Advice sought Re DVD"New" (Used) laptop

[six-h]

Hi Guys, I have come to this forum since you guys have probably forgotten more than I will ever know about Burning software and hardware!

My problem is a bit odd...(why do these things only happen to me?  )

 

Having returned this machine to "Factory settings", I now find that the DVD burner shows as "Region code not set",... Remaining changes:- 5.

I have contacted Medion the laptop maker, and they just say set it to code 2 for UK!

My complaint to them was that the region code should not have reverted to "Not set", but to UK - Code 2, ...the market the machine was made for.

Whilst they agree the "re-set" should not have done this, they deny any culpability in the fact that this  essentially means my £1000 laptop will be severely crippled if this continues to happen and the changes counter prematurely reaches zero.

 

Has anyone here heard of this happening when a machine is returned to factory settings?

is there anything that can be done?

Edited March 26, 2015 by six-h

[LIGHTNING UK!]

If you've got 5 changes left, the counter has never been set in the first place.

 

New drives start with 5 and drop to 4 once it's been set.

 

So basically, it doesn't sound like you've got anything to worry about - and no, doing a factory settings reset shouldn't and wouldn't have touched the region code.

[six-h]

Thanks Lightning UK, but the laptop is 14 months old and the DVD was working fine prior to the Factory re-set.

I can only deduce that the reset procedure must have re set the region code to "not set" .

I can't believe that a brand new laptop would need the DVD region setting, especially if bought in the UK.

I have certainly never had to set the region on one before.

My main concern is that I will be upgrading the OS to Windows 8.1 soon....there is another life gone!

Also at the end of this year I'm planning on taking up the Microsoft offer of the free upgrade to Windows 10....another life gone??

If these things do happen, that might leave me with just two changes!

I've always objected to the blasted protectionist nature of region coding and consider it to be an infringement of free trade, now I'm even more annoyed by it!

[LIGHTNING UK!]

The software has nothing to do with your drive's hardware region code.

 

If it was a simple thing to reset the count then there'd be no point in having a region lock in the first place.

 

Just set it region 2 and forget about it. You won't have to ever think about or deal with it again.

 

Licensed software dvd players normally set the drive's region to whatever the disc's region code is if it's not set - because otherwise they can't decrypt the disc.

[six-h]

The software has nothing to do with your drive's hardware region code.

That's why I'm surprised that a software factory re-set has cleared the previously set region code!

 

 

 

 

Just set it region 2 and forget about it. You won't have to ever think about or deal with it again.

 

 

Thanks for your help, just hoping that you are right, otherwise I'll be "goosed" as they say up 'ere!

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Whilst it's technically possible with certain drives (there's a tool that can do it for LiteOn drives), I very much doubt it ever actually happened. If the manufacturer has loaded the machine with a tool that can do it for another drive, I'm sure the people of the Internet would like to get their hands on it!

 

Obviously it's too late now to actually get to the bottom of what happened here.

 

Just know that nothing touches the drive's region code unless it hasn't been set and it needs to be, or without first prompting you with a big 'region changing' type screen.

[six-h]

Thanks Lightning for your expert knowledge and reassurance!

I'd been worried by this for a few days because I have no experience in this area and couldn't think of a forum with folk who's advice you can really trust!

...Then I thought of you , knew you would have wise words for me!

Thank you.