Reset DVD region / country code / zone lock?

Infopackets Gazette Reader Louise S. writes:

" I recently bought a DVD disc through eBay from a gentleman in Britain. When I tried to play it on the DVD player attached to my TV, a screen popped up saying I was in the wrong region.

I then tried it in the CD-DVD player (Samsung) in my computer and it said the same thing. My computer, however, did allow me to change over to region 2, which is Europe, but will only allow me to switch back and forth between Regions 1 and 2 a total of 4 times, and then it becomes permanent.

I don't want that to happen as only the one DVD is a region 2. Is there anything I can add to my DVD player in my computer (or my regular DVD player) that would allow me to play DVD's from other regions whenever I wanted? Thank you. "

My Response:

Oddly enough, when I was searching for a freeware DVD player (while compiling yesterday's article), I came across a web site called DVDRhelp.com which tells how to reset the region codes for software DVD players.

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/play

" Q: How do I make my DVD drive region free (remove region codes/country codes/zone locks)?

A: Use DVD Region-Free to make your region locked DVD drive and your software player region free. You can also 'patch' your DVD drives firmware, you can also try a patched DVD drive firmware (it is freeware, but may be a bit tricky and 'dangerous').

http://www.dvdidle.com/dvd-region-free.htm
http://forum.firmware-flash.com/dl_all.php

Q: How do I make WinDVD,PowerDVD,Win2k region free?

A: Use DVD Region-Free to make your software player region free. Or use DVD Genie (freeware) to make your software DVD Player region free.

http://www.inmatrix.com/files/dvdgenie_download.html "

Side note: firmware is "miniature" software which runs an electronic device. Some electronic devices have updatable firmware that can be downloaded from the manufacturer's web site and re-programmed into the device. This is referred to as flashing the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). A word of warning: if a firmware upgrade is interrupted due to a power outage or computer freezeup, the device may cease to function.

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