Cannot view contents of DVD in Windows Explorer

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers
#1

I am working on a computer that had been a custom build, although not by me.
It has a DVD RW and a DVD ROM, both IDE.
When I open My computer I can see both drives. If I stick a CD in either one and click on that drive I see a blank screen as if I opened a blank folder. If I right click it and select properties it has a zero for the size and RAW as the type on every CD.
I can stick a blank CD in the Writer, open it up in My Computer, drag files into the folder (which I will see) and select “Write these files” and it will burn the cd. I can take this cd and open the files normally in another computer. But if I stick that CD back into this computer the CD appears to be empty.

I have tried a different CD drive, in fact I tried a SATA drive and it gives the same symptoms. Sinec this computer boots too a SATA HDD, I used both the primary and secondary IDE ports.
I have uninstalled both DVDs and the IDE controllers.
I have checked the jumpers and tried various configurations of them.
I have successfully booted to a BART PE CD and can access the the second CD’s contents from the BART Environment.

I am stumped!
Any help would be appreciated.

thanks
Victor

#2

Welcome to CDF’s:

Do you have Alcohol installed?

Arachne needs to pop in.

#3

I do not think so, but it is not my computer. I have not used alcohol but the user of this computer is apparently a gamer and I understand that Alcohol is useful for gaming. So he may have installed it. I do not see it in Program files, however, he may have used it and then uninstalled it.

#4

What about Daemon Tools?

#5

thanks for your help.

No evidence of Daemon Tools, either.

#6

Do a search on Upper and Lower filters.

If it’s you buddies pc you might not want to mess with it…

#7

I have already done that too. Sorry forgot to mention that in the original. I am a computer tech and, quite honestly not often stumped like this. Although my expertise is networking and small business systems, I handle a fair amount of PC tech projects. I figured a couple of DVDs not working would be a piece of cake. Little did I know. :slight_smile:

#8

Tried disabling Windows’ built-in burning engine? :slight_smile:

BTW, welcome to the forum! :smiley:

#9

Thanks for the welcome
BTW - I like both of y’all cat Avatars

I have not tried that. I will right now.

#10

Now both drives say “Windows cannot read from disk, disk might be corrupted…”

#11

It’s hard to figure out exactly what the problem is online but usually someone will have the answer.

DVD drives are finicky :bigsmile:

#12

I know. I have been on the other side of this coin in other forums. It is hard to diagnose problems online. I am beginning to think their is coruption in the registry. I have reason to believe the user made changes to the registery and possibly the BIOS (overclocking at least) if it had not been a business associate of a good client, I would have given it up a while back. Of course, I am also one who wants to know teh why of something like this. August has beena bad month. This is the second unsolvable problem this month!!! Well its probably not unsolvable. But it probably time to pull it off the desk.

#13

I believe someone will have the answer so just hang on for a few days.

#14

Thanks

#15

I am having the same problem, intermittently. (See my post in LG Writer.) I found that if I open disk management the contents will magically appear. Strange. Not a good solution, but may shed some light.

#16

You have some 3rd party crap drivers installed…