DVDRW On The Way Out?

[Alec]

Hello!

I have a data DVD with music on. For the last 2/3 days I've tried to access the music and copy it to my PC with no luck. Every time I try, I seem to be able to see some of (I can see all the names, but oonly the minority show up as a folder like they should, the others show up as a white page - as if they haven't fully "loaded", perhaps?) the folders at the first time of trying, but Explorer freezes the moment I try to do anything, and then the DVD doesn't seem to be acknowledged at all with subsequent attempts on the same day. The last couple of days I have got as far as Media Player starting up to play a song, then Explorer has frozen. Today, I decided to try to copy everything to the HDD straight away, but it froze when I tried.

My BDP doesn't recognise the DVD, but then my PC's drive seems to have trouble with CDs and other DVDs at the moment - it just doesn't acknowledge them.

Update - All the folders now look as they should, but after a lengthy hang. I'm trying to copy and paste again, but that provoked another hang.

EDIT - Multiple attempts to copy and past the two most important folders now. Both are showing corrupted files, so I selected "skip", and with both it then says there's around 8 hours to go...

EDIT - Currently waiting for Media Player to decide to play a song from the disc.

 

[abacus]

First thing is to power down your computer, and turn off at the mains socket for about 30s, and then see if the problem is cleared when the computer is re-started.

If the above fails it could be a drive problem if it is happening on all types of disc, (They don’t last forever) so you will need to try your discs on a different drive to see if this is the case.

If the disc is corrupted you can try a DVD file recovery program such as http://www.recoverytoolbox.com/cd.html to see if your files can be recovered.

To be quite honest most files are stored on USB sticks these days rather than DVD, so is something you should possibly think about for the future.

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Alec]

Yeah, I had the files delivered from a way away, and DVD just seemed like the best idea at the time. I wonder if two problems have coincided; as I say, the files seem corrupted somehow, but then my drive doesn't even acknowledge any other disc.

 

[Alec]

Restarted and, so far, it has ignored a DVD and a CD (though with one of them the disk icon thing did flash up on the cursor a few times, but nothing after that...). I've just put the data DVD in and might need to wait an age before it shows up.

EDIT - No joy with the data disk now, either.

 

[abacus]

Sounds like the drive has failed, you can pick a new one up for about £12 from most computer parts stores, and just replace it. (I am assuming from your signature that it is a desktop computer, if it is a laptop then the internal drives cost a bit more)

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Alec]

Yes, it's a desktop. Thanks for your help.

 

[John Duncan]

Certainly seems like a problem with the DVD drive, so I'd start by getting a disc cleaner for a couple of quid, or by taking it apart and cleaning with a cotton bud. If that fails then yes, a new drive won't cost much (though you may consider whether now is the time to replace it with a bluray drive, albeit at 50-60 quid).

 

[Timbot]

+1 for cleaning the lens as a first option. A dirty lens can cause some pretty odd effects...

 

[simonlewis]

It's only about a tenner for a brand new optical disc.

 

[Alec]

Aye, thanks, folks.

The past couple of hours the PC has started slowing down overall. A sign of terrible things to come, ot nothing to worry about?

I'm vaguely planning some upgrades soon. Might try find a place locally. I'm waffling now...

 

[Alec]

I took my time about it but I got a cleaning disc. I'm going to keep trying for a day or two, but so far I've been getting the same kind of thing I got with that data DVD; it seems to somewhat work at the first time of asking, but not at all thereafter.

I gather that repeat attempts can get things moving, so I'll keep doing that tonight and then consider where I go from there.

 

[Alantiggger]

Hey there, did you make sure that the connectors are firmly in place ?

Failing that you can use a needle or something similar and reset the drive.

If the drive gets used plenty then perhaps it's done and simply needs replacing?

 

[Alec]

I'm going to get someone to help me have a look I think, or just get it replaced.

 

[Alec]

Replaced it with an Asus BluRay drive. I'm currently listening to music from that troublesome data DVD.

All's well that ends well.

 

[simonlewis]

Just curious alec what software are you using for the blu-ray drive ???

 

[simonlewis]

duplicut.

 

[Alec]

I just let it find the drivers. I tried to install the disc that came with it, then it said it was already sorted...

 

[simonlewis]

It's just i've got a pioneer blu-ray drive thats about six years old that came with cyberlink software but i've since lost the software and i can't use blu-rays on my pc, but it doesn't really matter as i don't watch blu-rays on my pc anymore.