HP 740i can't read DVD

About two years ago, when I built my computer, I selected a DVD burner that would burn to dual layer dvd media. I also wanted one that had the Lightscribe feature. The most affordable drive that could deliver these features was the HP 740i at a price of $90. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the HP 740i drive that I purchased was no longer able to read DVD's. So, I did a search on HP 740i DVD and was surprised to see that this is a common problem.

Several forums detailed the efforts that people have tried to get their drives working again. Some succeeded by updating their software, but many others have been unable to solve the DVD read issue. To solve the problem, I removed the drive and put it in another system (it still burns CD's). I than installed a four year old Sony single layer DVD burner, which has no problem reading dvd's. The HP 740 did not read dvd's in the other system, so it is most likely a defect in the drive. Today you can buy dvd burners for under $30 and the HP 740i has been discontinued. The top end is to have a BlueRay burner. But those will set you back 3 or 4 hundred dollars.