Having a few issus with my CD-ROM drives. Ideas?

from WinCustomize Forums
Anyone ever had a DVD-ROM refuse to recognize or play an DVD? My DVD-ROM is old and probably the lens is dirty but it will recognize any other data or CD audio disk but not an DVD movie disc - and this is on a fresh install of XP with every update except SP2 and I am using cyberlink PowerDVD 6... and the movie is brand new.

Also something is wrong with my CDRW drive as well - it seems it dosen't like to write to CDs correctly. Out of 20 I got 6 to write good. HMM. I'm using Nero 5.5 and writeing at 4x.

I'm using a rounded IDE cable. My motherboard is a Shuttle mobo using the Nvidia Nforce2 chipset. Ecvery driver is up to date. I am using the Nvidia IDE driver instead of the default MS IDE driver. Could that cause problems?

The cable is setup that the DVD-ROM is master, CDRW drive is slave.
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Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Had a similiar problem with one of the HPs at the office. It seems there are format changes that have occured that rendered it useless. It's not only a read problem but also the chamge to the blank disk formats. You may be able to "flash" you drive with an updated bios that will solve the problem. (I tried this but it didn't help with DVDs only CDs) For me it was easier to buy a External for that particular system.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I am using the Nvidia IDE driver instead of the default MS IDE driver. Could that cause problems?


Yup......
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yrag - I suspected as much. Could you enlighten me to the problems you have seen surrounding the use of the Nvidia driver as opposed to the MS driver?
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sure...the problems are exactly what you described. Load the MS drivers, re-boot and...voila!!
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'll try that.

We'll see...
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
OK here is the update.

So I went into "device manager" and clicked rollback and rollbacked the IDE drivers to the MS drivers. I then rebooted. I inserted my movie and still the drive will NOT recognize it. I tried different movies. No go. So then I opened up PowerDVD and then inserted the movie. Still no go. What gives?
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Device Manager/IDE Controllers/Secondary Channel/Advanced Settings...are both listed as DMA enabled?
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Device Manager/IDE Controllers/Secondary Channel/Advanced Settings...are both listed as DMA enabled?


The DVD-ROM is listed as "Multi-word DMA Mode 2" with "DMA if available" selected above that.

The CDRW drive is listed as "Ultra DMA Mode 2" with "DMA if available" selected above that.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Then my guess is that it's 'Nero' ...run the Nero Info Tool and see what it says your Rom's are capable of..

You can also run a Nero speed test on them ...see if it gives you an error.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Since I reinstalled XP recently I need to go reinstall Nero right quick...

I'm still puzzled by the DVD-ROMs ability to not play DVDs...
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Wait a minute...those drives are backwards...the Master Drive must be the UDMA...!!!
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You sure bout that? I'm not sure I can make that cable strech like that...

Or is it a simple matter of changing the pins on the back of the drives?

They can still both be tied into the some IDE cable right?
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah, but if you didn't make any changes with them before this then don't bother. Un-plug the CDRW and run with the DVD as a single. Re-boot and see what it assigns to it and try a DVD in it. Try doing the same to the CDRW and see what it gets as a single (you'll have to pull the jumper on that one, since it's set as a slave). When you re-boot, check in the bios that UDMA is enabled for the drives, (No UDMA, No DVD)
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yrag - I just spent the last 5 minutes in BIOS. The only options for UDMA are enabled or disabled. They all are enabled. Still the DVD-ROM is set to "Multi-word DMA Mode 2" in device manger. I'm wondering if the DVD-ROM is set to Master or CS. Would that make a difference? Would the IDE cable I'm using (rounded) make a difference? It's 80 pin. Strange thing is it used to play DVDs last year...

I'll tear the PC apart here soon. I need to replace a 80mm fan anyhow.
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It could still be the drivers, if you're convinced it's not the hardware (you cannot have a faster drive set as a slave to a slower drive even if it's a driver/software issue..in your case UDMA versus DMA, not disk RPMS )...sometimes, when you install the NVidia system drivers it smacks the IDE rails, even if you back peddle. The only way to remedy it is to un-install the drivers using 'Add and Remove'. Remove the Display drivers at the same time because they need to be loaded after the System drivers. After you un-install the drivers and re-boot, cancel any 'Hardware Found' prompts. Download and install Driver Cleaner http://www.drivercleaner.net/dc.htm . Run it and have it clean all your NVidia files out. Now install the NVidia system drivers (exclude the IDE drivers) and reboot and install the Display drivers.

The driver sets you install should be:
System: 5.10
Display: 71.84
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
*Sigh*

Ok Yrag I did EVERYTHING you suggested and did it to the T yet i can't get my DVD-ROM to even recognize any DVD movie disc. It will easyly recognize data, music and CD-RW discs but not my not DVDs. I am wondering if XP is to blame here.

What should I do?
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
hummm.....no, I can't think of any reason that XP would cause the problem. I'm not so sure there isn't a conflict between Nero and Power DVD. You could try and see if the DVD plays using MS Media Player. (it can use either the PWRDVD or Nero decoder). Failing that, if your cables are 80 pin and the drives are set correctly (neither can be CS...only Master or Slave) and you can read data on each CD Rom then my guess is that the DVD player is the culprit. The CD-RW would not operate correctly earlier because of being slaved to a malfunctioning DVD drive. If you tried the CD-RW read/write abilities with it hooked up by itself as I noted above and it worked correctly...then I believe your DVD is due for retirement. The only way to know for sure is to try it on another computer with a decoder installed and see if it works. I would bet even money, it doesn't work on another system either....
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well as a last ditch effort I'm going to try cleaning the lens. If it still will not work I believe new DVD-ROMs are cheap these days. Thanks for your help.
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Are we talking original DVDs or re-recorded ones...if the latter perhaps it's a format issue....eg DVD+R vs DVD-R...
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Far be it for me to "jump" in on another thread, I have been follwing this one and wanted to share..

Kona, I recently experienced a similar issue with my DVD burner and it isnt that old..its a TDK Indi 880n, pretty decent as far as burners go..it will not play the newer *Double Data rate DVD's* it will play all the older DVD's, before they changed the format of them.
I have updated the firmware, AND the software, I have Emailed both the DVD manufacturer and the Software Manufacturer..they have no answers..
I can still burn DVD's and like I said it will read the older DVD's..just not the Double Data Rate DVD's..
I dont know if you may be experiencing the same issue, but the fact that it will read other formats suggests that it may be related to the same problem..
If it is and you find a solution I would be more than grateful if you would share it.

Thanks,
Zero.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Jafo - I'm talking about original DVDs such as "Full Metal Jacket"

Zero - If I find a solution I'll let you know.

The drive was made on 10/2000 so it's 5 years old. I think it's time to get a new one.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
kona, i bet if you install SP2, things will be fine. wink, wink sorry, i had to say it
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I had a similar problem, except Windoze stopped detecting all drives except the HD. A few hours later, whenever I boot it just restarts. Was on phone with Gateway and my HD died after a test. Now up and running with new HD. Everything works fine. Try putting your drive in another computer and that should tell us the problem..
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Snidely: It has nothing to do with SP2 as it was playing movies just FINE before SP1 and even after SP1. It's a old drive. Either it's just old or dirty. (Nice try)

Meowy: I have no other computer to put it in. My hard drive is fairly new and tests out just fine. XP detects all my drives as it should. After all it's not a matter of XP detecting my drive but rather why the DVD-ROM will read any disc I put in it and recognize every disc I put in it BUT a DVD Movie.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Look in event viewer, are you getting "bad block" errors on the drive?

There are 2 LASERs in the drive the LASER for DVD might be bad. Had the same problem with an HP combo writer, they replaced it. Then the replacement did the same thing, of course the warrenty was expired then.

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