PC problem

[ShadowKatt]

I know this isn't a tech support forum, but I'm at wits end with this. I just built a new machine and I love it to bits, but I've hit a brick wall: My drive won't play dvds. Now, without further adeu...

Running XP Home SP3 fully patched
Sony DRU-830a DVD-RW combo drive

I've updated and patched everything up as high as I can, and still it won't read dvds. It will read cds, but not dvds. I've 1) changed out the dvd drive, I've 2) reformatted the computer, I've 3) obviously reinstalled the drivers, AND used drivers from two different sources.

I'm going out of my mind here trying to get this to work. I need help.

 

[Nimbus]

Just DVD-videos or all data/game/video DVDs?

 

[John Smyth]

Are the correct drivers installed?

EDIT: sorry missed that in the original post

 

[TZer0]

Same problem here. Theory: dirty lence. Does anyone experience with fixing such problems? Just insert a cleaning-CD to fix?

 

[TZer0]

Do you have XP? My version of XP came without the codecs needed to read DVDs, and without the proper software. My version of Vista did, however, so I just watch them on my laptop.
I would have said "check your drive to see if it is a dvdrw drive", but you posted that.

Also, deleting system 32 might help.

Except it won't help deleting system32.. you'll be deleting vital system features instead.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Well, cables could be an issue, except they're all brand-spankin new. I'd hope they were fine, and it does read cds so I don't think that's it. And it is ALL dvds, movies, games, and data.

 

[Nimbus]

Maybe it is something with the cables in the computer itself? They might be loose or mixed up.

Unlikely. The only cable connecting the drive and computer would be either a SATA or IDE cable, and those couldn't be disconnected or mixed up in any way that would make CDs work, but not DVDs.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Just DVD-videos or all data/game/video DVDs?

this we really need to know! does it joust give you the "insert cd/dvd" message or what? can you not open the dvds or are they joust not auto-playing?

Right, forgot to mention that. When the dvd is in the drive, in My Computer it doesn't show a dvd in it at all. Odds are 50/50 that if I try to open the drive it will show as empty, or windows explorer will just crash.

 

[ShadowKatt]

does it joust give you the "insert cd/dvd" message or what? can you not open the dvds or are they joust not auto-playing?

Well, cables could be an issue, except they're all brand-spankin new. I'd hope they were fine, and it does read cds so I don't think that's it. And it is ALL dvds, movies, games, and data.

seriously i dont think there is anything wrong with your cables i joust cant understand how that could affect only the dvd reading and not the cd's

Yeah, me neither, and considering I build and repair these things for a living, the fact that I can't fix this one is making me pull my hair out.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

ok a few questions

1 what program are you using to play the dvds?
2 can it read dvds/cds that are music or programs?
3 can porgrams such as nero and such see dvds that are inserted?
4 has the drive worked before?
5 did you try receding the cables?
6 what dvd region is the player and the dvd you are trying to play?

if you can answer that, i could narrow it down a lot more to what the issue is

 

[ShadowKatt]

ok a few questions

1 what program are you using to play the dvds?
2 can it read dvds/cds that are music or programs?
3 can porgrams such as nero and such see dvds that are inserted?
4 has the drive worked before?
5 did you try receding the cables?
6 what dvd region is the player and the dvd you are trying to play?

if you can answer that, i could narrow it down a lot more to what the issue is

Okay, one at a time:

1 No program. I'm trying to run a game, and just opening it in WIndows Explorer. Either it doesn't read the dvd, or it locks up and crashes explore.exe.

2 Yes, it can read cds of all flavors, just not dvds. I have games on cd and I installed and played them, but nothing dvd shows up.

3 Well, I don't have nero, or any other burning program, so we'll have to skip this one...

4 Yes, it worked before. I pulled it out of my old machine. More than that, I took a working drive out of someone elses computer and tried it as well, and it didn't work either. So it's not a broken drive.

5 Receding the cables? Say wha?

6 By default it was set to 1, United States. I live in the United States, I bought it in the United States, and I got all my dvds in the United States, so I don't know why that would be a problem. Also, I tried changing it to region 2 and that didn't work either.

Hope that clears things up.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Maybe it is something with the cables in the computer itself? They might be loose or mixed up.

Unlikely. The only cable connecting the drive and computer would be either a SATA or IDE cable, and those couldn't be disconnected or mixed up in any way that would make CDs work, but not DVDs.

Yes, true. Weird, CDs run fine, but not DVDs. Are you trying the same DVD, or a differnt one everytime?

I've tried three dvds, one is a game, one a movie, the last a burned dvd with raw data. It won't acknowledge any of them.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Joust make sure that u have the 830a and not the 830 UL/T.

4 Yes, it worked before. I pulled it out of my old machine. More than that, I took a working drive out of someone elses computer and tried it as well, and it didn't work either. So it's not a broken drive.

This makes me very confounded, your computer has never been able to read dvds, that does unfortunately make me suspect that maybe there is something wrong with the mother board, but i don't know enough to know how to fix that.

If it's a problem with the board there isn't anything I can do about it, but I don't understand where the problem would be.

 

[ShadowKatt]

hmmm btw does the drive give u an error in the device manager?

Device manager identifies it as SONY DVD RW DRU-830A, and says "This device is working properly."

 

[cleverlymadeup]

ok a few questions

1 what program are you using to play the dvds?
2 can it read dvds/cds that are music or programs?
3 can porgrams such as nero and such see dvds that are inserted?
4 has the drive worked before?
5 did you try receding the cables?
6 what dvd region is the player and the dvd you are trying to play?

if you can answer that, i could narrow it down a lot more to what the issue is

Okay, one at a time:

1 No program. I'm trying to run a game, and just opening it in WIndows Explorer. Either it doesn't read the dvd, or it locks up and crashes explore.exe.

2 Yes, it can read cds of all flavors, just not dvds. I have games on cd and I installed and played them, but nothing dvd shows up.

3 Well, I don't have nero, or any other burning program, so we'll have to skip this one...

4 Yes, it worked before. I pulled it out of my old machine. More than that, I took a working drive out of someone elses computer and tried it as well, and it didn't work either. So it's not a broken drive.

5 Receding the cables? Say wha?

6 By default it was set to 1, United States. I live in the United States, I bought it in the United States, and I got all my dvds in the United States, so I don't know why that would be a problem. Also, I tried changing it to region 2 and that didn't work either.

Hope that clears things up.

sorry i should have said reseed, basically take the cable out and put it back in.

i don't think it's a cable issue since you can read data cds, thought it could have been.

you can also try removing the dvd drive, booting up windows without the drive, then powering everything off, putting the drive back in and booting up again

also there is the ability to reinstall the drivers from the device manger.

the other option is to do a bios reset, just go into the bios setup and restore the defaults, it could be some wonky thing in the bios doing it

also is there anything else on the cable besides the dvd drive?

 

[ShadowKatt]

ok a few questions

1 what program are you using to play the dvds?
2 can it read dvds/cds that are music or programs?
3 can porgrams such as nero and such see dvds that are inserted?
4 has the drive worked before?
5 did you try receding the cables?
6 what dvd region is the player and the dvd you are trying to play?

if you can answer that, i could narrow it down a lot more to what the issue is

Okay, one at a time:

1 No program. I'm trying to run a game, and just opening it in WIndows Explorer. Either it doesn't read the dvd, or it locks up and crashes explore.exe.

2 Yes, it can read cds of all flavors, just not dvds. I have games on cd and I installed and played them, but nothing dvd shows up.

3 Well, I don't have nero, or any other burning program, so we'll have to skip this one...

4 Yes, it worked before. I pulled it out of my old machine. More than that, I took a working drive out of someone elses computer and tried it as well, and it didn't work either. So it's not a broken drive.

5 Receding the cables? Say wha?

6 By default it was set to 1, United States. I live in the United States, I bought it in the United States, and I got all my dvds in the United States, so I don't know why that would be a problem. Also, I tried changing it to region 2 and that didn't work either.

Hope that clears things up.

sorry i should have said reseed, basically take the cable out and put it back in.

i don't think it's a cable issue since you can read data cds, thought it could have been.

you can also try removing the dvd drive, booting up windows without the drive, then powering everything off, putting the drive back in and booting up again

also there is the ability to reinstall the drivers from the device manger.

the other option is to do a bios reset, just go into the bios setup and restore the defaults, it could be some wonky thing in the bios doing it

also is there anything else on the cable besides the dvd drive?

No. Everything else is SATA, so it's the only thing on there, and it's on IDE0(the first jack from the board on the ribbon). I'll try everything else as well, see if that fixes it.

 

[superbleeder12]

have you installed/uninstalled any DVD reading/burning software (nero, roxio, alcohol 120, etc)?

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

have you tried swearing profanity at it while punching it and praying to your personal god?gee I hope not

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

Honeslty I would buy a new optical drive.

 

[Scrythe]

This might come off as strange, but it's a serious question: Have you installed any games that have StarForce DRM on it? StarForce is known to cause disk drive degradation to some drives.