Reads all but DVD-Help PLEASE

You didn?t indicate your experience level or a detailed listing of what you had tested so the basics are where you generally start. I?ll now assume that you?ve already been through the basics such as making sure you can read these DVDs on another machine, cleaning the drives read/write heads and checked the Windows device manager to ensure everything there is OK.

If the drive reads and writes CDs, used to read DVDs but got progressively worse as time went on then you may simply have a drive with defective read heads, not much you can do to fix them if that is the case. Here is a link to a free-ware program written by Nero you can use to test several major functions of your drive:http://www.onlinedown.com/detail/1245.ht... There isn?t much documentation, however, you download the file, decompress it, start the program and insert a DVD data disk in your R/W drive. Click on Run test in the upper left hand corner of the program screen, select run all tests and you?re running. You didn?t indicate your experience level or a detailed listing of what you had tested so the basics are where you generally start. I?ll now assume that you?ve already been through the basics such as making sure you can read these DVDs on another machine, cleaning the drives read/write heads and checked the Windows device manager to ensure everything there is OK. If the drive reads and writes CDs, used to read DVDs but got progressively worse as time went on then you may simply have a drive with defective read heads, not much you can do to fix them if that is the case. Here is a link to a free-ware program written by Nero you can use to test several major functions of your drive: http://www.onlinedown.com/detail/1245.htm#download. There isn?t much documentation, however, you download the file, decompress it, start the program and insert a DVD data disk in your R/W drive. Click on Run test in the upper left hand corner of the program screen, select run all tests and you?re running.

To be honest from what you?ve described it sounds like you drive probably has a physical problem. Considering that a new one would run (starting at $40) and how much time you?ve spent I would probably just replace it after checking the drive cables and connections (just to make sure).

If you play a lot of DVDs you might consider buying an inexpensive DVD/CD-ROM just to play and a separate CD/DVD-R/W to do recording. I generally split the functions between two drives to speed copying and to save wear and tear on the more expensive writer.

As far as LG goes I?m indifferent to the brand but my daughter won?t touch their electronics either. To be honest from what you?ve described it sounds like you drive probably has a physical problem. Considering that a new one would run (starting at $40) and how much time you?ve spent I would probably just replace it after checking the drive cables and connections (just to make sure). If you play a lot of DVDs you might consider buying an inexpensive DVD/CD-ROM just to play and a separate CD/DVD-R/W to do recording. I generally split the functions between two drives to speed copying and to save wear and tear on the more expensive writer. As far as LG goes I?m indifferent to the brand but my daughter won?t touch their electronics either.