Curse

Braxton619 · Jun 27, 2010, 09:30 PM // 21:30

Okay my old DVD burner died so I replaced it with a LG Super Multi Drive. Well I made sure the SATA and Power cables were properly plugged in... anyways device manager shows up the CD/DVD drive with no errors. Well I put a CD or DVD in the drive... the CD does not show up in My Computer. But its working fine... but the disc isn't showing up in My Computer. Does anyone know the problem? Thanks!

Name: LG Electronics 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Internal Drive GH24NS50 (Black)
My OS: Windows XP Home Edition SP3

If you could find the firmware and drivers, I would love that! I can't seem to find them!

I Pwn Brownies · Jun 27, 2010, 11:26 PM // 23:26

[R e m o v e d]

Braxton619 · Jun 28, 2010, 12:11 AM // 00:11

Thanks for the firmware link. Now, can someone help me on why this problem is occurring? Also the region is set to not selected... should I set it to Region 1?

Thanks!!

Astral_Nomad · Jun 28, 2010, 02:15 AM // 02:15

check the disc and see if its dirty... if youve used the disc alot, the disc itself could just be wore out... ive had that problem in the past.

Braxton619 · Jun 28, 2010, 04:24 AM // 04:24

I checked multiple discs. The drive does not read CD's or DVD's. One of my computer expert friends said to go to BIOS to make sure its properly configured. Then try to boot Windows from a CD. If it works then, its Windows. But if not, not properly configured or hardware issue.

Elder III · Jun 28, 2010, 01:10 PM // 13:10

you may have it in the wrong SATA port, depending on your BIOS settings all of the SATA ports may not be available without changing AHCI - if you have another SATA port available on the motherboard I'd suggest tryi9ng that first.

Braxton619 · Jun 28, 2010, 05:02 PM // 17:02

UPDATE: Just tested the drive in DOS. Does not read CD/DVD there.

When I open the computer, i'm going to plug the sata plug into another port. Then reconnect the two plugs on the device. Then maybe tape the connectors to it in case of vibrations.

What should I do if all those fail too?

Snograt · Jun 28, 2010, 07:07 PM // 19:07

Try a different SATA lead.

Quaker · Jun 28, 2010, 09:54 PM // 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Braxton619

When I open the computer, i'm going to plug the sata plug into another port. Then reconnect the two plugs on the device. Then maybe tape the connectors to it in case of vibrations.

What should I do if all those fail too?

Was the old burner SATA and, if so, did you plug the new one into the existing cables? If the answer is yes, then there's always the possibility that the new drive is D.O.A.

If the answer is "no", then, as Elder suggests, you may be using an inactive SATA port. Some motherboards come with both SATA ports in the chipset and a Jmicron (or other brand) controller for eSATA and (sometimes PATA) connections. If so, the Jmicron controller may be disabled in the BIOS.
Also, if your hard drive is PATA, all of the SATA ports might be disabled in the BIOS.

So, basically, plug the burner into an available SATA port with the lowest "number" - for example, SATA_1 or SATA_2. (Next to the hard drive cable if the hard drive is SATA)
Btw, check to make sure you know where all the SATA ports are - sometimes they can be hidden by video cards or other devices.
If that doesn't work, check in the BIOS that the SATA ports are enabled. (check in the manual too.)
If the ports are enabled but it still doesn't work, we're back to DOA.

P.s. - taping the cables is not a good idea. If you are concerned about the connections coming loose, you can get SATA cables with small retention clips on them.

Braxton619 · Jun 29, 2010, 06:33 AM // 06:33

Yes I used the same cables I connected to my old DVD drive. The new one did not come with any cables.

The old burner was SATA as well. But that drive is probably 2-3+ years. Had the computer for 2 years. This drive is probably new.

Old drive: 16x
New drive: 24x

What do i do if its DOA?

Lord Sojar · Jun 29, 2010, 09:09 AM // 09:09

I've had several defective SATA cables. Try a new SATA cable, as it can't hurt, and costs next to nothing.

If it's DOA, start the RMA process with Newegg (I assume that's where you purchased it) or whichever company you ended up going with.

Snograt · Jun 29, 2010, 12:01 PM // 12:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Sojar

If it's DOA, start the RMA process

If you've not come across this term before, it translates as "send back to vendor for refund/replacement." (Return Merchandise Authorization.)

Quaker · Jun 29, 2010, 03:22 PM // 15:22

Of course, given what you've said, perhaps the old burner didn't die. Maybe the problem is with your motherboard or BIOS and not the drive at all.
Is the hard drive SATA? If it is, try plugging it into the connector that you were plugging the burner into and see if it still works.
If the hard drive is PATA (parallel IDE) then your back to making sure the SATA ports are enabled.

And, anyway, one thing to try is to reset your BIOS. Check your motherboard/computer manual for the location of a jumper that does this. Usually, you turn off the computer, move the jumper to different pins for a few seconds and then put the jumper back where it was. This can cure all sorts of screw-ups, including settings that don't show up in the BIOS.

Braxton619 · Jun 30, 2010, 02:59 AM // 02:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

Of course, given what you've said, perhaps the old burner didn't die. Maybe the problem is with your motherboard or BIOS and not the drive at all.
Is the hard drive SATA? If it is, try plugging it into the connector that you were plugging the burner into and see if it still works.
If the hard drive is PATA (parallel IDE) then your back to making sure the SATA ports are enabled.

And, anyway, one thing to try is to reset your BIOS. Check your motherboard/computer manual for the location of a jumper that does this. Usually, you turn off the computer, move the jumper to different pins for a few seconds and then put the jumper back where it was. This can cure all sorts of screw-ups, including settings that don't show up in the BIOS.

My old DVD drive was working fine. It would read CD's just fine. But the DVD laser died and it would stop reading DVDs.

First of all what is a jumper pin? And yes my HDD is SATA. I looked in the BIOS about the drive and it shows up this in CMOS Features:

(In Order):

That shows all my SATA devices. I clicked the DVD-ROM one and it showed something about auto-detection and capacity. Should I change anything here?

EDIT: My computer manual says this after installing DVD drives:

Enter System Setup and select the appropriate drive option.

ALSO: The DVD drive manual says this statement:

Install the appropriate CD Recording Authoring Software before using this unit.

...We recommend using the drive with the latest software as some problems encountered when using the drive can be solved by updating the software.

Please help!

Snograt · Jun 30, 2010, 02:21 PM // 14:21

The auto-detection feature is for HDDs only.

Only thing that's making me wonder is why the drive is showing as a DVD-RAM, rather than ROM. That's unusual...

...but probably not relevant.

If you're happy with registry editing, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMu-gCxqRMs

If you follow those instructions and your upper and lower filters are already set to zero (or don't exist) then that's not the problem ^_^

Quaker · Jun 30, 2010, 03:18 PM // 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Braxton619

My old DVD drive was working fine. It would read CD's just fine. But the DVD laser died and it would stop reading DVDs.

Actually, the drive would have only one laser to read both CD and DVDs, but that's not important. (The laser focusing system may be toast, or dirty.)

From your pictures, it seems that the motherboard recognizes the DVD drive just fine, so there's no need to get into ports or jumpers. We're back to the new drive being DOA (Dead On Arrival). It may be best just to try to return it and get it replaced.

@Snograt - most new DVD burners show up with RAM in their name. The BIOS simply reads an identification string off the drive (plus some parameters, ofc). So, it's more a matter of what the drive manufacturer wants to call it.

Snograt · Jun 30, 2010, 03:51 PM // 15:51

Yeah, we're clutching at straws here. Quaker's totally correct in that the most likely cause is a defective drive. Just as well it's a cheapo, eh? $20 - $30 last I saw

Big John Thomas · Jun 30, 2010, 05:05 PM // 17:05

Try going into device manager > right click the drive > uninstall > reboot and let windows reinstall the drivers. If that doesn't work try this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116

Lord Sojar · Jun 30, 2010, 06:28 PM // 18:28

I'm sticking with the SATA cable being damaged. I've had that happen 3x now...

Snograt · Jun 30, 2010, 07:31 PM // 19:31

^ that was my favorite choice, but it's such a simple task to try that cable with his existing HDD that he must have tried that when I first mentioned it, right? Right?