# My Powerbook G4's DVD is region-free!



## tigrr (Jan 2, 2008)

My Christmas gift apparently arrived a few days late this year, because after endless searching on the web, reading that my particular DVD-RW drive can't be made region free I finally stumbled across a firmware download today which proved the opposite!
I'm on a 15" PowerBook G4 with a 1.67GHz processor and a Matshita UJ-846 Super-drive.

I assume the following instructions apply for other Macs as well, but I really can't confirm this (perhaps someone else can). I also have to add that I'm no authority on this issue. This is the first time I've made a DVD-drive region free, and I've picked up information on how to do this by reading bits here and there. I'm just putting it together here in an easy-to-understand way 

First, a short explanation of how it all works:
When you first got your Mac and inserted a DVD, Apple's "DVD player" asked you to confirm that the drive be set to the DVD's region. You actually get to change regions with a region-locked (RPC-2) drive, but only for a limited number of times (5 I think). After that you're stuck with the region you last used.
What we're going to do is "unlock" the region locking mechanism of the drive. Apple's DVD player will still ask you to confirm a region-change whenever you insert a DVD with a different region than the drive is currently set to, and it will still count down the number of times this is possible, but.... you can at any time reset the number!
To put it simply; after changing the firmware, the drive will become an RPC-1 (region-free) drive, but the software and MacOS will still keep track of any region-changes. But fear not, with the help of a simple application you can reset this whenever you need. Think of it as a "maintenance" or "utility" tool ;-)
OK, now on with the actual procedure:


* 1)* First, I checked the exact model of my drive by going to Apple's _System profiler_ ("Apple menu" - "About this Mac" - "More info" -"Hardware" -"Disc burning"). On my machine it says:

*MATSHITA DVD-R  UJ-846
     Firmware revision:  FAAG*

(I had prepared some nice screenshots to follow my posting, but unfortunately I couldn't find any way of inserting them inside the message itself, so I'm enclosing them as attachements below).

* 2)* Knowing which drive I had I then visited this PowerBook page, and scrolled down to the list of firmware almost at the bottom of the page. I found my "UJ-846" drive there with RPC-1 (region-free) firmware!!!
Since my System profiler told me that I had an "FAAG" revision drive I downloaded the RPC-1 version of the "FAAG" firmware.
The same firmware is also available at the RPC-1 firmware forum website along with information.

* 3)* Having downloaded the region-free RPC-1 "FAAG" firmware (a zip file) which I the unzipped, I carefully read the instructions that came with it.
*NOTE:* _DO NOT_ skip that step! If you mess things up you can render your drive unusable!!! You basically have to ensure that nothing interrupts the firmware update process (i.e. the computer shutting down because of a low battery, a crash, some download congestion or whatever. 
Read the docs that came with the firmware for more about this.

*4) *When you're ready to update the firmware, having double-checked everything (that you have the right firmware version, drive model etc.), double-click the updater. 
Please note that the updater will start updating the drive right away. You won't get any sort of option to cancel, so ONLY double-click it when you're absolutely sure you want to update the drive.
(OK, I know I make the process sound very scary with all my warnings, but better that than people skipping through lots of important steps!).

*5)* The updater will update the firmware. For a while it will seem that the updater has frozen because nothing seems to happen. 
Whatever you do, *DO NOT FORCE-QUIT THE UPDATER*!!! 
Just leave it, don't touch anything. After a while (around a minute I guess, though I didn't time it -be patient!) the update will finish and you'll be asked to restart the computer. You're done!
Restart the computer before moving on to try it all out.

*6)* We're now going to check if the drive really is region-free. Download  and install DVD-info X. 
It should tell you that you now have an RFC-1 drive, which means it's region-free. If it says something else you haven't successfully updated the firmware for some reason.

*7)* You now need the "utility" software needed to reset the region-changing count for MacOS/DVD player.
Download Region X for this. I believe that's version 1.1.12 while 1.1.13 which is a universal binary can be found at the Powerbook page which I mentioned earlier (Go to the section named "_*For PowerBook & iBook G4 and MacBooks*_" right after the introduction. You'll find the links among the text under "_*Before you go further*_").

That's it!
I hope this has become a clear and easily understandable instruction for how to make a locked DVD drive region-free, and hopefully someone will post followups and comments.
It's great to truly have a portable computer the way it should be to begin with -being able to use it anywhere in the world, and watch any DVD you like! 


PS: Yes, I do know about VideoLAN VLC player and its ability to play DVDs of different regions than the drive. But from what I've read this doesn't work with all versions of MacOS/Mac computers. It also uses a lot of CPU power for that "decoding" process or whatever it does, so that's no good thing when watching a DVD on your laptop when using the battery. 
Besides, I find its user-interface a little cumbersome and "geeky". In my opinion a Mac should be super-easy to use, which is why Apple's own DVD-player is what I prefer.


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## tigrr (Jan 2, 2008)

Even more good news, which confirms that the drive is indeed region-free...

Using two different DVDs (one for region 1, the other for region 2) I made the region-count of the drive go down until Apple's DVD player told me that I could no longer change the region. If my drive had its original (RPC-2) firmware I would be stuck with that last change's region setting.

But now being an RPC-1 drive I simply reset the count with Region X, then started Apple's DVD player and off I went!


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## symphonix (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks very much Tigrr for such a well thought out and informative bit of info. While I can understand the thinking behind region coding, I consider it a counter-productive system that should have been dumped by now: pirated DVDs don't have region codes; only legitimate users are inconvenienced.


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## tigrr (Jan 2, 2008)

You're most welcome 
And I completely agree with you about the region coding issue. It has no place in this day when people travel more than ever and drag their laptops along. That's why it feels so good to be able to "solve" such a problem. It sure made my day, especially after almost giving up the whole issue.

On another note: does anyone know if those firmware revisions ("FAAG" etc.) make a difference? Do they match specific model revisions of the drive hardware, or are they simply newer and older firmware versions for the same drive?


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## Giaguara (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Tiggr,
A close friend of mine had a firmware hack on his 17" PowerBook to enable region free DVD... it worked otherwise perfect, but would prevent the superdrive to burn any discs after. I don't remember which hardware hack it was but I would probably follow the optical drive functionality for a while after to make sure it still works otherwise perfect.
(Did VLC ever move the option to see region free by the way?)


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## raberro (Jan 25, 2008)

Hi Tigrr,

I love the clarity of your instructions. I have downloaded all the appropriate pieces of software and am nearly ready to do the update. one thing is stopping me....FEAR. fear tyhat my drtive will be screwed after doing this. i am very certain that i've downloaded the correct rpc-1 firmware for the dvd drive in my iBook. but i am not a fearless computer user. HELP ME GET OVER THIS...I SO BADLY WANT MY DVD PLAYER TO BE LIBERATED AND TO PLAY ANY DVD I THROW IN THEIR!!! help


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## tigrr (Jan 25, 2008)

Thanks for those kind words.

I completely understand your fear as I wasn't too comfortable about the idea of ending up with a damaged drive myself. However, I decided to go for it anyway.

I assume that all the warnings are because nobody wants to be accused of damaging someone's hardware if something goes wrong. I don't know how big a chance of that happening is though. However, what I've picked up to minimize those chances are:

1) quit all other applications (log out and in again if you're not sure). That'll decrease the possibilities that an application crashes the computer and effects the operation.

2) turn off any Internet access. This will ensure that no file transfers/communications will be going on which can freeze or affect the computer in some way while the flashing is going on.

3) Be sure that power won't be disrupted while the flashing is going on. If you have a laptop, fully charge your battery while running it on the AC power adaptor. In case of a power outtage the battery will take over.

4) Be patient. Let the firmware updater do its thing!
I would personally like to see a progress bar or some sort of feedback when it's updating, but since that's not available you should just wait. I believe updating my Matshita UJ-846 took around a minute.

5) Be sure that you download the correct firmware. There are apparently different firmware revisions for each drive. Ensure that you get the same one as your drive currently reports it's using (in "System profiler").

6) If something does go wrong, don't assume that your drive has become a door-stop, but give it another go. If that doesn't change anything, try to re-flash it with the original (region-locked) firmware which is supplied along with the region-free firmware.
I once managed to re-flash a "dead" DVD drive in a PC. I can't remember why I "killed" the drive in the first place, but using some software which "forced" the drive to receive the firmware (rather than checking if the drive ID'd it properly etc.) it worked out fine anyway.

7) Finally, after flashing the drive, be sure to check that it has actually been turned into a region-free drive using DVD-info X.

Having given you that lecture it's ultimately up to you if you want to go ahead with it or not. I'm no expert in the matter and have merely posted my own experiences and passed on the information since I too searched forever for a way to make my drive play (legally bought) DVDs from different regions. Needless to say I won't be held responsible for any problems or damage, though I personally had no problems at all while updating my drive's firmware.

What kind of drive do you have anyway? And in which Mac?

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can shed some more light on firmware updating and the risks.
In the meantime, search the web for more information.


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## tigrr (Jan 25, 2008)

Giaguara said:


> Hi Tiggr,
> A close friend of mine had a firmware hack on his 17" PowerBook to enable region free DVD... it worked otherwise perfect, but would prevent the superdrive to burn any discs after. I don't remember which hardware hack it was but I would probably follow the optical drive functionality for a while after to make sure it still works otherwise perfect.
> (Did VLC ever move the option to see region free by the way?)



Ouch! Reading this got me worried, so I tried to burn a DVD-RW. Fortunately it worked just like before 
If possible, could you try to check with your friend what kind of modification he did and post the results here?
It might have been something completely different from firmware updating.

As for VLC. From what I've heard, the bypassing of region-checking is done in software, which probably demands a lot of processing power. If I recall correctly there were also some problems with Intel based Macs or something. Can't remember the details, but a web-search will probably yield several results.
The bottom line with VLC as far as I remember is that it doesn't work flawlessly in bypassing regions. 
And personally I don't care much for it's "geeky" user-interface. Most of us bought Macs because we want to try and avoid that sort of thing, or we could have used Windows or Linux


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## raberro (Jan 26, 2008)

Well. I took the plunge with the firmware and ...... IT WORKED!!! the whole process took less than 30 seconds and the first thing i tested as you suggested was using DVDinfoX and verified that the drive was now region free. it was. then i tested to see if the drive still burned successfully so i burned some data onto a CD and that was all good too. so i'm in the clear for now with a region free dvd drive. thanks TIGRR for all yr instruction and support. for all those others out there, you can quote another success story to make you feel a little less worried about doing this process. FYI - my computer is a G4 iBook and the drive is a MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-825. Firmware Revision - DAND. Good luck anyone else out there.......go for it!


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## tigrr (Jan 27, 2008)

Good for you!
Glad I could be of help.
Just goes to show that if you do it correctly (double-checking that you have the correct firmware files etc.) it'll most likely work out fine.

Enjoy watching your DVDs, and don't worry when the DVD player application tells you that there are no more regions left (just reset it with Region-X).


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## jacket (Feb 1, 2008)

I have the same drive as you listed above...which was nice for following your instructions (which are very clear and concise, by the way, thanks for that)....just as I finally gained enough courage to do the update I was checking everything again and I noticed that in the "read me" file that came with the updater it said it was for panther and tiger v 10.4.6 and later.....i have tiger v 10.4.11....i am guessing it is sort of a stupid question to ask if this matters or not but I was wondering if there is an updater for the same drive (MATSHITA DVD-R   UJ-846: FAAG) that will be ok to use with my OS?  I would appreciate anything you can tell me...thanks!


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## tigrr (Mar 1, 2008)

Thanks.
One of my goals when writing "how to" instructions is to keep things very clear and concise -there are lots knowledgeable people out there, but they often explain things in a very complicated way.

Good question about the software version, which I don't know the answer of unfortunately.
Is there an email address of the author of the software you can get in touch with? Also try asking in those forums I believe I mentioned earlier in the thread (the firmware site where you could download from for instance).


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## livelovelaugh (Apr 21, 2008)

hi!  i am so rubbish at this, i have to begin my apologising and begging for help. i have a macbook pro 2.2.  i want to be able to burn dvds and to make it a region free dvd player.   i should point out, i want to do this to back up dvds and to play dvds back, not to do anything illegal!


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## fulbit (Nov 27, 2008)

reading the original post (thanks tigrr) a tear began welling up in my eye. It appears my macprayers were finally being answered, but no sooner had the hooray passed my lips when doubt, that sinister little runt, settled me back into thought. My dvd code settings have already been exhuasted can the drive still undergo the proceedure without any trouble???? ...be good to hear back from you if you know the answer.


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## livelovelaugh (Nov 27, 2008)

fulbit- i have not found the answer yet, (i think there are options out there but they all invalidate your warranty which i do not want to do) but have you tried using vlc to play dvds back?


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## fulbit (Nov 27, 2008)

Thank you livelovelaugh, I am prepared to run the RPC-1 region-free update but just want to make sure it can be done on a drive whose region changes have all been used up, i.e, it is now permanently a zone 1 drive and if I insert any other zone dvd it just spits it out and says I have no changes left. I only hesitate to run the "FAAG" firmware update because in the past I have heard rumore that the region setting can only be cracked if the changes haven't all been used up. thanks again


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## livelovelaugh (Nov 27, 2008)

i am so not an expert on this, but i think you need at least one change left as the firmware makes a switch when it is installed....i think you will have to either go to apple to get it reset (which i think may be possible for a fee) or to burn dvds and make them region free to play...but google around to be sure as i really do not know for sure, it is just what i think is the case...


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## fulbit (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks livelovelaugh, I'll definitely consider what you say as I continue my research.


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## zitouna (Dec 5, 2008)

Hi everybody !
Thanks tigrr, thanks thanks thanks ... thousands of thanks ! It worked for me ! It all took something like one minute or so.
OK, just to answer some of the others questions : 
For jacket : my OS is 10.4.11 just like you and it was all fine. 
For fulbit : I didn't have any changes left when I ran the RCP-1 update. It was stuck in region 2 before and tonight I enjoyed watching some region 1 dvds.
I've got a pwerbook G4 and my dvd player is : matshita UJ-835E GAND

I hope it will work for you too.

God it feels so good to have a region free dvd player !


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## Wiredland (Dec 28, 2008)

Hi,

Having successfully downloaded the new driver for my DVD superdrive UJ-845 (Version D8pB) from http://rs21.rapidshare.com/files/72540666/matshita-dump-0.dat, I just wonder how to carry out the update.

Kindly enlighten!!


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## diamonddiver (Mar 19, 2009)

Has anybody run this procedure recently, is it still a working hack?


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## Peter Mezes (Jun 11, 2009)

Hi Guys,

I am reading with almost envy these successful DVD super-drive settings, and I could not find solution for my G4 Minimac, 10.5.7, with this situation:
  "Vendor: MATSHITA
   Model: DVD-R   UJ-845
Firmware: D8PB
          RPC-2 (region locked)
          State is LAST CHANCE
          4 vendor resets left
          1 region change left
          Region 2 "

Like in "Finding Nemo" the very last words,finally in the sea but in a plastic bag:"and now what?"

Thank you.
MP


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## Peter Mezes (Jun 11, 2009)

The upper post, with the driver hint from "rapidshare" it is not working .


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## tigrr (Jun 12, 2009)

Peter Mezes said:


> "Vendor: MATSHITA
> Model: DVD-R   UJ-845
> Firmware: D8PB
> RPC-2 (region locked)
> ...



As far as I understand you also still have a last chance to make it into an RPC-1 drive. I guess the worst thing that can happen is that you end up with a drive locked at one specific region.
Don't hold it against me if anything goes wrong, but I think you'll be alright if you follow my instructions and have the correct firmware update. Best of luck!


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## Peter Mezes (Jun 14, 2009)

Thank you for giving me an answer. I got some courage, so next week I am gonna try.
My only concern is that I am under 10.5, so I begin to regret that I did upgraded from Tiger to Leopard without to clone my entire hard drive.

Thank you again


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## Peter Mezes (Jun 16, 2009)

dear tigrr,

There are many RPC1 firmwares, different sizes for different Macs (not for Minimac  ), so I did choose this:"8122 BX21 for iBook 800.app"
But the result is"Your computer does not need this update" with the only OK button possibility what do collapse the Installer.
Than I saw only these:Matshita UJ-845 firmwares: DPP9, DBN9, DMP2, but not for my D8PB:-(
I did found a"matshita-dump-0.dat" for D8PB but it opens only the Band In A Box.... 

Probably this is it for me

 thanks anyway


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## Peter Mezes (Jun 16, 2009)

"Please be advised that the situation concerning Patching Matshita Drives to RPC1 is unknown, RPC1 Staff do not know if or when any requests for these with/out dumps will be done"

"and now what".......

Thank you for trying to help, this is so kind.


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## Doctor X (Jun 17, 2009)

Okay, I am confused.

The page you listed--http://www.powerbook-fr.com--lists for the Matshitadvd-R UJ-857E firmwares: ZA0E, ZB0E.

However, my System Profiler lists ZF1E as my current firmware.  What should I do?

--J.D.


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## Peter Mezes (Jun 22, 2009)

Well, I am just giving up. OSX 10.5 is not allowing almost anything, so I will stay with one region from now and buying a portable USB or Firewire  DVD superdrive.

Thanks anyway

MP


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## melh (Jul 6, 2009)

So I was so excited -- this whole ridiculous region this is a giant pain in the arse. I read all of tigrr's careful instructions (well done, btw), followed them to the letter, took a deep breath, double clicked on the updater... and promptly got a message that this update was not compatible with my operating system (10.5.7). I had the option of quitting or updating my OS. 

Any idea if the updaters will be updated?

MacBook Pro 17" (perfect for movie viewing in any region)
Matsushita DVD-R UJ-85J, FAV1


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## Loopyl00 (Jul 27, 2009)

I have followed all instructions to the letter - all was well until I double clicked on the app to update ZB0E t region free, I got a ghastly error message 

The version of OS X you are running (10.5.7) is not compatible with this firmware update.  Update OS X and try again



 Model:	MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-857E
  Revision:	ZB0E

WHAT NOW ?!  HELP 

thx


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## Doctor X (Jul 27, 2009)

--J.D.


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## Loopyl00 (Jul 28, 2009)

Surely this is irrelevant and a waste of my time - or am I missing something?


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## Doctor X (Jul 28, 2009)

Humor, son.

Humor.

--J.D.


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## Loopyl00 (Jul 29, 2009)

I'm a girl - and when it comes to computers NOT DOING WHAT I WANT - there is no room for humour


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## Doctor X (Jul 29, 2009)

Unfortunately, you are asking the computer to do something it was specifically designed not to do.

--J.D.


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## Loopyl00 (Jul 29, 2009)

There is that of course - but these problems were designed to be solved - and I have a very low defeat record - THERE MUST BE A WAY - have found the software but now the MAC OS has surpassed it.

Also - although it may be blasphemy here - I am a PC techy not a MAC one - Yeuch!


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## Doctor X (Jul 30, 2009)

If you read some of the linkypoos, you will see that one has to write a cracked firmware for each version.  This takes a lot of time for which the author does not get paid.

Unfortunate, but that is the way it is.

--J.D.


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## Peter Mezes (Jul 31, 2009)

Great costume

Well, I bought finally a portable one: 
 Vendor: PIONEER
   Model: DVD-RW  DVR-116L
Firmware: 8.09
          RPC-2 (region locked)
          State is SET
          4 vendor resets left
          4 region changes left
          Region 1 
The internal Matshita is dead, I mean locked forever. So now here is a new challenge with this Pioneer...


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## tigrr (Dec 9, 2009)

Doctor X said:


> If you read some of the linkypoos, you will see that one has to write a cracked firmware for each version.  This takes a lot of time for which the author does not get paid.



I'm the original poster of this thread. I understand the problem is that the firmware updater isn't Leopard compatible. I'm no expert, but wouldn't it be possible to boot the computer from a Tiger (MacOS 10.4.x) system DVD, then run the firmware updater from the computer's hard drive?
Alternatively, install MacOS 10.4.x on an external USB or Firewire hard drive, boot from that drive (first go to System preferences-Startup disk and choose the external drive). Then your computer should be running MacOS 10.4 Tiger and you should be able to update the DVD-drive's firmware.
Good luck!


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## Doctor X (Dec 9, 2009)

It is not compatible with the DVD player/burner.

--J.D.


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## tigrr (Dec 9, 2009)

Peter Mezes said:


> The internal Matshita is dead, I mean locked forever. So now here is a new challenge with this Pioneer...



I believe I read somewhere that you can (can sometimes?) still make a drive region-free even if it's locked to a specific region.
Perhaps it's worth a go, even though I don't want to be held responsible if the drive ends up being a door-stop or something.


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## tigrr (Dec 9, 2009)

Doctor X said:


> It is not compatible with the DVD player/burner



Aha! That changes everything.

Loopyl00: Like Doctor X said earlier on it's up to someone to supply a new, region-free firmware for that particular drive. Without it there's nothing you can do, regardless of computer/operating system. 

Ask around nicely in the firmware forums (I used to hang out in one ages ago when I updated my own firmware, but can't remember where -perhaps I posted about it earlier in this thread)... if someone can look into a region-free firmware for your particular drive. Until then, just be patient and don't change the region (just in case it's true that you can't update the firmware if the region is unchangeable).


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