Ok, I'm really dumb when it comes to computer repair, so please, baby steps .
Whenever I put in a DVD or a DVD-R my computer acts like it wants to load the DVD, but then all of a sudden freezes. CTRL + ALT + Del does not work. When I try to eject the DVD from the drive, the computer automatically restarts itself. I look at the drive and I hear the DVD moving and the green light blinks, but nothing happens it just restarts. When this happens I have to eject the DVD real quick or have it freeze up again and the process starts all over again. I have played DVD's in safe mode, but no sound or video plays. I think thats suppose to happen though because it's in safe mode.
I'm using/have:
Windows XP
Sony PCG-FRV31 Notebook

Any help would benefit me!
Thanks so much in Advance!!!

Joey11y

Hello!
Ok I also checked the Device Manager in Safe mode with a DVD in the drive. I did this after I inserted my DVD in normal mode and had it reset a couple of times. When I reached safe mode I checked Device manager and the IDE and DVD drives as well as the CD ROM drives all showed that the system was working correctly. I went to Start and Run and typed in "eventvwr" (w/o quotations). There were a couple of errors in the applications. There were two errors one after another. The first one showed this:
Date: 8/30/05
Time: 10:26 pm
Type: Error
User: N/A
Source: VSS
Category: None
Event ID: 8193

Volume showed Copy Service error. Unexpected error calling routine CoCreatelnstance hr= 0x80040206.

The second one showed:
Date: 8/30/05
Time: 10:26 pm
Type: Error
User: N/A
Source: Event System
Category: (50)
Event ID: 4609

The COM+ Event System detected a bad return code during its internal processing. HRESULT was 80070422 from line 44 of d:\qxp_slp\com\com1x\src\events\tier1\eventsystemo bj.cpp.
Please contact Microsoft Product Service to report this error.

What do you think? The error systems occured the same time I inserted my DVD in it's drive.

Thanks so much in advance!!!

Joey11y

Play a DVD in "Start->Run->msconfig->Diagnostic Mode->Normal mode at restart" to see what happens.

Check Device Manager [without a DVD playing] in normal Windows to see if all's well.

Seems like you have "Auto-Play" enabled and when you put a DVD in the drive and it begins to automatically play, either:
1. There's a problem with the driver for the DVD drive.
or
2. The application software program playing the DVD is conflicting with some other program. In msconfig's Diagnostic Mode, there are almost no prog's running [like Safe Mode], but it gives CD/DVD drive capability.

ok Im going to try that :) I will keep you updated. The only problem is no matter what the computer restarts when I insert a DVD even during startup. I agree with you though I think that its conflicting with another program, I just dont know how to correct it.
Thanks in advance!!
Jo Anna :)

I can't find Diagnostic Mode. I went to system config. and checked the box that said Diagnostic start up ( couldn't find mode exactly). Then I restarted it and changed it back to normal mode. Was all this suppose to be done in safe mode? I'm sorry I'm a little comfused. :confused:

Thanks so much in advanced!!! ::)
Jo A

Here's how it works in Win98; WinXP may differ?

In more detail:
1. Click on the "Start" button at bottom left.
2. When the menu pops up, click on "Run...".
3. In the "Open:" window type msconfig and click "OK".
4. The "System Configuration Utility" dialogue comes on screen.
5. click the "Diagnostic Startup" option, then "OK".
[You will be asked if you want to restart the PC. OK that.]
6. When the PC restarts, a menu will come on screen with "Normal Startup" at the top of the list, and already selected. Make sure it's selected and OK that [hit "Enter" I think].
It won't actually start in "Normal" mode, but in the "Diagnostic Startup" version of normal.
7. You may be asked to provide a password [not sure how WinXP does things].
8. The Windows environment [the appearance etc] will look rather like safe mode. [It does with Win98, which I have.] It is almost identical to safe mode, but not quite. One important difference is that whereas Safe Mode doesn't give CD-drive functionality, "Diagnostic Startup" does.

Hello I did just as you said. When I put it in Diagnostic Mode and went to check the hardware it gave me a screen with no hardware to check. It's odd because there is nothing to check (DVD, cd, IDEE, etc). When I put in a DVD or DVD-r my computer acts like it wants to run the program, it even goes so far as to show a pop up that asks which program I would like to use to play it like Windows media player or windvd. Ultimately, the computer freezes a couple of seconds after that. When I eject the DVD, my laptop restarts itself and the process starts all over again. It’s odd too because the DVD does not work in Diagnostic mode, but it does in Safe mode.
What can you make of this?
Thanks in Advance!!!
Jo A

"I put it in Diagnostic Mode and went to check the hardware it gave me a screen with no hardware to check"
Device Manager screen was blank?
That's VERY odd; when my PC [running Win98] is in "Diagnostic mode" it gives full display of hardware in "Device Manager".

"When I put in a DVD or DVD-r my computer acts like it wants to run the program"
This suggests it's a software problem. By running in "Diagnostic Mode" the problem has been removed. Perhaps there's a problem with a conflicting program that runs in "normal Windows mode", but not in "Diagnostic Mode".

"it even goes so far as to show a pop up that asks which program I would like to use to play it like Windows media player or windvd"
This suggests that "Autoplay" is working, but the file-type on the DVD is not registered [no settings in your registry for file types with that 3-letter extension]. What is the extension of the file[s] on the DVD?
Do you have a suitable video-player program installed? Which one?

"the computer freezes a couple of seconds after that"
Is that only if you don't specify a player; or whether you do or not, it freezes?

"When I eject the DVD, my laptop restarts itself and the process starts all over again"
That sounds like a driver problem.
What did you do to eject the DVD? Use the hardware button on the drive, or using software?
See http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;320299
Make that configuration change.

"the DVD does not work in Diagnostic mode"
More detail. What you said above makes it sound like it was about to work if you had a player installed and you specified it to run the file.

"but it does in Safe mode"
I'm astonished!
It plays a DVD whilst in safe mode?

I think you should make certain your notebook is free of infection [it's behaving oddly].
Post a thread in the "Applications and Security" section asking that your notebook be checked for infection.

An important method I use to fix or keep my software in good condition is to make backups of all my partitions.
Especially C: which I keep as small as possible, by holding only the "Windows" & "Program Files" folders.
I move important data like "My Documents, emails, address book, IE favourites to a small [D:] partition [ideally on a 2nd physical HDD (any old, small, spare will do)].
If I so much as suspect any kind of software problem, I "jump back" to a good setup by reinstalling a suitable backup of C: [the important data is left untouched by this].
If that doesn't fix the problem, then it isn't caused by the software and I can focus on other causes, like the BIOS configuration settings or the hardware.
It takes on 15 minutes to restore my C: partition; Paul Komski can do it in 6 min.
This gives me the ability to move both forward AND BACKWARD in time, software-wise.
This can range all the way from being merely a convenient and useful technique, to being a "life saver".

"it even goes so far as to show a pop up that asks which program I would like to use to play it like Windows media player or windvd"
This suggests that "Autoplay" is working, but the file-type on the DVD is not registered [no settings in your registry for file types with that 3-letter extension]. What is the extension of the file[s] on the DVD?
There are many different file types on the DVD-R, but this has also happened in normal DVD's.

Do you have a suitable video-player program installed? Which one?
I mainly use windows media player, but I also have Win DVD.

"the computer freezes a couple of seconds after that"
Is that only if you don't specify a player; or whether you do or not, it freezes?
Whether I do or not the DVD will always freeze. I know its trying to work though because I hear it moving in the drive and the yellow light blinks indicating activity.
"When I eject the DVD, my laptop restarts itself and the process starts all over again"
That sounds like a driver problem.
What did you do to eject the DVD? Use the hardware button on the drive, or using software? I used the hardware button to eject the DVD, but as soon as I press that button the computer restarts. THanks for the link Im going to check on that ASAP.

"the DVD does not work in Diagnostic mode"
More detail. What you said above makes it sound like it was about to work if you had a player installed and you specified it to run the file.
When I'm in diagnostic mode, and insert the DVD, the computer freezes up and restarts when I push the hardware button.

"but it does in Safe mode"
I'm astonished!
It plays a DVD whilst in safe mode?
The computer looks like it is playing the DVD. THere is no sound or video, but when its in windows media player It looks like it is playing minus the sound and video. weird though because not in diagnostic mode.

Thanks so much Im going to check that link and get back to you on the next message. Once again thanks so much for ur help!!!
Jo A.

Hi I just went to the first link you sent me to make a configuration change, but when I went to control panel->systems->advanced->start up and recovery settings, the box for automatically restart under system failure was already unchecked. Hmmm pretty odd so I'm going to check out the second forum to ask for an infection check. Will keep you posted.
Thanks so much in advance!!
Jo A.

Download, install and run Windows XP Upgrade Advisor (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/advisor.mspx) just to make sure that all your hardware and software is XP compatible.
If that's ok and if you have no infections, you should perhaps try a "repair" reinstallation of WinXP.

My thinking is that the software isn't controlling the hardware [DVD-drive] as it should.
The linkage is:
Autoplay starts up the registered application to play the file->the application tells Windows what it wants done->Windows tells the driver what to do->the driver gets the BIOS to make the hardware do it.
But somewhere in that sequence all the components are not working well together.
POSSIBLE CAUSES
1. Corrupted application software.
[I remember a program that came with my CD-RW replaced a Windows file with its own special version that provided extra (needed) functionality. When (for some unrelated reason) I re-ran "Setup.exe" to "repair" Windows, the original Windows version was put back in place and I was forced to uninstall and reinstall the software to put the special version back in place.]
2. Corrupted Windows files.
[Not very likely, but possible, see 1 above.]
3. Corrupted or unsuitable driver [for the drives' controller; is it on an ordinery on-board IDE controller?].
[I'm inclined to have this as my chief suspect, but you say all looks well in device manager. Do you think the correct driver is properly installed?]
4. BIOS not handling the DVD-drive correctly.
In the BIOS Setup:
a. Are all your drives set to "Auto"? And therefore correctly detected and configured?
b. PnP allocation of resources set as "controlled by : Auto"?
c. IDE controller enabled?

Has this DVD drive ever worked?
If it has, could anything that you know of account for the change?

Ok I downloaded the windows XP advisor. The only problem is that I received this pop up:
Setup cannot continue because the version of Windows on your computer is newer than the version on the CD.

Warning: If you decide to delete the newer version of Windows that is currently installed on your computer, the files and settings cannot be recovered.

When I click on details I get this message:
Issue Description:

To install the version on the CD, restart your computer, boot from this CD, and follow the instructions for a new installation.

Warning: The default setup options will replace your existing version of Windows with this version. If you wish to keep both versions you must select a new destination folder for this version of Windows. If you decide to delete the newer version of Windows that is currently installed on your computer, the files and settings cannot be recovered.

I can't seem to find a CD. I go to college and all my cd's are at home 2 hours away.

Grr this problem is really getting to me though. I was thinking about backing up all my important files and just reformatting my drives. I figure it’s about time since I rarely ever format my drives, and it would fix my problem. Might as well get two birds with one stone. What do you think?
Thanks
Jo A.

The DVD was working for a while. It gave me some problems during the summer, but my little brother fixed it. I dont know how, but it was working. Then I never really used my DVD player until school started back up again like 3 months later. Thats when all the trouble started. Im trying to think maybe I downloaded something wrong, but I just dont know.

"The only problem is that I received this pop up:"
You didn't say when you got this popup, so I'll assume it was when you tried to install "XP Advisor".
Most odd! :confused:
Makes me think you have some nasty infection on your PC that displays a standardised warning whenever you do anything to eliminate its evil activity. The clue is that the warning is totally inapropriate in the circumstances. You are not trying to install anything from a CD so "XP Advisor" wouldn't be designed & made to give such a warning.

"Grr this problem is really getting to me though"
Infective gremlins have that effect.
Once your PC is cleaned with the help of Budfred, set up a system of making backups and you'll never again be so vulnerable to software nasties.

"I was thinking about backing up all my important files and just reformatting my drives."
I think you should keep working with Budfred to clean up your software.
It will be a good exercise if nothing else.
You can use a reformat and reinstall as a "fall-back position".
Beginning afresh to rebuild your software would take a lot of work, but it would give you a clean system and you could preserve copies of the setup at key points during the build [when Windows and all drivers are installed. After all programs are added.]
Do you have all your drivers handy?
Yesterday I downloaded a free 15-day trial of "My Drivers 3.11" from www.zhangduo.com/driverbackup.html
Pretty impressive.
It took about 1 hour to backup ALL my drivers to a CD-RW using packet-writing software [DirectCD], then I uninstalled the program.
You can choose to make an ".exe" file that will install all the drivers in one go.
I didn't bother.
Just recently I fitted a PCI IDE RAID controller card, and as part of that zero-filled my HDD, repartitioned, and re-formatted.
Then I restored backups of C:, which holds only the "Windows" & "Program Files" folders,
then D: which holds all my important data like "My Documents", emails for all identities, address book, IE Favourites.
I haven't yet bothered to restore E: which holds large data files like MP3 & wave, and photographs etc.
It occured to me that it isn't necessary to have everything on the HDD partitions at all times; I only need to have them on a backup to be able to restore those which are needed at any given time. Hmmmm. :)
Does this give you any ideas?

My little brother was looking at my computer, and he told me to tell you about something called a machine check exception (a blue screen). He told me that he turned auto restart off, but he can't seem to access it. The one time he did access it, it said machine check exception before the computer restarted from the DVD. My little bro said that if we can access the blue screen it would tell us more about what is wrong with the computer. Any suggestions on how to get to the little blue screen?
Thanks :)
Joey11y

See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329284
QUOTE
"Machine check exceptions are frequently caused by one of the following conditions:
• You are running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, you are overclocking the processor or bus. We recommend that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
• Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer."

QUOTE
"Startup and Recovery Options:
By default, XP is configured that when a system failure is encountered the system automatically restarts. This behavior may at times be desirable, especially if a system is unattended and and a reboot is necessary to restore a system to operation. Unfortunately, it also makes it very difficult if not impossible for a user to read the messages that are presented that may provide clues to a shutdown problem. To prevent the system from automatically restarting:

Right click [My Computer] click [Properties] and select [Advanced] tab.
Click the [Settings] button in the [Startup and Recovery] section.
Remove the checkmark from [Automatically Restart] in [System Failure] section."

hmm ok I went to the startup and recovery section and the checkmarks were already removed from "automatically restart" in the "system failure" section. Hmmm ok. I think this leads to clues that there might be gremlins, because I get a blue screen for a brief second when the computer is about to restart whenever it freezes when I insert a DVD in the drive.
Hmmm gotta reach that blue screen.

Gotta run a "repair" re-installation of the Operating System. :)
Don't re-format this time around.

Ohhh How do I do that? What will it do to my computer?
Thanks
Joey11y :D

What it does is to check that the Windows installation is just as it aught to be.
If all's well it will make no changes.
Anything it finds that isn't right will be put right.

I'm going to give you a link to a page of instructions.
Unfortunately the page looks rather frightening.
Lots of large red text. Rather LOUD.
Try not to be frightened by it.
But only proceed if you feel ok about it.
I notice it recommends that you backup important data [just in case anything goes wrong I suppose; better to be safe than sorry].
The trouble is, I don't have WinXP and have never done a WinXP repair install.
It might be a good idea to begin a new separate thread for "WinXP Repair Install" to attract those who know.
Have a look and see what you think. :)

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install (http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm)