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DVD/CD Drive can't read Data

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7 replies

by arujammer

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I formatted my HP pavilion 7000 and installed WinXP Home with all Windows XP, including SP3.

Everything worked fine, till i wanted to install a few programs i have on a recordable CD.

The windows can't read the CD or other recorded CD.
This wasn't the case before a installed Norton 2004.

I tried to see if the CD was damage , but this wasn't the case, since i could open it on another laptop.
Strange thing is, i have a recorded DVD and this will open and no other recordable CD will open.

Has anyone had this same problem ?

7 replies

by older mycroft

There is no hard and fast rule that ALL recordable CDs are readable on all computer optical drives. The main contributory factor in this problem lies with the colour of the dye used on the data side of the disc.

Different manufacturers of optical drives (and even different models within the same manufacturers range) use slightly differing lasers for reading and writing of optical discs. THAT coupled with the different colours of dyes coating the different brands of discs, creates a hotch-potch of possible problems.

I advise that you use a computer that CAN read this problem disc, copy the data, then burn it back onto an optical disc of the colour that the drive CAN read.

Or, as an alternative, start transferring data by use of a USB RAM-stick instead.

by oh smeg

It may be Norton's which is the offending piece of Software. It contains some interesting Security Measures and in this case it may render any Optical Media not written when it was installed as Invalid.

I've only ever seen this happen once and it required the System to be Wiped and Reloaded without Norton's to make it usable again. If you have other computers available network them and use the Optical Drives in them to install your Software and other Data from. It will be able to read any Disc's that you burn on it but will remain unable to read any other recorded Disc's that it didn't make or at least where made on a system without Norton's installed.

You also need to remember that Optical Drives have a finite life so don't leave Disc's in them when it's not necessary and if you need to have a certain CD/DVD in the Drive load a Virtual Drive and copy the contents of the Disc to that so you don't need to use am Optical Disc. Besides it's faster to access your Data on a Virtual Drive than from a CD so it's better and if you are using a Note Book it allows you to run longer on Battery.

Col

by arujammer

I think that Norton is the problem,to make things more strange. When inserted a recordable CD in the drive an boot up the system. It reads the Disk till i remove the disk and insert it again in the drive.

I'm now going to reinstall the system without Norton and see what happens. And try some other antivirus.

by oh smeg

If that is the case try looking for new Chip Set Drivers for your M'Board from either the M'Board Maker or the Chip Set Maker. They could be the problem.

Col

by arujammer

So i fromated my HD and install a fresh Windows XP Home.
Everything seems to work fine, till i installed SP2.

I think the problem here is the DVD/CD drive.

I test a external DVD/CD and this work perfectly

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