Maximum PC

Ok my fellow MaximumPC geeks I purchased the ever popular Samsung SH-S223 drive back in March, you know the MaximumPC best of the best drive but decided I liked the lightscribe version so I went with that. Well seven months later the drive decides DVD's aren't worthy of being read anymore. It will read CD's of any type but it will not read any DVD you put in it no matter what type. So I contact Samsung support and they sent me back a list of recommended steps to see if I can fix the issue without sending the drive back. I followed each step to the letter and the drive still refused to read a DVD, I even took it a step further and booted into Ubuntu 11.10 and the drive still would only read CD's. The last step was to request what the call an XRA through the website. I dug out my receipt and filled out all the information on the website and pushed submit. Well that is where Samsungs support started to fail. I got an error message stating that the request could not be sumbitted at this time please try again later or email their HDD/ODD feedback team do I did email them with screenshots of the information I was trying to submit and the message that comes up.

I have heard NOTHING from that original email THREE weeks ago. So I call, the first time I called I explained the situation to the person who answered and got put on hold then he came back and said I need to speak to someone in HARD DRIVE support and that he would transfer me. So he transfers me and I get the message that they were closed. Ok I can see it it was 6:00pm EST but I think he should have known what the hours were in one of the support teams. So I called back the next day, I got someone who said you have to do a service request on the site and this is how you do it. Well his steps led me back to that same form to fill out and I filled it out again and got the same message. So I call again, walked through the steps with the guy on the phone got the same message and he tells me to wait for the HDD/ODD feedback to answer my original e-mail from three weeks ago or try to submit the form later. I attempted the form again last night and got the same message SO I sent another email to Samsung's HDD/ODD feedback stating the issue giving the info for the drive telling them I cannot submit the information online and basically telling them if they do not either respond with the proper way to get the drive exchanged or an exchange I was taking things to the public, the media, and the BBB so what does Samsung do they send me a link back to the same site that does not work. So here I am today posting my issue to the best PC magazine in existence hoping some has had a similar situation and has found a way to correct it. Oh and to top it off what do I do.. went out and purchased another drive from them.. Yep glutton for punishment here.

This is why they DIDN'T recommend the lightscribe version.

Probably..

lightscribe has nothing to do with it. if it won't read any dvd either the media sensor or the switch that changes the laser from cd to dvd is shot. the dvd uses more laser power than a cd, it's hotter

In all honesty, you might just be better off purchasing a new drive. You can get a new one from Newegg (or virtually anywhere else) for about $20. Even if Samsung agrees to take back the drive you will still have to pay shipping and wait to get the new one.

Not sure about that, bro. A finer, thinner beam doesn't have to use more power.
The extra power would probably be used for the Lightscribe function. Because that function uses more power, it may need a different laser/sensor, meaning it may or may not be better than the standard version.

it happens to the best of them, I have used that same samsung for two or three years now without a problem.

I do not mess with warranties on opticals, I buy a new one and save the hassle, my preferred drives are samsung, sony, and plextor. although I still have a few memorex drives that are older than any I have in use now.

take a cd out of a drive after use, then take a dvd out after use see which is hotter. most dvd drives are dual layer which takes more power, the cd is only single layer and needs less.

My fancy laser thermometer says there is negligible difference. It might just be my drive, though.

I did buy a new drive so I am not sweating the fact Samsung's service sucks. Just thought if I can get the drive replaced it would be nice to have another drive in case I feel like putting it in my linux machine to replace a flaky Plextor drive that is older than the universe.