Computer HELP needed again!

[MillyFan]

Yet another request for help on fixing my PC (that Compaq Presario piece of junk), this time a hardware problem (I think).

The PC itself works fine, but both optical drives (a CD-R and a DVD-RW), while they can read data, cannot write it at all. I have no idea why both are doing this, because up until about a few weeks ago, the DVD-RW could write data normally, and I used it to back up my writing every month or so.

Now, the PC doesn't even recognize there's a disc in the drive when it's a blank disc. I can open the file and write to the DVD-RW drive, and it even looks like it's working, no error notices or anything.

However, when I remove the disc after the message comes up telling me the "CD Writing Wizard has finished," and put it back in to check for my files, the drive light stays on and the drive grinds away-but nothing comes up. Finally, a window comes up-revealing that the disc is still blank.

I can't back up my writing until I fix this problem, thing is, I have no idea *how* to fix it. . .so that's why I'm posting here yet again. . .^sigh^

The PC isn't connected to the Internet yet so I can't download new drivers or anything-even if I knew what I needed, LOL.

[inkhana]

Now that's rotten...-_-

Yeah, my first suggestion would be to find some way to update the drivers, even if you have to dl to another computer, take the downloaded drivers, use a zip program to break it into disc-size segments (my head hurts and I can't remember what the term is right now) and take it to your computer on a series of disks. Do you know what brand it is? Maybe you can go to their site and check their tech support section for more info. (I'm sure some smartie like OldP or Shooraijin will be along shortly with the right answer... LOL)

[Rashiir]

Hmmm...try beating it around a little bit. That always seems to work for PCs. If it were a Mac, I would say restart it and it would probably be fixed, but...

[MillyFan]

LOL, the Spike trick, no? No thanks-I want my computer to work. . .and I'm going to try reinstalling the drivers later. If that doesn't work, I'm going to look up my warranty-and cry pitifully if it's expired by a day.

[TheMelodyMaker]

Did you have to restore your hard drive recently, or did you recently upgrade your CD/DVD writing software?

If so, another possibility might be the DMA settings. While I was able to have the DMA enabled for Easy CD Creator 3, I figured out after greatly torturing myself that I had to disable it when I upgraded to version 5. I don't know if that would help you, but it's a thought.

Or maybe the lens just needs to be cleaned. (I'm sorry if I don't sound too sure of myself; I'm just trying to work with the information you've given.)

[MillyFan]

Did you have to restore your hard drive recently, or did you recently upgrade your CD/DVD writing software?

No.

If so, another possibility might be the DMA settings. While I was able to have the DMA enabled for Easy CD Creator 3, I figured out after greatly torturing myself that I had to disable it when I upgraded to version 5. I don't know if that would help you, but it's a thought.

I don't even know what that *is* and I never used CD Creator. I always just went into My Documents, selected files/folders, chose "copy to drive E:" and that worked until last night.

[quote]
Or maybe the lens just needs to be cleaned. (I'm sorry if I don't sound too sure of myself]

How do you do that? Without taking apart the PC-it's open season on static around here (Santa Ana winds and all) and opening my comp is as good as frying it.

[andyroo]

Ooh! Percussive maintenance. How about reinstalling the drivers you currently have? I'm not too sure if that stuff comes with the computers anymore. But it may be a problem of driving gone bad - it happens every so often on Windows, in my experience - since everything was working fine for you. Unless you added or took away something that messed things up.

[inkhana]

>How do you do that? Without taking apart the PC-it's >open season on static around here (Santa Ana winds >and all) and opening my comp is as good as frying it.

Sounds like you might want to invest in a grounding strap and maybe an anti-static mat if conditions are like that..O.o

[TheMelodyMaker]

No.



I don't even know what that *is* and I never used CD Creator. I always just went into My Documents, selected files/folders, chose "copy to drive E:" and that worked until last night.

Okay, so based on this info I figure you must have DirectCD or some program like it installed (but I see that now as irrelevant) and you haven't done anything major to the computer between then and now. That rules out any software issues.

How do you do that? Without taking apart the PC-it's open season on static around here (Santa Ana winds and all) and opening my comp is as good as frying it.

What I had in mind was a special CD with a little brush-like thing on it that is made just for cleaning the lens of a CD player/drive which one can't get at without opening it up. If you have one of those handy, give it try. ^_^

[MillyFan]

I don't have one, but I guess I could buy one, not that I want to dip into my Gundam Wing Endless Waltz DVD fund, LOL. . .

[MillyFan]

OK, sorry to double post but I am officially ready to start screaming and pulling my hair out.

I uninstalled and reinstalled the DVD-RW drive and the drivers. It still has the problems I listed in the OP, and I've tried everything that doesn't cost money now. I used 3 different discs in these attempts, and the possibility of ALL of them being bad to begin with is. . .rather slim, isn't it?

[Bobtheduck]

DVD-r discs are very sensitive... Your batch of blank discs may have gotten damaged, somehow...

[MillyFan]

I use CD-R discs. I also tried 5 discs from different packages. . .so I don't think that's it.

[MillyFan]

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

:comp::

Sorry about that, but I have tried absolutely everything and my DVD-RW drive and CD-R drive will NOT write anything AT ALL.

I've tried my PC's built in troubleshooting, but there are only options for when DVDs or CDs will not play/will not read or when the drive doesn't work at all-not when the drives will both not write at all.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled drives and drivers. That didn't work.

I used 5 different CDs, 3 from one package, 1 from another, 1 that I KNEW worked in the past-all were ruined when I wrote data to them using these drives.

Nothing works!

[TheMelodyMaker]

Never mind this post... I just realized it won't help you at all.

[animenewstoday]

OK, sorry to double post but I am officially ready to start screaming and pulling my hair out.

I uninstalled and reinstalled the DVD-RW drive and the drivers. It still has the problems I listed in the OP, and I've tried everything that doesn't cost money now. I used 3 different discs in these attempts, and the possibility of ALL of them being bad to begin with is. . .rather slim, isn't it?

I know the exact problem the school that i work for had that problem or simler what version of windows are you using?

[MillyFan]

I'm using Windows XP. I don't think that has anything to do with it-the drive came, installed, with the PC-as did Windows XP. Please don't turn this into a spam topic for your alleged OS. Thanks
-^.^-

[animenewstoday]

I'm using Windows XP. I don't think that has anything to do with it-the drive came, installed, with the PC-as did Windows XP. Please don't turn this into a spam topic for your alleged OS. Thanks
-^.^-

Sorry but i think i get what you are saying that's either a problem with the lens or you didn't get the jumpers in right

[Tycho]

Let me try to apply my technical knowledge to this. I did work in computer service for 4 years.

1) Its not the jumpers. If it was, the drives wouldn't show up at all.

2) Check the cable. Make sure its connected properly and not damaged.

3) Drives read but not write. Sound like they're being treated like CD-ROMS. I would first say drivers but you've done that. Have you tried removing the devices from your computer and then letting Windows refind them. When I say remove, I mean only from the Device Manager, not physically removed.

4) Format and reinstall. I hate to say this but you may have a corrupted Windows install. And if Windows gets corrupted, they's not much you can do except reinstall. You can try to just reinstall Windows over your existing installation, but that doesn't always work. If it doesn't, I hope you backed up recently.

[Mithrandir]

Hm... OK. Addressing the points above.

1. Correct, it's not the jumpers.
2. Nope, it's not the cables. The same would be true for above.
3. Maybe. Generally when you see something like this, it's because the DVD/CD drive wen't bad. It happens from time to time. The onbord device controller forget's it's supposed to be a burner, and just poops.
4. In this situation, I think this is NOT A VALID OPTION! She can't get the data backed up, so this isn't gonna work. As always, this is a WORST case scenareo only. Let's try some other things before we consign the data to the briney deep.

MF: Do you have multiple accounts in use on that PC? It's a strech, but when my old XP box started doing that (read from cd-rom, but not write to it), it was because one of my friends came over and rebooted it into 'guest mode' which has no access rights to the hardware. The opperating system should not do this by default (very bad form on M$'s part) but I digress. Be sure the user you are logged in as has administrator access to the machine before you do anything else.

[Tycho]

Hm... OK. Addressing the points above.

2. Cables.

4. In this situation, I think this is NOT A VALID OPTION! She can't get the data backed up, so this isn't gonna work. As always, this is a WORST case scenareo only. Let's try some other things before we consign the data to the briney deep.

2. Hehehe, you'd be surprised how many times a drive looks plugged in but doesn't function right.

4. Last option of course. I should have added only if we can prove its not the drive. If the drive works and Windows won't recognize it, its a Windows issue. But it still may be a drive failure. I was assuming the drive was ok...

[Mithrandir]

True, but the data bus is bi-directional. If it can read the data of the cd/dvd, then it can't be the cable. I believe she stated in the OP that the drives can read, but cannot write. (I'm to lazy to go back and look).

edit:
1. I have seen many times where the data bus is not connected properly (right most pins are connected, but the ribbon cable is askew. This will cause the drive to appear, but not function at all.

2. To my knowledge the writers were designed to function on the old IEEE standard IDE cables. They couldn't introduce any new pins, etc. Or am I missing something...?

[MillyFan]

Yeah, the drives can read, but not write.

I have removed the drives in Device Manager and reinstalled them-that didn't work, they still can read but not write data.

As for reinstalling Windows, that option is one I am NOT taking unless I can acquire a fair-sized USB drive of my own to which I can copy my files and make a recent backup. I have a backup from a month and a half ago, but that was even before I finished my work on the *first* chapter of "Dark Mirror."

I hope the drive isn't going out, because my warranty is almost expired if it isn't already expired.

^sigh^

[Technomancer]

Given that both of your drives are malfunctioning (this happened at more or less the same time?), I'd be disinclined to think that that is where the problem lies. If you haven't installed anything else (and check for viruses too), then it might be the motherboard. Can you move one or both drives to a different IDE port?

Also, try what Melody said and get a CD cleaner from RadioShack, chances are you're going to need it sooner or later anyways.

[Mithrandir]

Hey MF: Can you zip all your data into one major file? If you can, can you upload it somewhere? I'll give you server space on one of my boxes so that you can, if it comes down to that. Also, there are 'usb drives' that could probably store the files intmittently. See if any of your friends have one, or if not, maybe shoo can think of something to at least get the data off the box before nuking it. (He's not THAT far away)...

[MillyFan]

That computer isn't online and I can't directly upload from it (no phone line in my room, no money for cable Internet). To go online, I have to use my sister's PC here, to upload files I have to put them on a removable media such as a floppy or a CD and then use that media in this one. CDs are out (obviously), yet I have too much stuff to fit on one floppy.

Is there a virus that causes this? Due to it being offline, I haven't updated the antivirus for that one since I installed the 2002 edition my sister had on a disc, and I do use discs from her PC in mine and vice versa-however, her antivirus is updated daily and doesn't show problems.

As for the motherboard solution, I *really* don't want to take apart the PC and work on it. The last two PCs I tried to fix that way (2 486s I got free, on one I tried replacing the 3 1/2 drive, on another I tried swapping my old hard drive from the first into it as a secondary drive) both were absolutely inoperable by the time I was done working, HDD Controller errors all over the place. ^sigh^

LOL, I know absolutely nothing about hardware fixes. I'm going to attempt to dig that warranty paper out of wherever I put it, hope it's still good, and get the PC to a repair shop if it is.

If it isn't, I'll just have to save the most recent stuff (whatever doesn't show up on my two month old backup) to floppies and transfer it to the Internet somehow from there-basically using floppies and the Net as my means of backup (although they are both very unreliable means) and keep doing that until I get the money to fix it, or better yet buy a better PC.

As a funny side note (attempting to find humor in this in any way possible ) LOL, if I do take that one in for repairs, I think I'd better rename two of my folders first I mean, depending on who's doing the repairs, if I leave "Trigun fanfic," and "More Trigun fanfic" as the names of two of my folders, I might get into a long conversation with a fellow anime geek and never get the computer fixed at all, or conversely run into someone who thinks I'm an idiot fangirl. I am, but that's immaterial to getting my PC fixed. ~.~

Note to all: DO NOT BUY COMPAQ PRESARIOS! :comp::comp::comp::comp::bang:

[LorentzForce]

compaq still exists? i thought they merged into HP.

i suggest you clean it too. my burner actually doesn't work anymore too, my guess is because i used it too much and it got dirty. quite possibly. it's time i got my jewel screwdrive out...

[Mithrandir]

Re: Virus. Given your scenareo, I'd say no.
Re: Compaq. HP decided that line sold better, so they stole the product name. It's a glorified nightmare.


OK. Let's figure out what options we have at our disposal. We've ruled out opening the box, so:

1. Find out if it's under warrenty. If so, GREAT!

2. Depending on where this hits you in the 'ethics belt', go to fry's and buy an external (usb) cd-rom burner. You can use that to burn your data to a cd, and then return it for a full refund. - Along the same line of thinking... USB 'pen size' hard drives.

3. If your computer has an ethernet card, and you can find anyone that has a laptop, you can transfer the files using a simple hub (or lacking that, a $10.00 loopback cable). Likewise, a friend with a cable modem and a firewall probably has the hardware required for this transation.

If these 3 don't work, let us know and we'll come up with something else.

[MillyFan]

LOL, option two is too close to thievery for me. If I buy something, I buy it for good (unless it's defective or I have no use for it at all). I may save up the money and buy one of those items for good LOL: knowing my PC I'd probably need it more than once

The warranty idea is the best so far. I'm looking for it as soon as I can.

[animenewstoday]

compaq still exists? i thought they merged into Hp.

yea compaq still exist that worthless company never ever buy a compaq