The Firmware Page

Hi all, i am new here, just been googling around to try and find out how to get my HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GWA-4082B drive region free (its inside my duel 1.8ghz g5). i am guessing it needs to be done using fireware or something?

would anyone please please be able to help me out?

Thanks

Sarah

Info on my drive from apple system profiler

HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GWA-4082B:

Firmware Revision: C03D
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media:
Media Type: DVD-ROM
Blank: No
Erasable: No
Overwritable: No
Appendable: No


and some more info using dvdinfoX

Vendor: HL-DT-ST
Model: DVD-RW GWA-4082B
Firmware: C03D
RPC-2 (region locked)
State is LAST CHANCE
4 vendor resets left
1 region change left
Region 4

There's good news and bad news

GWA is an OEM version of the drive, so flashing with the GSA firmware *could* enable DVD-RAM.

Last edited by sarahisme on Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

sorry, i do not quite understand?

Most OEM firmware for LG drives is crippled and DVD-RAM support is disabled.

So if you manage to crossflash your drive to GSA, it should enable DVD-RAM support.

The bad news was that you have to remove the drive from your Mac to flash it. If you were to temporarily move the drive to a USB case, you would be able to use VPC to flash it.

The package you need is for the GSA-4082B

ok i think i got the file now.

so how do i use this .bin file exactly?

Sarah

actually i will try and figure it out myself

dont want to be one of those people..... well not just yet anyway

If you install this update will it affect iDvd or iTunes?

No. The drive will continue to appear to the Mac as Apple Installed/Supplied.

ok not to seem stupid, but i don't know how to use the .BIN files.

I put the drive in my pc ok but i dont know what to do next? :S

any help would be great!

thanks guys

Sarah

You just need to download a firmware from the link posted earlier and run the executable.

Don't interrupt flashing of the drive.

which flasher do i get though? i have windows 2000 running on my pc.

i did download one but it opens and quits.

how do you use the .bin file with the executable?

sorry for the fuss

Sarah

Download and use one of the Windows flasher packages, otherwise you would have to use the commandline for DOS-flashers/flashing.

I followed the instructions on this thread but the flasher dos not detect my drive. I am on a PC running windoze xp. I simply replaced the GWA4082b drive with the one that was previously on the PC. Any suggestions?

thanks!

Hi,

I have the same LG Hitachi dvd player/burner in my old G5 Tower that Sarah has. I read this thread and a couple other pages for region free flashing instructions, but I think that some links must be missing, because I can't quite see what I'm supposed to do. For example, I can't find the .bin Sarah mentioned. I did download the zip files that the Dangerous Bros linked to, but there's no readme, only these beta .exe files.

So, with apologies, may I please have some clarification on how to accomplish this? Am I meant to pull the dvd drive out of my G5 and somehow connect it to a pc which will run the software to flash the drive? There are two pieces of software should I run A039 first, then A03D? I have a Dell laptop running XP, will that do the job?

Thank you very much for your time and effort.

--Piso Mojado

either use bootcamp, or put it into a windows based system and flash it, read the page carefully, one is autoreset and the next RPC1 firmware

I did read the words "auto reset" and "RPC1 firmware" next to the download links, but those words mean nothing to me. I also searched these boards with those terms, but found nothing and everything respectively. I read the faq, the "read before posting", and a few other pages as well, but nothing which clued me into the specifics of what I'm supposed to do. These boards are full of terse one or two sentence answers packed with jargon. There's nothing I could find resembling step by step instructions. I don't mean to b*tch, because I know I'm asking for free advice, but please try to see it from a n00b's pov.

I don't have Bootcamp (it only runs on the newer Intel-based Macs, and then only if you install Windows on your machine), so do you know where I can read instructions on how to remove my g5's dvd drive and how to attach it temporarily to a laptop? Once I accomplish that, would you please tell me what to do with the "auto reset" and "RPC1 firmware"?

the FAQ clearly has a post for the difference between autoreset and RPC1, Remove the drive from your tower and connect it via IDE to your windows based system, on steps, all we can say is run either the autoreset or the RPC1 application inside the download, and follow what it says