Firmware downgrade using official (patched) flasher, the "Ultra hax0r guide"

[gefukt]

tragicgames and coneslayer, please see this thread:
https://makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... S40#p71616

you can save your WH14NS40. the guys walked me through the fix and it worked. please let me know if i can help.

[MartyMcNuts]

Well, if it were me, I'd fall back to the 'old fashioned' dosflash dump, use datamover to apply cal data to clean image, dosflash... just the thing Billy, Alex & Marty specialize in. Seeing as you got yourself here, negotiating with them seems like the best bet... or write off the drive. Your call.

Yeah, I just ordered a replacement. I may play around with dosflash, but after 5+ years of regular use, it's earned its retirement if I don't get it going again. Thanks again for your help.

@coneslayer,

Can you please give this tool a try on your old WH14NS40 drive. I don't have an old NS40 drive to test it on, so can you be the guinea pig?

I have (hopefully) modified this enough to ignore the "Failure #5" error, so with any luck it will flash the WH14NS40 (NS40) 1.03 firmware to your drive.


ATTACHMENT REMOVED as it did not work.

Please let me know if this works for you.

[coneslayer]

Can you please give this tool a try on your old WH14NS40 drive. I don't have an old NS40 drive to test it on, so can you be the guinea pig?

Thanks, I'll be happy to test it, but it might be a couple of days until I get a chance (I already pulled the drive for a new one so I'll have to put the old one back).

[MartyMcNuts]

Can you please give this tool a try on your old WH14NS40 drive. I don't have an old NS40 drive to test it on, so can you be the guinea pig?

Thanks, I'll be happy to test it, but it might be a couple of days until I get a chance (I already pulled the drive for a new one so I'll have to put the old one back).

Thanks. I await your result.

Hopefully it works as there have been quite a few people that have not checked to see if their drive is (NS50) and have screwed up their old (NS40) drives. If it works, then this will be a very easy fix for this issue.

Thanks again..

[coneslayer]

Thanks. I await your result.

I reinstalled the NS40 drive and ran your new executable (FW 1.03 Re-Flasher for LG WH14NS40 (NS40) Drives.zip). When I clicked start, I did not get an error message, but the (empty) drive tray opened. (The tray also opened with other flashers when when I got the Error 5.) At that point, the Start and Exit buttons both grayed out. The progress bar stayed gray and there was no sign of activity. I waited at least 5 minutes with no sign of progress, and exited the program. Nothing seems to have changed with the drive. Thanks for the effort.

[MartyMcNuts]

Thanks. I await your result.

I reinstalled the NS40 drive and ran your new executable (FW 1.03 Re-Flasher for LG WH14NS40 (NS40) Drives.zip). When I clicked start, I did not get an error message, but the (empty) drive tray opened. (The tray also opened with other flashers when when I got the Error 5.) At that point, the Start and Exit buttons both grayed out. The progress bar stayed gray and there was no sign of activity. I waited at least 5 minutes with no sign of progress, and exited the program. Nothing seems to have changed with the drive. Thanks for the effort.

Ok. Thanks for trying. I'll have to have another look at the tool.

[SamuriHL]

It's frustrating because we know the calibration data isn't corrupt, so, flashing it with dosflash isn't REALLY necessary. However, these windows flashers do NOT want to flash them back to NS40 firmware after they've been erroneously converted to NS50. Yet if they would succeed, then these drives could be fixed MUCH easier. SIGH.

[MartyMcNuts]

It's frustrating because we know the calibration data isn't corrupt, so, flashing it with dosflash isn't REALLY necessary. However, these windows flashers do NOT want to flash them back to NS40 firmware after they've been erroneously converted to NS50. Yet if they would succeed, then these drives could be fixed MUCH easier. SIGH.

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking. I'm trying!!!

[SamuriHL]

I know you are and I applaud the effort! I wonder if there's any other magic bits in the firmware bin that would allow it.....nothing I would even consider looking at but you have to wonder if there's a way to tell the firmware to "do as I say" LOL

[mike admin]

That is technically correct. Mike will add support for the NS60 1.01 firmware (and BU50N whatever firmware that's on) soon and then you won't have to worry about downgrading the firmware. He has not given any time frames for that support, but, given that he already supports the NS60 1.00 firmware I don't imagine it'd be too long. Once you have a supported drive, this next part is crucial....NEVER TOUCH THE FIRMWARE AGAIN! Once your drive is supported for LibreDrive mode, you're done and you win.

Please see viewtopic.php?f=19&t=19113 . The re-flash is still required, but you can stay on latest firmware.

[SamuriHL]

That is technically correct. Mike will add support for the NS60 1.01 firmware (and BU50N whatever firmware that's on) soon and then you won't have to worry about downgrading the firmware. He has not given any time frames for that support, but, given that he already supports the NS60 1.00 firmware I don't imagine it'd be too long. Once you have a supported drive, this next part is crucial....NEVER TOUCH THE FIRMWARE AGAIN! Once your drive is supported for LibreDrive mode, you're done and you win.

Please see viewtopic.php?f=19&t=19113 . The re-flash is still required, but you can stay on latest firmware.

Thank you, sir! That's tremendous!!!!

[Boosted99]

can anyone help me out? i have an asus BW-12B1ST drive that i crossflashed to lg bh14ns40, the drive worked at this point but i read i could then crossflash to bh16ns40 or back to the asus BW-16D1HT. at this point i tried the lg and it wouldnt flash so i did the asus firmware and it completed but now it wont read any disks. i have tried firmware extractor 2 on the bh14ns40 flash tool and ran the firmware extracted through the modified tool but it gives a checksum failed so i cant flash back to the working bh14ns40 firmware, what can i do from here? the bh14ns50/58 also flash over but the drive still wont read disks.

[mike admin]

Back to BW-12B1ST from MK firmware pack or to official unpatched FW from ASUS site. You have an NS40 (or even NS30) drive, it will not read UHD discs ever.

[PilotC150]

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the work you've done!

I just got an ASUS BW-16D1HT, and within about five minutes of installing it I was able to flash the firmware and get it reading UHD discs. Got my first disc ripping right now so hopefully it works.

Thank you for letting me buy a cheaper drive and not having to spend $50 more on an official UHD drive.

[nj54567]

I'm also pretty sure it's the enclosure.

Open it and check the type of main chip doing the job. That's the biggest chip you see on the PCB.

If it says it is a JMS539 I have some remedy for you. If not - you have to check and ask google.

I haven't got around to check it. Assuming it's JMS539, what is the remedy and if it's not and apply this remedy, will it damage the enclosure? Thanks.