DVD Player: multi-region or not?

Question

I have just had my original ailing CD/DVD drive replaced by a new one: Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-107D. I inserted a new DVD to watch — a definitely European one — and a message came up, showing Region 1 (which is, I believe, North America), asking me to select a region and warning me that I would only be able to change the region four more times. I was alarmed: my old drive never asked me and was obviously multi-regional. So I ejected the DVD without selecting a region and without playing the DVD and inserted a DVD (again a European one) that I had played before on my old drive. It played with no questions asked. I then went back to the first DVD, and it, too, now played with no questions asked.
I am confused and worried. Has the drive and/or DVD software set itself to a particular region? Presumably not Region 1, because I can now play European DVDs.
Or is my drive (details as above) in fact multi-regional and was the message asking me to choose a region a red herring? I should be very grateful for any information or guidance.

Answer 1

I now realize that this region business is a matter of the DVD player included in my computer, not anything specific to the optical drive. The fact that I received a message that this was the first time I was opening the player and asking me to choose a region must have been because, in trying to sort out earlier computer problems, I had used first Onyx and then DiskWarrior to optimize my hard disk, which may have created new links between the player, the optical drive and other components. I also now realize that VLC will play DVDs and is, apparently, non-regional. So my problem has been solved even if, in the future, I may want to play DVDs from other regions.