Check this out, I have a test machine I have been working on imaging with for a few weeks. I set it up as a baseline machine, captured a WIM image from it and deployed that image a bunch of times now. I even applied the image to the base machine in my testing (Via a DVD image).

So anyway now I can't get it to read most CD-ROM's. It will read any DVD I can try just fine. For goofs I tried an old Acer monitor CD-ROM and it read it; I just can't get it to read any other CD's (including the original Dell restore CD).

It is a TSST TS-H429C OEM code DE in a Dell Dimension 1100. I saw a firmware update for a different model number, and different OEM code, but nothing specific for this model.

Anyone have anything like this, or know what may be the issue?

I see this happens a lot on notebooks, where they cannot even read the CD-Rom that comes with them. However I believe it is OS related in some way, as for example they can boot off CDs. I do not know the solution to this problem.

Yeah I've seen that, but it wont boot either, F12 and choose CD-ROM and the BIOS acts like there is no media in the drive.

sucks, I think the drive is going. It is an old Dell after all.

It sounds like indeed the laser-pickup of the drive is dying...

One might think: "Why does it read DVD media, while it's not able to do CD?",

but a DVD/CD-ROM combo drive actually uses 2 separate lasers: one at 640 nm

for DVD-R and one at 780 nm for CD-R, so it is certainly possible that only

one is still functional (although generally not for long)

Greetz,

Peter.

Edited April 10, 201016 yr by VideoRipper

- Or a bit too far off 780 nm, but with a still working laser (this will explain why it will read some CDs still). Most drives will continue reading DVD discs, and that could be for years from my experience.

All by all, this is a normal dying drive .

Here's the weird thing...

The PC was / is in our firewalled network, with up to date anti-virus on it. It had never been on the internet except to download .net 3.5 (I had all other Microsoft hotfixes pre-downloaded). I KNOW it didn't have malicious code on it, it was just formatted a few days ago.

Anyway, I borrowed a CD-ROM from an HP and formatted the hard drive, then installed Windows XP fresh...

The "broken" DVD-ROM works perfectly now as far as I can test, and I didn't do anything physically to it.

Yeah i found out this matter occur on laptops, in most of case of this is happening i usually try any other media, such as CD or USB. Last day i tried to boot a Verbatim DVD on an Acer 4730Z it fails, but tried a Sony DVD it worked. I wonder why, but it has the same exact thickness.

Yeah i found out this matter occur on laptops, in most of case of this is happening i usually try any other media, such as CD or USB. Last day i tried to boot a Verbatim DVD on an Acer 4730Z it fails, but tried a Sony DVD it worked. I wonder why, but it has the same exact thickness.

Actually, this reminds me of my olden days at Iomega when they first started selling CD writers. Of course, Iomega didn't actually make their drives. I do not remember all of them, but the 8x ATAPI was made by Phillips for example. Anyways, they were picky about the types of discs you could use. Almost all pressed CDs were fine, but blanks were another story. Regular silver tops were a problem, but the white-top (printable) CDs were fine. Also Verbatim wouldn't work, but Memorex and Sony were OK. Fuji worked like 70% of the time. But that was a long time ago, I figured technology would get better but I bet some of these media type problems still exist today.

Yes you are right, the blank CDs or DVDs with various brand and maybe various compound to made of, exist nowadays, and we are suppose to be picky about choosing them.