Dead LT163 - What to do next (replace with?)

[ck42]

My infrequently used LT163 just can't read crap anymore.....so, I'm wondering what to do about a replacement.

Currently, I have a Teac 16X CDRW and the LiteOn DVDROM drive.

I really like having 2 drives. So, considering prices, should I spend the $35-40 and get a new DVDROM only drive or a little more and buy one of the CDRW/DVDROM multi drives to go with the Teac?

Any advantage to having an DVDROM ONLY drive instead of the multi type drives?

My needs/wants: I don't read/rip DVDs very often. I frequently burn CDR/CDRWs tho.
I would like to have 2 optical drives.
Moving up from 16X to 52X CDRW isn't that big of a deal to me....it's not like I'm sitting waiting for disc to burn anyway.
I really like quiet drives.
I don't do much DAE...tho, having a drive that is accurate when I do is important.
....that's all I can think of for right now.

[burninfool]

I would go with a Lite-On 165 or 166 you can pick one up for $30USD.
www.pricewatch.com
www.pricegrabber.com

[Dartman]

My 166s died recently also but it was a year old and new ones are dirt cheap so I just replaced it with another one in black this time for 40 bucks.
My original 163 is still going strong in my sisters computer as I type. It's over 2 years old now.
The 166 works so well when it's right I couldn't think of anything better for the money anyways.
I think the spindle or tray motor died on mine, it would close slower and slower and finally just wouldn't read anything or spin up all the way.

[vsekh]

My 165H stopped working when I upgraded to an Intel E7205 and I875 chipsets. I upgraded to a 166s, which has worked flawlessly for me on both Intel chipsets.

Another vote for the 166S

[seaegg]

Had the same problem with a LTD-163 and Liteon's tech support sent me a FW I've never seen posted, flashed and the drive has been brought from the dead working like a charm.

[dodecahedron]

Had the same problem with a LTD-163 and Liteon's tech support sent me a FW I've never seen posted, flashed and the drive has been brought from the dead working like a charm.

i'm sure dave would be grateful if you emailed him a copy of this "unreleased" firmware.

[RJW]

If it's still death then replace it with a Toshiba dvd reader if you want just a new dvd reader.

I know Lite On is cheaper but Toshiba last longer so it's cheaper in the end.
Lite On really is cheap but also has a reputation of lasting just one year (or even less) of intens use in my environment.

[mzidanic]

On a similar note, I just inherited a used LTD-163D. I installed it in my Win2000 system and it was recognized just fine. I tested it and it read DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R discs fine, but not CDROM (pressed silvers), CD-DA (audio), CDR or CDRW discs. It had firmware version GHR3 and so I upgraded to the latest GHR8. Upgrading the firmware had no effect - it would still not read any CD media. The drive tries spinning up and down several times before it go backs to an idle state when a CD is inserted. Any suggestions? Are there separate lasers for reading DVD versus CD media in the LTD-163D? Could one of the lasers be dead? Dirty laser lens? I have GHR7, is it worth trying to downgrade the firmware?