As the title says... My drive stopped reading DVDs out of nothing few weeks / months (didn't notice when, I barely use DVDs anymore). Even multiple reinstallations of Windows 7 didn't help. I also tried flashing out the region protection, and now the drive is region free (was region 2 previously), but still that didn't help one bit.

It can read blank DVDs, but not DVDs with data on them. Has anyone ever had a similar problem?

(The drive in question is MATSHITA UJ-870BJ)

Check if it reads CDs. Probably the chip chipped. It happens.

I had a few Lite-On's [nevermore!], that stopped reading DVDs, but they read/burned CDs. I believe it was able to record DVD's but couldn't read them afterwards, and i don't think anyone could read them.

I'd say it's the same issue, one of the chips chipped/fried/fukk'd. All You can do is buy a new one, i'm affraid.

One of my old ones degraded like this. First there was only very specific discs it couldn't read. Then no DVDs at all. Your only option is to replace it. But at least they're very cheap these days.

Well, I should have probably mentioned that this is a laptop version. I will try to find a replacement. Thanks.

EDIT: Will get an external one, if I can't find one to fit properly in my lappy (ASUS G71G).

It has 'shit' in the name, says it all really

Wasn't it Matsushita years ago? I've got a mixer made by Matsushita [broken OFC].. At least it had sushi in it.

I lol'd.

EDIT: Best of all, it burns DVDs properly. It just can't read them afterwards, even though they are read fine on other PCs.

Must be the dvd-read IC.
A new one is in order. Be sure to seek a QUIET one. They're fairly cheap, fast, and usually have that neat lightscribe funcionality, for Your GOG storing pleasure.;D

Pioneer are the only DVD drives I trust

My old external DVD burner died last month in the same manner. That's just the way they go =/

Dammit, it can read most DVD-ROM discs just fine. Hell, it even read Starcraft 2, and was failing few days ago. Maybe that region unlocking thing did some work (I didn't actually restart the lappy before I opened this thread).

However, it fails to read Crysis and every DVD I burn. <-- Will burn another DVD later to see how it goes.

EDIT: It failed to read a dual layer DVD+R with data on it the first time, but the second time it read it just fine.

Maybe its not dead, but its dying slowly. :)

My matsushita laptop drive stopped reading cd's several years ago. I'm too cheap to replace it as as long as it reads dvd's that's fine. Besides most stuff is downloadable anyway. If not downloadable, I copy the whole copy cd to usb using my desktop and install from usb on my laptop.