[RESOLVED] External CD-ROM Parallel/SCSI for Notebook

I have a very suspicious drive that claims to be a "Venus Series" CD-ROM, but comes accompanied by Shuttle Technologies Old SCSI Driver. The real mode drivers work, but when I try to use the drive from Windows, it will not allow me to run any executable files (Inavlid Handle is the error). If I just use the Windows installer, it says it's successful, and the SCSI driver seems OK, but the CD-ROM is not accessible via the explorer (or any other means). There is no FCC number, no serial number, no nothing for this drive...any ideas?

The "Venus Series" you mention is apparently the type of case your CD-ROM drive is in...see
http://www.goldenbyte.com/new_case/cdrom.html

This also indicates your CD-ROM can have any one of three interfaces: SCSI, IDE, or PCMCIA. How do you attach your unit to the notebook? If SCSI/PCMCIA, who makes the adapter/PC card?

[This message has been edited by schultzz (edited July 14, 1999).]

The unit is a SCSI drive which attaches via the parallel port. There is no separate SCSI card, just the parallel/SCSI WIn95 driver.

I can use it from DOS with the Realmode drivers, but it often craps out. For instance, XCOPYing a directory will copy 50% of the files, then bring up a file not found error, and when the directory on the CD is checked, only the last few files successfully copied are there...the disk has to be ejected and reinserted. From Win95 I can copy data files of just about any sort, but any ".exe" file gives me "Invalid Handle" errors, whether I'm trying to run it or copy it.

Does this make any sense? I'm ready to kill it.

I'm not sure if I have the right item, but there is a Shuttle listed in WinDrivers. Have you tried the drivers here:
http://www.spacewalker.com/english/download.htm

If these don't work or you have already tried them, I would recommend testing the unit on another computer to make sure your computer is not having a problem. If it still doesn't work, check inside the CD-ROM drive case for a loose connector. If everything is OK, then I suspect either the power supply in the external case is failing (I just had my personal unit go on me - cheap fix, 2 bad capacitors, cost me 90 cents), or the actual CD-ROM drive may be failing. If you are adventurous and have the right tools, I would try troubleshooting the power supply.

Let me know if this helps...

[This message has been edited by schultzz (edited July 16, 1999).]