Old CD Rom and CD R

[Daim]

I have an 8X cd-rom that came with my P133 I got in 1996. It is an 8X and that is all I need. But when other people give me recorded CD's to use it spins and rattles allot, sometimes it wont and sometimes it will...sometimes it will read the CD and then again sometimes it will just spin until the computer stops responding. I don't want another CD ROM!!! So if any way possible to make it work with recorded CDs I would like to know? It is a Samsung.

Regards
Daim

[Reid]

The drive is old enough that it may be having problems reading multi-session disks, or they may have been recorded in a format that is not compatible with the drive, and it won't read CD-RW disks. I think the only option is to buy a new multi-session, multi-read CD drive.

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reido@my-deja.com

Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

[Randy_tx]

Pete has posted a few times the way you can CLEAN the hubs (the thingys that grab the CD's when you put em in so they will spin). You have to open up the CD Rom case to do it and that is not a guarantee you will be able to play CD write disks. A new 52X CD only costs about $50-$60....

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I sometimes think like a 286

[Daim]

OK you convinced me. I needed someone else to tell me to get a new one.

Thanks
Daim

[Paleo Pete]

A new drive may not be a bad idea, 8X is pretty old...

If you want to learn how to do it, that would be a good one to experiment on, take off the cover, and look for two round plastic hubs that squeeze together and spin the disk. Clean them with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol, let it dry for a while and try it. Just might work again.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[Daim]

If you want to learn how to do it, that would be a good one to experiment on, take off the cover, and look for two round plastic hubs that squeeze together and spin the disk. Clean them with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol, let it dry for a while and try it. Just might work again.

[/QUOTE]
I'm glad I didn't just go run out to the store, your explanation has completely solved my problem!!! I want to give you the best of digital regards for adding your response to the list.
Best to you for saving me time, money and for the learning experience!!
Thanks
Daim

[Paleo Pete]

Glad it worked, but be prepared, someday it will give up, it's an old drive. But a cleaning now and then might prolong its life.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[Reid]

Originally posted by Daim:
when other people give me recorded CD's to use it spins and rattles allot

Daim

Glad you got it going, but I have to wonder why it only had problems with CD-R disks. I assumed the original post meant that only commercial CD were readable.

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reido@my-deja.com

Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

[This message has been edited by Reid (edited 02-05-2001).]

[Daim]

Yes. Thats what I notice. If a comercially bought cd is installed I don't seem to get the problems of loud shaking, spinning and clunking. Since I have cleaned the hub this noise has greatly diminished and computer lockup has virtually been eliminated, but if I get close to the computer, I hear the cd rom drive really working hard to locate its information. I was wondering, since I don't use the rom very much, if instead of getting a new one there would be software that could be installed so it reads the cd-r/w formats properly

Regards,
Daim

[Reid]

The CD drive needs to meet the MultiRead specification in order to read CD-RW disks. There is a difference between CD-R and RW disks, and it is not correctable by software.

From PCTech Guide (http://www.pctechguide.com/09cdr-rw.htm) regarding CD-RW technology:

"One compromise here is that the disc reflects less light than CD-ROMs or CD-Rs and consequently CD-RW discs can only be read on CD players that support the new MultiRead specification. Even DVD-ROM drives, which themselves use the UDF file format, need a dual-wavelength head to read CD-RW."

A CD-R disk will generally work in an older drive with no problem, as long as it is recorded in a format that the CD drive is compatible with. Click the PCTech Guide link for more information.


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reido@my-deja.com

Friends don't let friends install Windows ME