CD ROM sucks

[DrFaroohk]

Dell Optiplex GX150, Windows 2000. CD drive doesn't work half the time.

Actually its a DVD drive. A LITEON DVD-ROM LTD163.

Sometimes there's a CD in there and it just doesn't recognize what it is. Sometimes I get these errors that are like "Cyclic Redundancy Data Error" or something. It also won't burn any CD's. I can usually get a game to work in there, if I keep ejecting it and putting it back in, eventually it reads.

I read somewhere that Windows 2000 has a hard time with that kind of drive. Is there like a driver I can download somewhere to fix this, or do I just need a new one?

[ApolloSZ]

Cyclic Redundancy Data Error usually means an issue with the Disc itself, but i have seen Drives cause it.

Your on the right path with checking drivers, see if Liteon has a website with updates, or driverguide.com
(youll need to register but last time I checked its free)

Also, double check on the drive itself, on the front of the tray it should say "DVD ROM" or "DVD/RW+/-" - This will say if its physically able to burn disc's or not. DVD-ROM or CD-ROM can't burn discs. If its a re-writeable disc, you may need to do an erase first.

CHeers

[DrFaroohk]

It just says DVD ROM. Weird. I could've sworn I burned a CD with it once before. Maybe not.

It seems to be random as far as the disc error. Sometimes its a brand new disk that won't work, sometimes its just my ass old discs that won't work, which is understandable of course.

Will pretty much any old drive work in this thing, like if I go to best buy and snag one cheap?

[Broomjockey]

As long as the drive has the proper connectors, any one should work. Just make sure to get the same type of connector as the one you have now.

Just in case you're not sure what's what:

IDE = large flat "ribbon" cable, usually grey, often with multiple connections along the ribbon to plug in other devices

SATA = small cable, just goes straight from the drive to the motherboard. Since you're running Windows 2000, you're more likely to have an IDE drive.

[Eric the Grey]

It just says DVD ROM. Weird. I could've sworn I burned a CD with it once before. Maybe not.

Some older CD and DVD drives cannot read rewritable CD's (CDRW and DVDRW) and some may not read DVD + or - discs.

If you go shopping for a new drive, check the box and make certain it is compatible with Win2000. You may have problems finding the right drivers for it if it doesn't specify. Newer hardware sometimes lack proper drivers for older versions of Windows.


Eric the Grey

[crashhelmet]

Check to see if there's an actual firmware update for it. You may have to remove the drive itself to get the specific model number off of it.

Any DVD I had made with my LiteOn drive would not be recognized by any "Home" DVD player until I found that upgrade.

CH

[Blade_Raver]

A replacement DVD/CD R/RW drive is a pretty cheap part...

Granted Dell's not forcing some sort of proprietary cable or fit into the desktop machine.

They generally go for 30-40 bucks at a discount computer site I frequently go to..

If you want the info, send me a priv message and I'll give you the details.

Blade_Raver

[wolfie]

It just says DVD ROM. Weird. I could've sworn I burned a CD with it once before. Maybe not.

You might have a DVD-ROM CD/RW combo drive. These date back to when DVD burners were expensive. They will read (but not write) DVDs, and will read CDs, write to CD-R media, and (most cases) erase and write to CD-RW media.

That could be how you burned a CD with a DVD ROM.