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R7000 Nighthawk Locks/Blocks CD/DVD Drive
Hello,
R7000 Nighthawk updated to latest firmware within the past month. I don't know where to find the version via the Genie software, but there are no newer firmware updates available to me.
My PC runs Wndows 7 Ultimate, 64-Bit, in a home environment. The router is used wirelessly.
I just discovered that a fairly recent problem with data discs not being recognized by my CD/DVD drive (they're immediately ejected, with a message to insert a blank disc, as it thinks that I want to burn to a new disc), is because my R7000 Nighthawk router has the drive locked! I learned this using a free program called "Unlocker." So, if I want to install new software, I must open Unlocker and unlock the drive, first! I tried it again today, using a slideshow disc. Unlocker showed that the Netgear Genie was the only thing locking the optical drive!
HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?
Any ideas/suggestions?
Should I revert to a previous firmware version for my router? If so, how do I accomplish that?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Sincerely,
MikeZ
Hello Again Folks,
Yesterday afternoon, Netgear sent me an email wanting me to to test a new version of Genie. Upon opening my email today and seeing the notice, I downloaded and installed the updated version and put it to tthe test.
I am happy to report that I did not find any issues with this updated version of the Genie software!!!
I would guess that it will be made available for download soon.
Sincerely.
Mike Zinkan
35 Replies
Obviously the solution is not to use the Genie app and to report the issue to NETGEAR so they can fix it.
That said, I find it hard to believe that the Genie app will lock your CD/DVD drives, or the R7000. The router itself has no access to your PC drives at all. Don't always believe third-party software in what it says
if you want to go back to a previous firmware version, just flash that version. There's nothing special needed. Just make sure to reset to factory default afterwards
Thanks for your response.
OK, I diabled NETGEAR Genie from autostarting and had no problems accessing data discs in my optical drive.
I started Genie, and could not access my optical drive (it went through the same routine of ejecting and asking for a blank disc).
I opened Unlocker, and Genie was again the culprit, so I unlocked the drive.
I could then access the data disc.
This is repeatable.
There were no applications running via Task Manager.
SO, the problem IS the Genie program. For what it's worth, my Genie program is v2.4.26.
I will look for a way to notify NETGEAR about this particular issue.
Hello,
I don't see a way to contact Support to advise them of my issue, without paying to do so.
If anyone has access, please forward my issue to them.
Thank you in advance,
Mike
Never heard of this either? Sort of hard to beleive.
Do some troubleshooting to pin down the problem.
Any of these steps might give some answers:
- First I'd look at the EVENT VIEWER and see if you can locate any sort of entry for the same time that the DVD failed?
- Boot into SAFE MODE and see if it happens?
- Disconnect the network connection and see if it still is a problem (disconnect if wireless, disable a wired connection).
- Check to see if programs or services that might use a DVD drive are active in TASK MANAGER, and if so, close/end them.
- Make sure you have the latest driver for your DVD drive from the Manufacturer's site.
" I don't know where to find the version via the Genie software,", well it is on the top right of the Genie imbedded in the router viewed with a browser. You need your GATEWAY address, most likely 192.168.1.1, and you get that by opening a COMMAND PROMT (Windows Key + R, enter CMD) and entering IPCONFIG.
========
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
========
Now open a browser and use the Default Gateway as the URL. Then you'll get prompted for USERID and PASSWORD. Enter admin and password and press enter. You'll then see the firmware version on the top right.
Thanks for your response.
OK, I diabled NETGEAR Genie from autostarting and had no problems accessing data discs in my optical drive.
I started Genie, and could not access my optical drive (it went through the same routine of ejecting and asking for a blank disc).
I opened Unlocker, and Genie was again the culprit, so I unlocked the drive.
I could then access the data disc.
This is repeatable.
There were no applications running via Task Manager.
SO, the problem IS the Genie program. For what it's worth, my Genie program is v2.4.26.
- I have recently discovered this same issue on my Puget Systems Serenity computer with Netgear Genie v2.4.26. After no solutions to the CD Drive read problems I had were found by the PC manufacturer, I was advised to do a complete restore of my hard drive, reinstalling Win 7 Pro, drivers, and all peripherals and software. After all this, both my CD/DVD drives were again working perfectly, reading all discs. But, the last program I installed, Netgear Genie, immediately caused both drives to stop reading data, with the same symptoms described in these replies. Uninstalling Genie restored full disc operation. I reported this problem to Netgear Tech Support two days ago, but the rep indicated they had not heard of this problem before. She took my information on this problem, said they would look into it. We really need a solution to this issue from Netgear. soon.
- As an addition to my earlier post, I'm using the new Netgear Nighthawk X8 on my computer system. Have absolutely no idea why Netgear Genie would affect the cd/dvd drive's ability to read data discs on my desktop, but I'm now convinced this is a problem that at least three other people have reported online about. We really need a solution from Netgear on this.
- I'll followup on this soon. Problem for me is I can't seem to read any disc's data in my drives once Genie is installed. Even when the Genie program isn't actively open, some feature is running in the background I'm sure, and I can't read the data. All I see is the disc is in the drive (Windows Explorer) and a single line entry in the left pane that shows something like files waiting to be written and ("desktop.ini") listed below it. All goes away when Genie is uninstalled, then the Windows autoplay window reappears, and the data files on the disc reappear. Very frustrating.
Hi Folks,
I am working with a Netgear technician on the problem
Regards,
Mike
Hi Again Folks,
NETGEAR set up a TeamViewer session with me last Friday, to access my computer, but then they changed it to this morning, which was okay with me. This morning I waited for over an hour after the appointed time, but they never contacted me.
I'm at a loss.
I'll post a follow up, if I ever hear from them.
Mike
Hi Folks,
Okay, a Netgear engineer accessed my PC sometime last night. I'll let you know what the results were, once I hear from them.
Mike
Hello Again Folks,
Yesterday afternoon, Netgear sent me an email wanting me to to test a new version of Genie. Upon opening my email today and seeing the notice, I downloaded and installed the updated version and put it to tthe test.
I am happy to report that I did not find any issues with this updated version of the Genie software!!!
I would guess that it will be made available for download soon.
Sincerely.
Mike Zinkan
- Mike
What is the version number on this Genie update?
Thanks
reedaf4Here you go: "2.4.34(2)"
Hope this helps.
Mike
As it turns out, I attempted to install what appeared to be version 2.4.28 from the web site, just to see if the program would allow my CD drive to read properly. I discovered the actual version of Genie was 2.4.34, but this version still interferes with my CD Drive from reading. So, unless I can obtain access to the version 2.4.34(2), I can't rectify this long standing issue.
- Thanks Mike. I checked online today and only available version is still 2.4.28.0. Wished I had access to the newer version to see if my CD drive read issue would go away. reedaf4
- it's same issue as mzinkan's.
Let support know about the issue you're having.
