reading from optical drives stopped working - writing still works

[boernie.bodensee]

Hey guys,

...I suddenly found out that on my Windows XP Pro system none of my optical drives work properly anymore in respect of reading media from the Windows Explorer or similar.

I can still burn discs using Nero 6 or other Software (like DVD-Lab for example). Also the administrative tool for the drive management shows me the correct partition info, if a media is inserted.
Seems like applciations accessing the drives on a lower level succeed.

One drive is a SCSI Pioneer DVD-ROM, and the other is an IDE Sony DRU500AX DVD-burner. Both drives stopped working at the same time.

Sadly, I cannot tell whether I have installed some piece of software that lead to the problem, because I cannot determine the point in time exactly when the problem started.

One more thing to mention is, that when I insert a media in one of the drives, the mouse cursor shows the obligatory blinking disc next to it while the media is initially read. No autostart is working, though.

Also very confusing is, that for blank media, the window appears asking what to do with discs of that type. For all other (non-blank) media nothing happens beyond the blinking mouse cursor.

In Windows Explorer, the drives (and drive letters) are there. The same in device manager. But when I click on the drives in explorer, I always get an empty content for the DVD-burner and an error message ("no media, insert!") for the DVD-ROM drive - NO MATTER whether there is none, one or two discs in the drives.

I tried ro remove all CD-burning software - no change.
Removed the drives from device manager and let them redetect - no change.
I tried to remove the drive info from the registry "LOCAL_MACHINE/.../enum/..." but Windows doesn't let me remove those entries (there are several for each drive!)

I think, if I let a media in a drive during system boot, I can use it later when XP is up. But I have to verify to be 100% sure.

Man, I'm clueless.... I hope desperately one of you can help me out here. It has to be a software issue.

Thanks for all your help in advance!
Cheers,
(Bernie).

[NooNoo]

Wilkommen bei Windrivers boernie.bodensee!

If you boot to safe mode (f8 at startup) can you read cd's then? What is the chipset of the motherboard?

[boernie.bodensee]

>

Wilkommen bei Windrivers boernie.bodensee!

Danke NooNoo !! 8)

>If you boot to safe mode (f8 at startup) can you read cd's then? What is the >chipset of the motherboard?

Ok, it's an ASUS P4C800 Deluxe motherboard with an Intel 875P chipset.
I will try your safe-mode recommendation later today (when I get home from work) and post the result then.

In my posting, I forgot to tell: I also flashed the latest bios on the DVD-writer, and I can "read" discs with Nero (for example during a disc-copy). But I think that info is not really adding to the solution for the prblem. :-(

Thank you for caring so far...
(Bernie).

[confus-ed]

..In my posting, I forgot to tell: I also flashed the latest bios on the DVD-writer, and I can "read" discs with Nero (for example during a disc-copy). But I think that info is not really adding to the solution for the prblem. :-(

Thank you for caring so far...
(Bernie).

Of course we care here ! - thats what the whole place is about - helping folks with inexplicable computer issues

Have you tried pulling the IDE burner ? & seeing if the scsi one then can work on its own ? Change of firmware may be a 'spurious complication' - but I've seen it do the most unexpected things !

[boernie.bodensee]

Hi again,

...so, I've tried booting in safe mode: both drives work 100% properly.

Then I've tried booting again "normally" (not safe mode) with a disc in one of the drives (SCSI DVD-ROM). The drive containing the disc works after that also 100%!
The other drive still shows the same eraneous behaviour....

And, yes, confus-ed, I've tried all combinations (4 :-)) ) with detaching, re-attaching the drives hardware-wise before. It didn't help to solve or change the issue... thanks for the idea, though!!

Now, I guess it HAS to be a software(-driver) thing, what do you think? Also, I guess, this is good news, because that should be able to be fixed without re-installing WinXP!?! (I would hate to do that....)

Do you have in idea on how to proceed with this new info???

Thanks again, dudes,
(Bernie).

[NooNoo]

OK, so lets check the basics.

Are the latest motherboard drivers installed?
Has EasyCD ever been anywhere near that machine?

check all the resolution steps here are done

[boernie.bodensee]

Hey NooNoo and fellows,

...I am quite sure that EasyCD has never been near my PC. BUT: I can remember, that there was a Windows-Update package not too long ago on the official MS Windows-Update site that was called "Update for Windows XP HighMAT-support for the assistant for writing CDs (KB831240)"[translated from German] that I had installed.
In the meantime, I removed it again (after the problems occured) during my own investigations and trials to fix the issues.

Also I never installed the packet writing portion of Nero (at least not on purpose - and it's not present right now).

I followed al the instructions from the MS web-page you linked to in your last posting. Everything relating to AutoStart and AutoPlay seems to be as it should be. No changes were necessary. Also, I followed the link from that bulletin to the Windows compatibility page and further to the "designed for Windows XP" page. I can find my DVD-ROM drive there (Pioneer DVR-103), but not he Burner (Sony DRU-500AX). But I mean hey worked for me since I have them and also under XP so far.

Concerning the chipset drivers, I will install them later today. This morning I didn't have enough time to update them - had to go to work. I'll try this evening.

it would be great, if we could solve this problem with your help. I've read other people's posting with the same issues around on the web. Would be cool, if we could refern them to this thread containg a solution some time...8)

Thank YOU! I'll let you know how the chipset driver update works out...

Btw. you recommend to update the motherboard BIOS as well??? (in a separate test-step, of course).

Cheers,
(Bernie).

[confus-ed]

There's definately windows update issues which affect some machines post some of the DRM (digital rights management) patches, they try & read sub channel data off cd's to get artist & track info (which might be present on commercially pressed cd's) - thank you so much NOT Billy Boy .. - not only is this an invasion of privacy (as I see it) but it can also cause 'working' drives not to read in windows .. sound familiar ?

Definately install any chipset patches for sure (affects all IDE 'transactions') & if you can find a bios that 'does anything' to IDE then that's also worth a shot too, methinks, but I think I pinned it down as above with this DRM stuff - (there's not just the one you identified, but I don't recall exactly - your english is damn good though so I reckon you'll be able to see, reading all the descriptions)

[boernie.bodensee]

Gentlemen,

...I have been trying the latest chipset drivers. Sadly there's no improvement.

But, what confus-ed wrote brought a memory up: I remember installing an MS update package related to the DRM!!! So, this might be the bad guy!
Right now I have no clue on how to get rid of it again. I was quickly looking at the microsoft website to find the exact name or ID for that update, because it doesn't show up in the control panel to be easily de-installed.

The other thing is, that I am running out of time today. I'll be on vacation (the first for 7 months) for the next week, leaving tomorrow. Away from the PC for little more than 7 days...phewewhew... and I still got to pack tonight.

I don't know, but I would be more than happy to find you here again after my vacation.

I will definitely post again when I'm back. Maybe I can then try to remove that DRM stuff - and if impossible...well...no, I don't want to believe there's no other way than re-installing or going back to an (quite) old image...

Gentlemen, if you wish, I will write to you again soon. Have a good next week. And, confus-ed, thanks for what you said about my English! I try hard not to loose everything that I have learned working in a canadian/north-american company for almost 6 years and staying in the UK for more than 3 months...
Writing is easier, but my speaking gets worse, now that I am working in a 100% german company for 7 months now...but I still have my friends in the UK, Canada and the US to "practice" on the phone... ;-)

Ok, that was enough off-topic...read you again soon,
(Bernie).

[NooNoo]

Boernie, gern geschehen und gute fahrt!

Highmat.... although you may have uninstalled it, it may still be affecting things. DRM is designed NOT to be uninstalled....

It may be quicker to install over which effectively kills the windows updates. You can then check the effect that the updates have by installing them one at a time.