DVD drive will not recognize certain DVD's

Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1 1/2
years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some DVD's
okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive and then
will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not formatted....Windows
cannot read from this disk. THe disk might be corrupted or it could be using
a format that is not compatible with Windows. This only happens with certain
DVD's ...others I can always play. The weirdest thing is that it seems like
every other day I can play ALL DVD's....and then the next day I get this
again without ever shutting down my computer or anything. ALready went the
route of DVD decoder. The post I read from last year seemed to indicate it
is not a hardware problem (people bought and installed new DVD drives and the
problem still existed) but a software one...but I don't know why it happens
sporadically. Thanks in advance

Ellei wrote:
> Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about
> 1 1/2 years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will
> read some DVD's okay but others it changes the descriptor in My
> Computer to CD Drive and then will not open. If I double click I
> get Disk is not formatted....Windows cannot read from this disk.
> THe disk might be corrupted or it could be using a format that is
> not compatible with Windows. This only happens with certain DVD's
> ...others I can always play. The weirdest thing is that it seems
> like every other day I can play ALL DVD's....and then the next day
> I get this again without ever shutting down my computer or
> anything. ALready went the route of DVD decoder. The post I read
> from last year seemed to indicate it is not a hardware problem
> (people bought and installed new DVD drives and the problem still
> existed) but a software one...but I don't know why it happens
> sporadically. Thanks in advance

I would still try a different DVD drive - even if you just borrow one.
I'd also change the cable.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

"Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news3ADB760-82AB-4635-8820-5DE16B9C449C@microsoft.com...

> Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1 1/2
> years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some
DVD's
> okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive and
then
> will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not formatted....Windows
> cannot read from this disk.

Repost after following standard procedure to repair
PC "devices" that need software drivers:
1. Confirm appropriate antivirus/malware protection is
configured. It may be faster to turn this off temporarily
while installing drivers.
2. Confirm essential data is backed up in case of
unforeseen problems,
2b. and a System Restore point has been configured
recently enough to suit you.
3. Confirm the OS is up to date and device drivers
are stored in the default location. Then:
3. In / Control Panel / Device Manager,
remove (delete) the device completely and reboot.
4. The boot process ought to recognize a "new"
device and prompt you to instal its drivers. If drivers
are not found at the prompt location, you can / Browse
to the right location. If you do not know the right
location (cf. #3) write down the name of all driver files
requested, and you can when convenient do
/ start / find / file
to discover where driver files are stored,
and write it down so as to be able to / Browse to it.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Ellei

I just ran into a very similar problem in another newsgroup. This might not be the case with you but just in case.

An OP posted that some but not all CD\DVD's are not opening\playing at all on his computer. As it turned out he was trying to read a Blue-Ray DVD on his standard DVD-Rom which obviously did not work.
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news3ADB760-82AB-4635-8820-5DE16B9C449C@microsoft.com...
> Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1 1/2
> years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some DVD's
> okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive and then
> will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not formatted....Windows
> cannot read from this disk. THe disk might be corrupted or it could be using
> a format that is not compatible with Windows. This only happens with certain
> DVD's ...others I can always play. The weirdest thing is that it seems like
> every other day I can play ALL DVD's....and then the next day I get this
> again without ever shutting down my computer or anything. ALready went the
> route of DVD decoder. The post I read from last year seemed to indicate it
> is not a hardware problem (people bought and installed new DVD drives and the
> problem still existed) but a software one...but I don't know why it happens
> sporadically. Thanks in advance

Don I am afraid to delete the DVD drive as I have not been able to find
drivers in update driver. It a Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-106D. I have a Sony Vaio
and it came with absolutly no install discs.
--
Ellei1


"Don Phillipson" wrote:

> "Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news3ADB760-82AB-4635-8820-5DE16B9C449C@microsoft.com...
>
> > Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1 1/2
> > years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some
> DVD's
> > okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive and
> then
> > will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not formatted....Windows
> > cannot read from this disk.
>
> Repost after following standard procedure to repair
> PC "devices" that need software drivers:
> 1. Confirm appropriate antivirus/malware protection is
> configured. It may be faster to turn this off temporarily
> while installing drivers.
> 2. Confirm essential data is backed up in case of
> unforeseen problems,
> 2b. and a System Restore point has been configured
> recently enough to suit you.
> 3. Confirm the OS is up to date and device drivers
> are stored in the default location. Then:
> 3. In / Control Panel / Device Manager,
> remove (delete) the device completely and reboot.
> 4. The boot process ought to recognize a "new"
> device and prompt you to instal its drivers. If drivers
> are not found at the prompt location, you can / Browse
> to the right location. If you do not know the right
> location (cf. #3) write down the name of all driver files
> requested, and you can when convenient do
> / start / find / file
> to discover where driver files are stored,
> and write it down so as to be able to / Browse to it.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)
>
>
>

Peter I don't even own a Blue-Ray DVD. I can play any 'movie' DvD's. The
problem only exists on certain DVD's that I created on this computer using
WMM and Sonic to write to the DVD. They ALL used to work now a select few
turn the player into a CD drive. I know exactly which ones.....that is the
only constant in this whole thing
--
Ellei1


"Peter Foldes" wrote:

> Ellei
>
> I just ran into a very similar problem in another newsgroup. This might not be the case with you but just in case.
>
> An OP posted that some but not all CD\DVD's are not opening\playing at all on his computer. As it turned out he was trying to read a Blue-Ray DVD on his standard DVD-Rom which obviously did not work.
> --
> Peter
>
> Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
> Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
>
> "Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news3ADB760-82AB-4635-8820-5DE16B9C449C@microsoft.com...
> > Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1 1/2
> > years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some DVD's
> > okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive and then
> > will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not formatted....Windows
> > cannot read from this disk. THe disk might be corrupted or it could be using
> > a format that is not compatible with Windows. This only happens with certain
> > DVD's ...others I can always play. The weirdest thing is that it seems like
> > every other day I can play ALL DVD's....and then the next day I get this
> > again without ever shutting down my computer or anything. ALready went the
> > route of DVD decoder. The post I read from last year seemed to indicate it
> > is not a hardware problem (people bought and installed new DVD drives and the
> > problem still existed) but a software one...but I don't know why it happens
> > sporadically. Thanks in advance
>

It could be:

1) The use of cheap media, or media that the DVD drive doesn't like.
2) The firmware needs to be updated.
3) The DVD drive is going bad and needs replacing.

"Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8E0BFCB7-6B38-4271-BBCE-05775E9C238F@microsoft.com...
: Peter I don't even own a Blue-Ray DVD. I can play any 'movie' DvD's. The
: problem only exists on certain DVD's that I created on this computer using
: WMM and Sonic to write to the DVD. They ALL used to work now a select few
: turn the player into a CD drive. I know exactly which ones.....that is
the
: only constant in this whole thing
: --
: Ellei1
:
:
: "Peter Foldes" wrote:
:
: > Ellei
: >
: > I just ran into a very similar problem in another newsgroup. This might
not be the case with you but just in case.
: >
: > An OP posted that some but not all CD\DVD's are not opening\playing at
all on his computer. As it turned out he was trying to read a Blue-Ray DVD
on his standard DVD-Rom which obviously did not work.
: > --
: > Peter
: >
: > Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
: > Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
: >
: > "Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news3ADB760-82AB-4635-8820-5DE16B9C449C@microsoft.com...
: > > Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1
1/2
: > > years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some
DVD's
: > > okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive
and then
: > > will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not
formatted....Windows
: > > cannot read from this disk. THe disk might be corrupted or it could
be using
: > > a format that is not compatible with Windows. This only happens with
certain
: > > DVD's ...others I can always play. The weirdest thing is that it
seems like
: > > every other day I can play ALL DVD's....and then the next day I get
this
: > > again without ever shutting down my computer or anything. ALready went
the
: > > route of DVD decoder. The post I read from last year seemed to
indicate it
: > > is not a hardware problem (people bought and installed new DVD drives
and the
: > > problem still existed) but a software one...but I don't know why it
happens
: > > sporadically. Thanks in advance
: >

Don I was just checking your advice again and looked to see where my drivers
are stored. for both CD Drive and DVD rom drive, they are stored in
C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS but the weird thing is is that they both have
the same 4 drivers checked off....those being cdrom.sys,
imapi.sys,redbook.sys and storprop.dll Does that make any sense?
Ellei1


"Don Phillipson" wrote:

> "Ellei" <Ellei@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news3ADB760-82AB-4635-8820-5DE16B9C449C@microsoft.com...
>
> > Hey all....have read many posts. Seems some had this problem about 1 1/2
> > years ago but never a solution. Suddenly my DVD drive will read some
> DVD's
> > okay but others it changes the descriptor in My Computer to CD Drive and
> then
> > will not open. If I double click I get Disk is not formatted....Windows
> > cannot read from this disk.
>
> Repost after following standard procedure to repair
> PC "devices" that need software drivers:
> 1. Confirm appropriate antivirus/malware protection is
> configured. It may be faster to turn this off temporarily
> while installing drivers.
> 2. Confirm essential data is backed up in case of
> unforeseen problems,
> 2b. and a System Restore point has been configured
> recently enough to suit you.
> 3. Confirm the OS is up to date and device drivers
> are stored in the default location. Then:
> 3. In / Control Panel / Device Manager,
> remove (delete) the device completely and reboot.
> 4. The boot process ought to recognize a "new"
> device and prompt you to instal its drivers. If drivers
> are not found at the prompt location, you can / Browse
> to the right location. If you do not know the right
> location (cf. #3) write down the name of all driver files
> requested, and you can when convenient do
> / start / find / file
> to discover where driver files are stored,
> and write it down so as to be able to / Browse to it.
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)
>
>
>