different enclosures to test, and I hacked together a solution. I enjoyed this process and thought I might be able to save other enthusiasts some time and money while making a little pocket money due to my situation.
TL, DR: I have a limited number of drives for sale.
More details:
These are used HP BU40N drives manufactured late 2018 through early 2019.
They will have MK BU40N 1.04 firmware installed on them. (If needed, I have the original HP firmware that can be flashed back to the drive for whatever reason.)
Each drive will go through rigorous testing before being shipped out: UHD BD backup, BD backup, DVD backup, CD backup, BD-RE burn, DVD+RW burn, CD-RW burn. I have screenshots of testing each drive that will prove this.
The drive will have a new bezel. The original ones were meant for HP's cases and were rather bulky and unattractive and would not fit in any enclosure.
The enclosure is sturdy metal with a good USB-to-SATA controller that allows flashing. It is USB 2.0 but has absolutely no problems ripping UHD BD's at 6.0x.
In the box, you will get the drive in its enclosure and a USB Y-cable.
Inventory numbers will be updated as more inventory becomes available after testing is completed.
Free shipping to anywhere in the United States! (Sorry, I will not ship internationally.)
Terms/the fine print:
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide post-sale support. This is a limited time gig with limited supply for me, and I won't be building a business around this. (Hint: Many of your issues might already be solved through the forums.) Any support requests will be referred back to this policy.
I will throw in shipping to anywhere in the United States included in the price. Because of this, all prices are firm. Any negotiation requests will be ignored or referred back to this policy.
Because this is a product that has been modified from original, there are no refunds or exchanges. Any refund or exchange requests will be referred back to this policy.
The drive will be shipped out soon after payment is received. Please allow up to 2 days for it to be shipped out. Under no circumstances will product be shipped out before payment is complete.
If there is any doubt on the pricing or the work that is done, please read this post to see what is entailed in helping fellow enthusiasts with these drives.
Updated January 31, 2025 7:35 PM CST:
Current inventory: 3
Current price: US$101
Ships via USPS and usually arrives in 3 business days
Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions or want to order a drive!! larhaus787@gmail.com
Last edited by larhaus on Sat Feb 01, 2025 1:34 am, edited 5 times in total.
It was in the mail the day I paid and made it to me in a few days through the USPS. It looks great in a nice slim case and works with MakeMKV, right out of the box, to backup my movies, so it made setup dead simple.
The only trouble I had with it wasn't really the drive's fault. It cranked through 4 discs smoothly and then it wouldn't recognize a 5th, but when I pulled out the troublesome disc, it had greasy fingerprint smeared across it. Wiping it clean and sticking it back in got things right back to working smoothly. For anyone else ordering a drive, check your discs for smears, haze, or scratches if they aren't working. There are some repair kits you can order out there for damaged discs, but I don't have any recommendations on that front.
Overall, I am extremely happy to be able to start backing up physical collection of blu-rays and this helped me do that with confidence and speed.
It was in the mail the day I paid and made it to me in a few days through the USPS. It looks great in a nice slim case and works with MakeMKV, right out of the box, to backup my movies, so it made setup dead simple.
The only trouble I had with it wasn't really the drive's fault. It cranked through 4 discs smoothly and then it wouldn't recognize a 5th, but when I pulled out the troublesome disc, it had greasy fingerprint smeared across it. Wiping it clean and sticking it back in got things right back to working smoothly. For anyone else ordering a drive, check your discs for smears, haze, or scratches if they aren't working. There are some repair kits you can order out there for damaged discs, but I don't have any recommendations on that front.
Overall, I am extremely happy to be able to start backing up physical collection of blu-rays and this helped me do that with confidence and speed.
5 stars out of 5 stars, I am a happy customer.
Thank you for your support! It was a pleasure!
Generally, when I find oily smudges and fingerprints, I take the disc and turn on the faucet with a little trickle of water, and then I use a simple liquid soap or dishwashing liquid that washes clean like Method or Dawn (avoid bar soap or any liquid soap with moisturizers), and gently just use my thumb to wash the disc, going straight from hub to edge and back, never in circles (like buffing) and never around the disc. Then to finish washing I go full blast on the faucet for a bit to get the remaining soap off, and then to dry it, I use a small microfiber cloth (I recommend avoiding using paper towels and large microfiber cloths with the bigger bristles as I've found both tend to leave a lot of lint), following the same hub to edge motion. Unless there is some kind of scratch that the drive doesn't like, for me, that has always fixed the problem with discs that have some fingerprints, oil, sheen, or dust!
I was given permission from a valued customer to post this review in its entirety, unedited.
I recently purchased this Blu-ray drive, and I couldn't be happier with my experience. The drive works great for ripping Blu-rays, but what really stood out was the seller, Larry. He was incredibly communicative, responding to my questions promptly and keeping me updated throughout the process. The shipping was timely, and Larry made sure everything went smoothly. It’s rare to find such great customer service, and I truly appreciate how easy he made this purchase. Highly recommend both the product and working with Larry!
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the drive! Happy to help!
This guy's drives are legit. I love the fact that it's also saving drives from the landfill.
larhaus was very professional, and he had the drive in the mail the next day.
I had unrelated trouble with USPS delivering the package, it went back and forth a couple of times, but that was not OP's fault. He did keep in touch with me as I awaited delivery though.
I have backed up a few of my Blu-rays and UHD Blu-Rays so far, and it's perfect.
I have no issue recommending these repurposed drives, especially for those searching for a drive to back up their 4K UHD Blu-rays.
Edited to say I also really appreciated how well it was packaged.
