truly odd LG DVD-writer "feature"

[Colin McGregor]

On 12/28/09, D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh-pmF8o41NoarQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Clifford told me about this, and I think you deserve to be warned.
>
> LG DVD writers have some whacky feature in the firmware.  When the
> drive is empty and closed, it tells the OS that it has a disk, and
> that (simulated) disk has a program called "Bluebirds", in MS Windows
> .exe format.

This is true of SOME models of LG DVD writers, I know as I bought one
this fall :-( .

> Recommendation: stay away from those drives.
>
> http://www.msfn.org/board/lg-gh22ns50-bluebirds-removal-tool-t135300-page-20.html
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1216969
>
> There is a firmware update to remove this feature.  But you appear to
> need Windows to flash the update.  Make sure that your drive is not
> empty when you boot into Windows: otherwise, I think Bluebirds will
> install on that machine.  Yikes.

Not quite so simple. I got the firmware update/Bluebird removal
program up and running under WINE under Ubuntu, pain in the @#$%.

Had I known what I was facing when I bought the drive I likely would
have gone to another vendor/model. Still, it is a decent enough drive,
and at least when I was buying this fall the least expensive drive on
the market (least expensive IF you don't figure in your time to get
rid of Bluebird...).

Not recommended, but hardly a total loss...

Colin McGregor

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