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Hey everyone, I have a Compaq DVD-ROM DVD-115 drive and its giving me horrible results. I am also using an HP Pavillion 7855 desktop, which originaly came with a DVD-ROM and worked fine for 2 1/2 years. That DVD-ROM is in peices, but I hope to get this one to work :o . It's also an EIDE drive, and was automatically installed by XP Pro...AS A CD-ROM!!! So it does read Data CDs, Audio CDs, and Computer Disks fine, just not DVDs. I have searched forums, compaq/Hp website for device drivers...no help they were. It seems other ppl have been dealing with the same problem. Someone did say that CD/DVD drivers are becoming unstable and 'stop working prematurly.' If anyone has an idea, I would be sooooooo glad to hear it :cheesy:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by finito

Dani AI

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Good starting points from — reseating and cross-testing are useful — but here are a few focused checks and clarifications that will help narrow this down faster.

First, separate hardware vs software: boot into BIOS and confirm the optical drive is detected (shows a model string, not “None”). If BIOS does not see it, suspect power/jumper/cable or drive failure. With EIDE, verify the jumper is set correctly (master/slave or cable-select) and that the Molex power connector is seated. Don’t hot‑plug IDE devices; power down before changing jumpers or cables.

If BIOS sees the drive but Windows won’t read DVDs, check whether Windows Explorer can list files on a data DVD. If Explorer can show files but a movie won’t play, that’s a playback/codec issue (Windows XP often needs a DVD decoder). If Explorer cannot read a data DVD at all, look in Device Manager for the optical device and any error icons. Try uninstalling the device and then “Scan for hardware changes.” If third‑party burning utilities are installed they can install filter drivers that interfere; as a last resort (after backing up the registry or creating a restore point) remove the UpperFilters and LowerFilters entries for the CD/DVD class in the registry.

Also test with different media: compare a pressed commercial DVD, a burned DVD-R, and a burned DVD+R. Many older drives read pressed DVDs but fail on certain burned media; that points to laser/compatibility rather than Windows. A common hardware symptom is that the drive will still read CDs but not DVDs — that usually indicates the DVD laser/pickup is failing. If all diagnostics (BIOS, multiple discs, different cables/channels) still fail, replacement is the pragmatic next step. For — if neither CDs nor DVDs are readable, that more strongly points to connection/driver or power issues; start a fresh thread with exact error messages and what the drive shows in Device Manager.

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Member Avatar for CSilwizya

I cant seem to play any DVDs or CDs on my computer, een when I go to windows media palyer. Help!

Member Avatar for finito

CSilwizya please make a new thread don't hijack other peoples threads.

As for Geekmaster, I have this problem every now and then, the drive dies every 1~2 years and I get a new one.

But if you really must fix that one, shutdown take of the DVD-Drive and the IDE cable, start the PC let it boot wait a couple of minutes then shutdown and plug it back in. This sometimes works but I suggest you buy a new drive there extremely cheap nowadays, I got mine last month for 25$ I remember when they used to be 300$.

If you have another computer try plugging the drive in there to see if it is working. In which case it is actually a driver/windows fault.

If you don't have another PC to try it on You can get Ubuntu from Ubuntu.com make a Live Cd and boot and click Try. It will give you a Live ubuntu Machine running from CD. Hmm you will need two drive to do this tho, 1 to run Ubuntu the other to test if the DVD still works.

Edited by finito because: n/a
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