VGN S5XP Matsushita UJ-832D won't read DVDs

[noisy_chris]

I recently "inherited" my Vaio from my brother, and did a full recovery /with the dvds supplied.  I then did all the updates I could, both from Sony and Microsoft, and assumed that I would now have a perfectly working laptop.  Almost, as now the DVD drive won't read DVDs any more.  I tworked before, otherwise I would not have been able to run the recovery disks.  I tried uninstalling the device in device manager, uninstalling all the DVD related software on the computer, even trying the registry trick (deleting filters).  Has anyone got any ideas? I considered buying a replacement from Ebay, but what's the point if I have the same issues?  Any help would be greatly appreciated...

[Blencogo]

Have you installed the firmware update 1.03 for your drive from here: -

http://support.vaio.sony.eu/computing/vaio/downloads/updates/index.aspx?m=VGN-S5XP_B&l=en_GB

Will it still boot from the Recovery Discs? 

Is it commercially recorded DVDs or ones you have recorded that are not recognised?

[noisy_chris]

Yes, I have installed that update, and it will not read any type of dvd, commercial or home-made. It causes windows to hang until the dvd is ejected.  It won't boot up from the recovery disk either, which suggests it is a hardware problem, possibly the firmware update itself?  Thanks for any replies!