CDROMS Not Reading Certain CDs

[Howard Gibson]

On Tue, 24 May 2005 23:41:01 -0400
Duncan MacGregor <dbmacg-HLeSyJ3qPdM at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> 
> I think Lennart is right, and the laser in the drive is deteriorating. My 
> first HP CD-R/W drive ($400), used in Windoze,  got progressively more cranky 
> about the disks it would read or recognize. At first everything worked, then 
> it didn't like coloured disks, then it didn't like CDRWs, and ultimately it 
> failed completely.
>  
> Throughout the warranty period, HP said it was a software problem, and sent me 
> to Adaptec (now Roxio), who sent out a stream of updates and patches that 
> never made a no difference.  (There was even much superstitious talk about 
> CDR colours on the net.)
> 
> Your problems are much more easily caused by progressive hardware failure, 
> then by software.
> 
> In the end, HP said it was a failure of the laser, and too bad I didn't figure 
> it in time. HP, LG, Samsung, and  NEC all make great drives that run like a 
> train under Linux. Drives do  die, though. Any computer store usually has a 
> pile of dead drives.

Duncan and Lennart,

   Thanks.

   This is getting weirder.

   I installed Red Hat_8 on my "new" computer and it all went without a hitch.  Then I installed the Fedore Core_2 CD expecting it to not work, and it mounted.  Dmesg does contain the message that "This disc doesn't have any tracks that I recognize!".  Other CDs my SCSI CD burner does not mount work fine too.

   As far as I can tell, my SCSI CD burner has always behaved the way it does.  My "new" computer is second hand, and the CD-ROM/coffee cup holder may have been through much abuse.  I am considering a new one.

-- 
Howard Gibson 
hgibson-MwcKTmeKVNQ at public.gmane.org
howardg-PadmjKOQAFn3fQ9qLvQP4Q at public.gmane.org 
http://home.eol.ca/~hgibson
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