I accidently set my Sonic/MyDVD 5.0 to region 1 from no region(original setting). Any ideas how to reset it back to no region. I did go to "regedit" but region is not listed. You can change it up to 5 times but it does not list "no region. Any ideas or am I screwed and have to buy a new one to get "no region".

Also, the dvd drive is a Teac 58e. Is there a code out there to make the drive "no zone" or "zone free".
Thanks for a response......any response
Jim Martin

Did you change the region code in the firmware of the DVD drive, or the region code Sonic MyDVD writes to the DVDs it authors?

A prompt came from Record Now/Sonic for the Teac drive when I was playing the no zone dvd I had just recorded.

Did some searching. There's precious little I could find about the Teac 58e on the Internet, but what I could find points to your drive only being a CD writer, not a DVD writer. This would make somewhat more sense in that Sonic (now Roxio) RecordNow (http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/recordnow/recordnow.html) looks like it's a program for recording/playing audio CDs, though I have no idea why it would prompt you to change the region code (on the drive?) as I never heard of a region code having anything to do with CD drives. That you were apparently able to create a DVD only confuses the issue even more.

Honestly, I'm not sure where to go at this point. About the only thing I can think of is to ask, are you sure you created a DVD and not a VCD?

Even if you did create a VCD that still doesn't solve the underlying mystery of why RecordNow would prompt for a region code change on a CD burner.

Rest assured:1 drive is a samsung dvd/cd/etc player and the other is a Teac dvd/cd/etc rw drive. Record now is part of MyDVD, it facilitates you going to the record section you want(burn direct to dvd/cd, make exact copy, etc). It was an accident that I changed, I'd like to say I was drinking, the mob made me do it, my neighbour did it..........but I did it......by accident. I have had some friends tell me its in the drive and the only way to change it is to replace the drive......

I have had some friends tell me its in the drive and the only way to change it is to replace the drive......
Assuming the change RecordNow prompted you to make was indeed in the DVD burner's firmware, your friends are wrong that you would have to replace the drive.

Here's what you have to do to check the region to which your drive is currently set, and to reset the region if necessary. These steps are for Windows XP:

1. Go to the Start menu and right click My Computer. Choose Properties.

2. In the System Properties box, click the Hardware tab, and then choose Device Manager.

3. In Device Manager, click the plus sign next to DVD/CD-ROM drives. This will expand the list to show you the optical drives installed on your system.

4. Double click the NEC drive. In the drive's properties box click the DVD Region tab. Near the bottom of the window your Current Region setting will be shown. This tab will also list the number of region changes left for this drive.

5. If you need to change your drive's region, choose your desired country in the list. The New Region will show you the region to which you will reset your drive. Click OK.

Assuming the change RecordNow prompted you to make was indeed in the DVD burner's firmware, your friends are wrong that you would have to replace the drive.

Here's what you have to do to check the region to which your drive is currently set, and to reset the region if necessary. These steps are for Windows XP:

1. Go to the Start menu and right click My Computer. Choose Properties.

2. In the System Properties box, click the Hardware tab, and then choose Device Manager.

3. In Device Manager, click the plus sign next to DVD/CD-ROM drives. This will expand the list to show you the optical drives installed on your system.

4. Double click the NEC drive. In the drive's properties box click the DVD Region tab. Near the bottom of the window your Current Region setting will be shown. This tab will also list the number of region changes left for this drive.

5. If you need to change your drive's region, choose your desired country in the list. The New Region will show you the region to which you will reset your drive. Click OK.
Thanks, but I did that. I gives you every country in the world but not "no region" or blank. The program lets you do 5 changes and I used 1 up. A warning is at the top saying after 5 changes, thats it and if you move the drive to another computer, it will be the same. I think the software is the same - you un-install the software and reinstall on another computer, ditto.
Maybe I could set the clock back or reinstall using the dell MyDVD restore disc.
Hmmm

Jim

I think the software is the same - you un-install the software and reinstall on another computer, ditto.
Maybe I could set the clock back or reinstall using the dell MyDVD restore disc.
I'm afraid reinstalling the software wouldn't help you with the DVD drive's region code. The region code is embedded in the drive itself.

Well, I now looks like I changed the playback section in the MyDVD program, not the record section. According to the Teac tech rep, the record section(Record Now) is usually "no zone" for recording original material. I'll check it later today.
If thats it, then thanks for the input
Jim Martin