Not reading DVD

This is a combo drive

It will support
1. CD reading & burning (Blank CDR and CDRW)
2. DVD reading only.


We cannot use a combo drive to burn DVD.

Control panel,administrive tools,computer management,device manager scroll to cd/dvd rom drives right click properties then properties again then tick enable cd digital cd audio for this cd rom device or scroll to dvd regions select no _ for your specific area

hi,, there are different kinds of DVDs ,, some are DVD+R , DVD-R ,,and dual layered dvds so.. please check the details for support of dvd , cd drive...

Hi dkush29306,

while the other two posters have pointed out the obvious, that CDROM drives only read CDs, and that you need a DVD drive to read DVDs, i would like to add something to this.

I will asume you have a CDROM COMBO Drive, that *should* play CDRs and DVDs.

if you find it does spin CDs up and read them, but not DVDs then i might be able to offer some suggestions.

firstly, make sure there is no software conflicts (like two CD Writing softwares trying to use the CD Drive at the same time.. ). you shouldnt have to worry about drivers for the CDROM, as the default OS ones should suffice. but they may be corrupt. you could goto Device Manager if you are on Windows, and uninstall and reinstall the driver for the CDROM. it should find it automatically in the install wizard.

ok at this point i don't see how software could cause any other issue , so we should look at it being a hardware issue:

if you have the ability, try changing the IDE Ribbon Cable that connects the CDROM to the Motherboard. if that doesnt work, try changing which plug in the IDE cable the CDROM plugs into. these plugs usually have a blue plug at one end (motherboard end), and there is two plugs at the other end, or master and slave. keep the jumper pin on the CDROM set to Cable Select, so you dont need to change it to slave, when its plugged into the slave port, or master pin if set to the master port.

finally, if none of that helps (and it probably won't ) you might find that the actual fault is due to the laser in the CDROM not focusing tightly enough and therefore cannot read the data on a DVD ROM because of this. the only way to tell if this is ok or not, is to plug it into another computer and see if it can read DVDs.

you might just be better off spending 20-50$ and buying a new CDROM Combo drive from your local computer hardware store.

Unfortunately these devices will fail.
A new one will cost in the $20-30 range and is easy to install.
Good luck!

DVD/CD players use two different lasers. One to read DVD and one to read CD. Sounds like your DVD laser burned out. Lasers last about as long as light bulbs do.

Try installing a DVD rom. The sony unit installed in your laptop is a cd rom/burner. Cd roms will not play DVDs.

It seems that what you have is a combo drive only :(
it only recognize DVD reading. no matter what driver you used. need to buy a dvd writer/ that said can write dvd.


Types of Optical Drives and CD/DVDs
Optical drive type Read from CD/DVD-ROM media Write to CDRW media Write to DVD ±RW/R media Write to DVD +R DL media Write label to LightScribe CD-RW Write to DVD-RAM media DVD-ROM Drive Yes No No No No No DVD and CD-RW Combo Drive Yes Yes No No No No DVD±RW/R and CD-RW Combo Drive with Double- Layer support Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes LightScribe DVD±RW/R and CD-RW Combo Drive with Double- Layer support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Blu-Ray Disc DVD±RW SuperMulti Drive with Double-Layer support Yes Yes* Yes Yes No Yes *Low speed (4X) and high speed (4-12X) are supported. UHS-RW (24X and 32X CD-RW) is not supported.

NOTE: Some of the optical drives listed may not be supported by your computer. The listed drives are not necessarily all of the supported optical drives.

Try a different Brand Of DVD Maxell Typically Work Universally With Failing Drives or older Drives or touchy drives...

The Rom may need cleaning. There are two diamond heads in the rom one to read DVD and the other to read CD. The CD one is most likely dirty try cleaning it else its faulty and needs to be replaced.