Progress Ramsoft Network Homepage

        It has become evident that your web site contains information regarding
        the reversion of our DVD-114 DVD-ROM drive from a Phase two DVD-ROM drive
        to a Regionless DVD-ROM drive. We have examined your program and have
        found that the software contained therein relies on our copyrighted
        software. Our software is protected and is released only to entities with
        which Pioneer Corporation enters into agreements with respect thereto. We
        have directed your service provider to remove your website from the
        internet. We also direct you to immediately cease and desist from
        offering your “DVD-114 region code eraser” or any other Pioneer
        copyrighted software to the public. We will take any and all appropriate
        legal action to pursue this matter.
        Very Truly Yours,

     Gregory Pierson
      General Counsel
      Pioneer North America, Inc.

   Dear Mr. Gregory Pierson

In first line sorry for my poor english knowledge, but Im living in hungary and Im not exercised in it!
I receive today your letter what invite me to close my page. I want to told you some things about this Eraser:

- I dont know anything about your programmers analysis procedure, but my eraser software certainly don't
contain or use any Pioneer's copyrighted code.
- My software is based on my hardwarwe and software kwnoledge accumulated in my last 10years, within I
occupate with repairing designing and manufacturing some computer related hardware equipments.
- The way to go ahead is simple for me. I make a program what make some probes on your drive and searches
   for any undocumented, but confirmed ATAPI packet commands. This procedure not violate any copyrights.
- What is the reason why i make this utility? The question is good.Here is the story:
   I bought one DVD-114 drive because i heard that is a good speed DVD ROM. Until first try i dont know
   anything from this drives RPC2 state.I dont get any software or discs with this drive. I buy my first DVD disc
   (code2) and an real magic hollywood+ decoder card with 1.6 driver set. After install , my drive dont play my
   only one dvd disc. No error messages, nothing, only the black screen. After some searches on internet i
heard that this drive is RPC2 and factory NOT SET. Ok. Where is the program to set my drive to rgion 2. On
   the Pioneer USA ? No! Only Region 1 utility. Ok. Try Pioneer Europe. Nothing. No drivers,no utilities. Pioneer
   australia. Found region set utility ONLY 4?. Crazy situation. This is normal ????. Until this week i cannot
   heard from any software that set region code 2. At this time this software exists from
   some software developers. This is the reason for what i can start my serches about this drive. I tried to find an
   ATAPI command(s) to set my drive region code. Searching this i found an combination of bytes that cause
   this erasing effect.
   This is a short but true story of this eraser.
   After growing of this utility hundred of users can said many thanks for this software. He said "Why i cannot
   view my legal bought film. Because your Drive said NOOO!" . I think that with this utility i gave more hundreds
   or thousands new satisfied users of this very good drive. Without this utility you lost some users who choose
   other RPC1 drive available in market. We are living in a free world and the freedom is cannot be stopped with
   an good drive with a spiteful firmware.

   Until i think about your letter, i will close my downloads, but i will continue to help your customers in using
   their drives.

   One satisfied Pioneer Customer

          Fekete István
                 Hungary

Until last update of this page i not receive any answer from Pioneer.

After it the Tripod has cancelled my site without any prior warning at 23.11.99 with this letter bellow:

Dear feketeistvan,

Your Tripod account has been removed for containing and / or distributing copyrighted material without the express permission of the creator or owner. Tripod has subsequently discontinued serving the pages, and this notice should serve as cancellation of your Tripod membership.

Read some users replies about Pioneer attitude Here

I want to say Thanks for all letters what i received in last days!!!

In this case go on on Download section at bottom of this page !!!

Advantages:
- No Flash memory writings. The hardware MOD is not needed.
- The internal counter will not count, you may change the region
code unlimited.
- Don't need to disassemble the drive.
- The drive will have new name ended with an "F" character (e.g. DVD-114F)
- You drive will be completly REGION FREE !!!
- You dont need to set any region code on drive !
- Go direct to update !, you don't need to take any other steps !!!

Disadvantages:
- None

- Pioneer 10x SLOT IN models (include OEM's) can use DVD-104F
firmware v1.23 (DVD-104S, A04S)
- Pioneer 10x TRAY models (include OEM's) can use DVD-114
firmware v1.24 (DVD-114)
- AOpen 10x users now have separate firmware updates in download section
(this is a same firmware but use an earlier Pioneer upload program)

Note:
- The firmware update MUST RUN ONLY IN DOS MODE !!!
Select shutdown and RESTART IN DOS MODE to quit to real DOS mode.
- Run the downloaded EXE file to unpack it.
- Read carefully included README.TXT how to run properly this upgrade.
- I suggest to use your drive in Secondary Master configuration.
- If power fails or computer hangs before completion of firmware upload
your drive will be DEAD!!!. Be carefully !!!. Use it only if your
computer is trouble free.
- After correct upload please reboot your PC and check if your drive
works!. Because the drive name will be changed its possible to need
redetection of your DVD-ROM. In this case use following provedure:
Reset the PC and at startup press F8 and select Safe mode
Go to Control panel/System/Device manager and delete any CD-ROMs
listed.Restart the PC in normal mode.
- Some software DVD players is looking for RPC state of your DVD-ROM when
install it. After firmware patch upload you MUST REMOVE and REINSTALL
your DVD player software to avoid some region code troubles!
- Please check your drive state after upload with Drive info program
(available at download section). If you succeed the procedure this
program will say following: "THIS DRIVE HAS NO REGION PROTECTION"
- If you already make a Hardware MOD, please disable it before upload !
- Remember: After you successfully reflash your drive with this patch
please don't use any Pioneer's firmware update because you will
lost the Region free status of your drive!
- Also check my Discussion forum to get some other infos about this.

!!! WARNING !!!
Your drive is equipped with an microcontroller wich has an internal Flash memory.
This FLASH memory has limited write cycles. This utility rewrite an 1KB block in
this Flash memory. The Hitachi H8/300 series microcontroller is guaranteed to 100
rewrite cycles (source Hitachi catalog). Please don't use this Eraser only if you
really need.

Now go to Download section !!!

This firmware will restore your drive to RPC1 state if you remove RPC jumper
or your drive is locked to an region. This flash not contain region lock procedures and ignore
    previously recorded RPC2 region code state. Please put RPC and JP4 ON before proceed!

- This utility uses vendor specific commands, i don't know that is

working or not on any other drives. I don't have time, energy 

and any resources to work on other drives.                    

- Because this vendor specific commands, its possible to irrever- 

sible damage your drive. My first damage occours with 1.0 ver-

sion after flash my drive to 1.24 firmware. After guarantee   

replacement i dont have face to return once again to my dealer

with another died drive. It is possible that this 2.0 version 

will not alter any unwanted bytes in flash area, but is not   

an sure thing. One thing is sure. This utility work fine with 

Pioneer DVD-114 drives with 1.10 firmware.                    

- This program was written in half Pascal and half assembly and is

needed pure DOS platform to run properly. This is not the DOS 

window on Windows PC. To work properly your best choice is to 

place an new icon on your windows desktop pointed to          

DVD114.EXE. Set icon enhanced properties to use current conf- 

iguration and MS-DOS mode. In this case you not need ATAPI_CD 

device driver in Config.sys. This driver is necessary only if 

you booting with DOS. The utility can communicate with drive  

only if this properly initialized. If you use DOS the ATAPI_  

CD.SYS will initialize your drive. If you use Windows9x this  

will be initialized the drive at startup process. Never try   

to use this utility in DOS-box.                               

For DOS environment place this line in your CONFIG.SYS file:  

DEVICE=path\ATAPI_CD.SYS /D:MSCD000

This utility not use MSCDEX.EXE,but if you want to access     

your drive in DOS place this line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:  

MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000 /M:12

If you want to use your DVD drive in MS-DOS mode place this   

previously described line in DOSSTART.BAT located in your     

Windows directory.                                            

- This utility will NOT make your drive RegionFree, but let you  

to reset the drive after your 5 region code modification is  

done. After reset you have another 5 choices to switch to    

another region codes. The reset cycles is unlimited. That is 

a real advantage of this program.                            

- After successful erasing your drive's name will be changed to  

PIONEER DVD-114R after next restart. This name will be keepd 

until first region code inquiry made by any software. This is

normal.                                                      

- Sometimes 1.1 version not working good. The new 2.0 version    

has bug-fixes what resolves this problem.                    

- I dont know at this moment any solutions to make this drive    

region free. The unused jumpers on the back of the drive not 

resolve anything.                                            

- Until the drive is not regionalized the drive will abort any   

attempts to read DVD files on disc. Only "ALL regions" files 

shall be read with any region code settings.                 

- I propose to use your drive as Secondary Master, but this      

utility will find them in any other IDE port. (primary,slave)

- If the drive is in NoSet state (after erase) the setting of any

region code is allowed indifferent the type of the DVD inser-

ted. But at second time the drive will enable region setting 

that correspond with the inserted disc's region code.        

- In the Erase procedure please DONT load the tray mannualy, let 

the program to load it. (Will not cause errors when you done 

mannualy).                                                   

- The erasing NOT need any kind of discs inserted, but will ter- 

minate much faster when an DVD disc is loaded. Its allowed to

use one normal CD-ROM.                                       

- Some words about firmware changes. The firmware change can be  

done ONLY IN REAL DOS MODE!.This is NOT DOS box. To reach DOS

mode fast select from this 2 methods described bellow:       

METHOD 1: Shut down your WIN9x and at exit dialog select

Restart in DOS mode.                

METHOD 2: At power on and boot process press F8 to acces

startup menu and select Command     

prompt only (In this case your      

Config.sys file must contain        

DEVICE=path\ATAPI_CD.SYS /D:MSCD000 

line therein. (described previously)

Read carefully attached README file in your used firmware pack

In some cases you must specify something in command line (e.g.

UPGRADE /2 V110.HEX).The firmware change MUST BE DONE with    

drive setting up as SECONDARY MASTER!. The upgrade program    

will not run if you don't have this situation. Don't be afraid

if you have attached other CD-ROM drive beside the DVD-ROM the

firmware change cannot affect this other drive, because the   

update process will be run only after drive version and type  

checking. Be careful. If your PC has power failure, or crash  

during this procedure your drive has possibility to damage!   

- Don't try this procedures if You don't have enough tech skill.  

In this case try to find a help from some trained friends.    

(But not from ME!. I've described all necesary infos. I don't  

want to receive hundred of mails from lots of very novice     

users. Please understand me!)

Sorry for a lot of unanswered emails, but my time is too short to evaluate all.
If you don't get answer on your question on this site or Discussion forum contact me!
I try to answer.

Fekete István. Budapest Hungary.

Reach me here only in English or Hungarian language please!

Downloads and links

DOS region set utility	Self extractor (Use SETREG.BAT to start) IDE drives
Simplified DOS region set utility	EXE for IDE drives for any regions
Win9x region set (For RealMagic users)	EXE (needs RealMagic card installed!) SCSI and IDE
Drive info 1.02	EXE to view region state o your DVD-ROM (WIN9x)
DOS driver 3.05 (ATAPI CD.SYS)	Self extractor IDE 10* Pioneer drives
DVD 114 Eraser v2.0B	My own developed utility for locked Pioneer IDE drives
Region FREE firmware v1.24 TRAY	Self extractor for Pioneer DVD-114
Region FREE firmware v1.23 SLOT-IN	Self extractor for Pioneer DVD-104/04/04S/04SZ
Eraser firmware v1.10 for 6 x SCSI	Self extractor for region locked Pioneer 6x SCSI
AOpen regionFREE firmware v1.24 TRAY	Self extractor for AOpen 10x TRAY version
AOpen regionFREE firmware v1.23 SLOT	Self extractor for AOpen 10x SLOT-IN version
Pioneer Australia support	New firmwares and device drivers
Pioneer USA support	New firmwares and device drivers
Pioneer Japan support	New firmwares and device drivers
The firmware page	Firmwares (by Fabrice Arzeno)
The DVD utils page	DVD related tech info