SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: CD/DVD drive

i have been having issues with my CD-rw / dvd drive not being recognized. is there any way that i can fix this problem? i can open the drive by the button on the tray door, put in a cd or dvd, close the bay and the light on it will flash a few times, but NOTHING. it will not read. I have tried to download a new driver for it from the manufacturer, but that is a no go. pop up says that the drive is not locatable. Ill try to get a pic of the actual error message here in a few min and come back and post it up at the bottom so all can know what it is that i am seeing.

but in the mean time any ideas would be nice. thanks

on the other hand, im sure the next thing i say will get this post deleted just like the last one i had made.... (No Comment, & Undeleted....Yet !) but i know there is "the naughty thing of which we do not speak" **IF** i got this, other than the EULA, would installing this cause any problems to FS9???? and if i installed it, then uninstalled it, would it mess up FS9 as well when i uninstall?? --- should i move the FS9.exe to a safe place before i do anything such as this, then if the drive starts acting correct, then i can simply put it back in and use the CD again?? I am only asking this, as my CD / DVD drive no longer works, which means im sitting on a $20 simulator that i cant even play anymore, and i have over 75 aircraft (well over 100 liveries total) that i cant do crap with.

mel wilson · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:03 pm Post subject:

System Properties/Device Manager should show up anything irregular.

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject:

nope, not listed. there is usually a ? if there is a problem with a device. its like it is not even installed. see pic below.

tropicalfish · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 863

Didn't I post here before?

Like I said in my other post ( :evil: ), Do you hear the motor spin?

Oh well, forget it.

PM me if you must, If I am right, you need to replace the drive.

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:39 pm Post subject:

yeah it will spool up when you put in a disk, but NOTHING. Audio CD will not play. FS9 no go, Falcon 4.0: allied force - no go, ANY CD - NO GO.

here is a pic of what i got when i tried to download (what i think to be) a new driver for my CDrom

mel wilson · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:42 pm Post subject:

Is this drive USB driven ?

Mel.

viche12345 · Joined: 01 Apr 2005 Posts: 836 Location: San Diego, CA, USA

If this is an internal drive, have you checked the cables? Have you tried using the drive in any other computer? If the symptoms persist even on other computers, the drive is probably dead.

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:56 pm Post subject:

internal CDrom on a laptop.... no clue if it is USB

also.... SYS INFO pic below..... CD ROM.. nothing there (not installed)

i guess i should have said it earlier........ SYS SPECS

Dell Inspiron 2200
WINXP Home (sp3)
Intel Celeron M -- Processor x86 Family 6 Model 13 Stepping 8 GenuineIntel ~1396 Mhz
Total Physical Memory 1,280.00 MB

Video: Name Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS,910GML Express Chipset Family

C: Free Space 6.31 GB (6,775,222,272 bytes)
E: Free Space 79.12 GB (84,955,791,360 bytes)

edit:: if the drive is dead, i guess the only last resort is to go to BESTBUY and buy an external CDr+w/dvd rom drive.... well, off to the white internet pages to look for prices

heeshung · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 554

If it's internal, it obviously can't be USB. I was going to ask you to make sure the cable is connected firmly, but I didn't realize it was a laptop.

tropicalfish · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 863

The power is fed through the data cable in a Laptop drive, so a loose cable couldn't possibly explain it.

Seems like it's bust, replacements for it are quite expensive, unless you do decide to go external.

viche12345 · Joined: 01 Apr 2005 Posts: 836 Location: San Diego, CA, USA

tropicalfish wrote: The power is fed through the data cable in a Laptop drive, so a loose cable couldn't possibly explain it.

Seems like it's bust, replacements for it are quite expensive, unless you do decide to go external.

Didn't know there was only one cable. Interesting stuff to know. So yeah, in that case, I agree with Tfish. The drive's dead. :(

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject:

ok, and now for part 2 of my 2 questions above..... now that you the untrained to the semitrained and fully trained internet gods had deduced that my drive is dead and defunct........ would getting the highly controversial "naughty thing of which we do not speak"
AS A TEMP MEASURE ONLY???? until i can get an external drive to satisfy my cd burning, flight sim needs.

(disclaimer, whether or not i do download it, I will be the only person to know that it is on my HDD [unless im hacked]. I am not going to say if i actually will download it or not, im just wondering if it would be worth it)

tropicalfish · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 863

Check your PM.

Cat1 · Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 1:07 am Post subject:

My take of this is rather aloof, if you are having problems with your basic input/output, then adding something that circumvents that failure is not really going to "solve the problem" now is it?
You would be treating a symptom of the overall failure and providing at best a band-aid to make things playable. But I, and with me being me, would be more interested in figuring out why my CD/DV XXX isn't working or at least why it is no longer recognized by the OS.

Is this a removable/swappable drive?

BTY: Thanks Mel, SPOT ON! :-$

tropicalfish · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 863

It's a laptop drive.

I am not sure how easy replacement is though, since I don't own Dell's.