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    #1

    [SOLVED] USB DVD Drive not recognized

    I am running 18.04, and I have a Memorex USD DVD drive that I have not used for a while, but seems to still be functional (tray opens and closes, LED lights up, etc.).

    I got a DVD with a bunch of stuff on it that I need to read/look at for work, took it home and plugged in the DVD drive and inserted the DVD. In the past, it would show up in the file manager the same way as any USB drive. But last night and this morning, it makes a couple of noises like it's preparing to read the disc, but then nothing happens at all.

    Where do I start with diagnosing what the problem is?

    Thanks!
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    #2
    Well, I would suggest that you try this USB DVD drive with any other 'data' DVD. Does it work as expected? If 'yes', then the work DVD has to be the problem, not the drive.
    Windows no longer obstructs my view.
    Using Kubuntu Linux since March 23, 2007.
    "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data." - Sherlock Holmes​
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      #3
      OK, sorry not to respond sooner, I was moving the last several days, had no internet, and couldn't find another disc to check it with.

      I just checked the drive with two other discs, one a CD (with mp3 files) and one a DVD, and it was not responsive with either of them.

      What is the next step I should take to try to figure out the problem(s) with the drive?

      Thanks!
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        #4
        Originally posted by jpc2769 View Post
        >>>>>>>>>
        What is the next step I should take to try to figure out the problem(s) with the drive?

        Thanks!
        Check the drive with another computer.
        If you think Education is expensive, try ignorance.

        The difference between genius and stupidity is genius has limits.
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          #5
          How many fanouts does the CD Player use? IOW, is your computer supplying enough power through your USB2 (?) port to drive the CD Player. I took out my DVD/CD player and replaced it with an HD Caddy so I could put a 3rd HD into my laptop. I purchased a Samsung External DVD Writer, Model SE-S084D. Its plugin cable is split, with a subminiture D on one end and TWO USB connectors on the other.



          The purpose is to supply two unit loads, or at least 200 ma of power at 5V. One won't do the job.
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power
          "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
          – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.
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            #6
            Memorex USD DVD drive that I have not used for a while, but seems to still be functional (tray opens and closes, LED lights up, etc.) ... Where do I start with diagnosing what the problem is?
            The very first step, always, is, as the hardware saying goes, "Check the cables, stupid!" If you haven't done it, before taking drastic steps, check the cables to the DVD drive:

            First, turn off the power to the motherboard! Do this using the switch on your power supply, AND also do it at the wall, so now no power is going to the motherboard. This is a precaution for DIY guys like us.

            Find the power cable going from your power supply to your DVD player; unplug it at the DVD player (the rear of the DVD unit). Now test the DVD unit. (The power cable coming from the power supply is probably fixed, and you can not unplug it. If, however, you do have the modular type of power supply, then, yes, unplug that power cable at the power supply, re-plug it, and test the DVD.)

            Find the data cable -- the USB cable (or whatever cable your DVD unit uses: SATA, IDE) that runs from your motherboard to your DVD unit. Unplug it from the motherboard, then plug it back into the motherboard connector. Test the DVD unit. Unplug it at the rear of your DVD unit, then plug it back in to your DVD unit. Now test the DVD unit.

            Now you have checked the cables.
            Last edited by Qqmike; Oct 31, 2018, 03:58 PM.
            An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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              #7
              Originally posted by Qqmike View Post
              The very first step, always, is, as the hardware saying goes, "Check the cables, stupid!" If you haven't done it, before taking drastic steps, check the cables to the DVD drive:

              First, turn off the power to the motherboard! Do this using the switch on your power supply, AND also do it at the wall, so now no power is going to the motherboard. This is a precaution for DIY guys like us.

              Find the power cable going from your power supply to your DVD player; unplug it at the DVD player (the rear of the DVD unit). Now test the DVD unit. (The power cable coming from the power supply is probably fixed, and you can not unplug it. If, however, you do have the modular type of power supply, then, yes, unplug that power cable at the power supply, re-plug it, and test the DVD.)

              Find the data cable -- the USB cable (or whatever cable your DVD unit uses: SATA, IDE) that runs from your motherboard to your DVD unit. Unplug it from the motherboard, then plug it back into the motherboard connector. Test the DVD unit. Unplug it at the rear of your DVD unit, then plug it back in to your DVD unit. Now test the DVD unit.

              Now you have checked the cables.
              I don't understand what these cables are, how to identify them, or how to test them. Can you tell me a bit more about what they look like and how to identify and test them?

              The drive is an outboard one that plugs into a USB port, and I know the USB ports work because I use them everyday for other stuff.
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                #8
                Originally posted by GreyGeek View Post
                How many fanouts does the CD Player use? IOW, is your computer supplying enough power through your USB2 (?) port to drive the CD Player. I took out my DVD/CD player and replaced it with an HD Caddy so I could put a 3rd HD into my laptop. I purchased a Samsung External DVD Writer, Model SE-S084D. Its plugin cable is split, with a subminiture D on one end and TWO USB connectors on the other.



                The purpose is to supply two unit loads, or at least 200 ma of power at 5V. One won't do the job.
                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power
                You know, I remember there being some kind of double cable like that, but the one I am using now is just a single one. I still have the box somewhere, I will check and see if that cable still exists…
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                  #9
                  The drive is an outboard one that plugs into a USB port, and I know the USB ports work because I use them everyday for other stuff.
                  The USB port may be working, but the seating, the connection, of the cables may not be tight or right. Just unplug that USB cable at the motherboard and at the DVD unit, and plug it back in. Same with power cable that should run from your power supply to the DVD unit. Or, maybe the DVD unit just plugs into the wall socket, in which case that should be OK.
                  An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                    #10
                    Another common sense thing to do is to simply "play" with it: press the open button on the DVD to open the door, repeatedly, gently press it; let the door open and close; etc. I had an old "locked-up" Sony DVD writer in a PC that did what you describe (including that clicking sound you describe in OP), and I just had to mess with it a bit to "wake it up" and get it going. YMMV, of course.
                    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                      #11
                      Just one more note. As you know, DVD writers for PCs are generic, commodity items now. We could do a search (at Amazon), but I'm guessing you might get even a Samsung for $20 +/- . But, first, best to try to get yours going.
                      An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                        #12
                        Originally posted by jpc2769 View Post
                        You know, I remember there being some kind of double cable like that, but the one I am using now is just a single one. I still have the box somewhere, I will check and see if that cable still exists…
                        I'll wager that using a single USB cable instead of the Y splutter supplied by the CD Player is your problem. You can get one from Amazon for $5.
                        https://www.amazon.com/USB-Cable-Ext...GAHXKN0R72E063
                        "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                        – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.
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                          #13
                          What Qqmike says ...

                          And, if your PC is old it may not have a USB 3.0 port so you would need to get a CDROM that works with 2.0, hence the need for a Y cable. IF you do have a USB 3.0 port then more than likely you will only need a cable with USB on one end and the subminiture D connector on the other.
                          "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                          – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.
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                            #14
                            And just to be clear for jpc2769, a USB 2 cable will plug in to a USB2 port or to a UB3 port (but it will only run at USB2 speeds, which, IMO, is OK for this DVD). A USB 3 cable will plug in to a USB 3 port or to a USB2 port (but it will run at USB2 speeds in the USB2 port, which, again, for this DVD, would be OK).
                            An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                              #15
                              Thanks for all the suggestions! It was the cable as GreyGeek suggested, I found the double cable in the box and now the drive works!
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