How to detect USB devices plugged in

[Schwarzer Kater]

Just thought of another possibility - did you check your system tray?

Left-click on the arrow and then right-click on the "Disks & Devices" symbol:

[oshunluvr]

Next I would do all that again (cd's in and out, playing one, etc.), but check dmesg output between each activity. Like open Konsole, then type dmesg, then insert cd wait a tic, then dmesg, insert cd in other drive, wait a tic, check dmesg. Ad nausium until you get some useful output - you may not, but you might.

@here - my only issue with my external drive is if I insert a bad disc (I have some old photo discs that have expired I guess) and try to access it. then it gets stuck in an apparently endless loop that I cannot kill by any means I am aware of except a hard reboot.