External CD-ROM not recognizing CDs

[tbalazs]

An external Freecom CD-ROM will not access many CDs successfully, even though they are recognized fine on my desktop PC. Bizarrely, the Freecom will, for instance, play a Monopoly game CD perfectly, but if I put in another kids' game CD to install from, the computer freezes or I get a message that the CD may be dirty (it isn't). I can't even copy from the CD to the HDD in Explorer, although the CD drive is listed. (Again the system freezes). The OS is Win98 and the Freecom driver page gives no helpful info as to how updated drivers should be installed, either for the CD-ROM itself, or for the PCMCIA card.
Help!!!
Tony.

[tjaymadison]

If the Freecom site didn't have any instructions or FAQ about the files, you'll need to do a little investigating to determine what they really are. Here's a couple of things to try.

If it's a .ZIP file, you need to UnZip it with a program like WinZip, available at www.download.com or other shareware/freeware sites. After you unzip the file, there may be .TXT or README files with instructions on how to proceed.

If it's an .EXE file, those come in two "flavors". It could be a self-extracting file, kind of like a .ZIP file, but you don't need to run WinZip to get at the other files inside. Or it may be the actual installation program itself. In either case, the best procedure for these is: In Windows Explorer, create a new folder, like Freecom_Drivers. Move or copy the .EXE file to this new folder. Once it's there, double-click it. If it expands itself, look for a help file. If it starts an installation program, follow the prompts. If you downloaded one file for the drive and a separate file for the PC Card/PCMCIA, you'll have to repeat this procedure for the second one. To be extra safe, start with a new, empty folder for each one.

Even after all this updating, you may still experience occasional problems. If a particular CD is very densely packed, it might be able to run or to be read on one drive but not on another. I once got a CD with a PC magazine that came with a notice saying that my drive might make some noise while accessing the disk because it was close to being full. I think it depends on the quality of the drive and the calibration of the laser beam.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
-- (Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[This message has been edited by tjaymadison (edited 04-29-2001).]