Apex AD 600A will not work after firmware upgrade attempt

[thebunk]

Hi there. I just tried to upgrade my firmware from LJ14 to LJ15 in hopes I would be able to play DVD+R. I followed the steps to a tee (witht he cdrom nero image version) and all was well except the final step. Once I took the cd out of the drive, the darn thing would not close. I waited over 15 minutes but nothing! Finally I powered it off and on and well now it will not do anything. Unfortunately I cannot find an alternate methid to try to correct the problem via hooking it up to the PC. Is there anyway to do this? I cannot find steps for this type of model (the LJ-14 and up . Anything else I can try or . . .

1) I should by a DVD Rom

2) Just buy a new DVD Player that will play DVD+R and -R for sure? If this is the best move, what is a good cheap dvd player that will play dvd+rs for sure?

[wulf109]

Plays DVD+R for sure.

Sampo 612
Norcent DP302v
Koss 305
Toshiba Sd-K620
Daewoo 5800 with 5700 firmware

[adam]

I had problems upgrading firmware on that same DVD player. With Apex's it pretty much a no win situation. If one thing doesn't work, a firmware upgrade will most likely fix it but then introduce another problem. Apex is no help either. If they even bother to answer your e-mails (do they even have a customer support phone number? They didn't when I had my player) all they will tell you is that you have to upgrade your firmware, but that that will void your warranty. There's a reason that Apex's are so cheap. Don't get me wrong, after my last Apex died I immediately went out and bought another one. They are a great temporary solution for someone who can't afford a quality player....yet.

I actually had luck using a generic DVD-ROM as the loader until the whole player just crapped out completely. Just swap it out like you would in a PC but chances are it won't fit right so you won't be able to close the lid. You'll have to just run the wires out the side and let the drive sit on your shelf. I didn't even have to flash the DVD-Rom using apex's firmware, it just played all my disks as is. If you've got an extra DVD-rom lying around give it a shot, you can't hurt anything.

[davideck]

I have just replaced the loader in my Apex 600A with the 16X Mad Dog DVD ROM on sale at Office Max this week for $9.99 after rebate. It is now the fastest responding DVD player on the planet! I wouldn't recommend playing CDs though, as the drive plays them at full speed (48X). But for a DVD player, and as a replacement for the APEX loader (which never worked very well), this machine screams! There are websites that describe how to replace the loader with a standard DVD ROM. The Mad Dog drive fits in just fine, and the tray will just fit through the front slot.

[davideck]

Ooops. I overlooked the fact that you want to play DVD+R. I am not sure if the Mad Dog will do that; I am using DVD-R.