10.04 will not recognize a DVD, but will recognize a CD.

[elludium_q-36]

I've been nursing this old desktop box along for a while...

I have the Medibuntu packages,
including libdvdcss2 & libdvdread4.

It would sometimes have difficulty reading PARTICULAR DVDs,
not recognizing them at all, or crashing the player, either at random,
or always at the exact same point in playback.

The installation has other issues, besides the age of the box,
but I won't jumble the intent of THIS thread.

Per posting recommendations in this sticky:
http://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthr...W-GUY-lt-lt-lt
I have included a system profile & benchmark output text file,
generated by package hardinfo.
These files contain much more than the minimum requested in the sticky.

I removed the computer host name, user names, network info,
environment variables, users & file systems,
because those MAY contain info that a malicious system cracker
could exploit.

Oddly, hardinfo does NOT report on GRUB, but I added that.

Yes, I currently have Ubuntu on this box, and do like KDE better.
Unfortunately this old hardware doesn't seem to be able to handle
the standard automagically generated Kubuntu implementation.

No other OSes or WUBI installed.

I do not have a GPU card, which might help things.
The money for a used GPU card MIGHT be better spend on a newer box.

I tried a search but did not find my answer.

Many thanks!

[claydoh]

Looking at your specs, you suffer the scourge of having a Via gpu on-board, notoriously crappy linux drivers all around That and perhaps ram are your limiting factors here; IMO the KDE version available in 10.04 is not so good video-wise, you might be amazed at how much smoother more recent KDE versions run on older boxes once things like akonadi and nepomuk are disabled or not used. the Via graphics might make all that goodness null and void, though .

Back on to the dvd drive. My past experience is that you are probably having your drive's laser heading south. All of mine in the past matched your symptoms as they died.

[vinnywright]

desktop ,,,,,,,,,,if you have any old DVD drives laying around throw it in and see if it helps ,,,,I to think it may be the drive

VINNY

[elludium_q-36]

Just to make me look bad...

So I tossed in a MUSIC CD, and, of course, it worked, as usual.

I then tossed in a DVD, which had played before. IT WORKED!

I put in a second, that had played before, success!

I highly doubt the problem is "fixed", as it's intermittent.

I have a USB DVD player/burner, normally powered down, and LATELY,
a DVD won't play in that either... Music CDs usually work.

Maybe, as suggested, I have an INTERMITTENT laser problem,
but on TWO DVD drives, at the same time?

Oh, claydoh! Trust me, akonadi and nepomuk were on my,
"SEEK AND DESTROY" list, when I had Kubuntu on this box!
I don't see evidence of them running now.

****

See, now ALSO, sometimes either DVD drive will NOT be recognized.
The CD drive is usually ALWAYS recognized.

I just tried my USB DVD drive and it's not recognized by the system.
It's not "Seen", media or not.

That happens sometimes, with the IDE DVD drive too.

Anyone feel like rebooting a bunch of tomes, to see what works, each time?

[elludium_q-36]

Back where we started, here we go 'round again....

So, currently, the system won't recognize my EXTERNAL USB DVD device.

Other USB devices are recognized, no trouble.

It seems intermittent. IF the DVD player is recognized, IF DVDs are read, THEN ONLY CERTAIN DVDs work.

I put in a DVD, I'm fairly certain, had never been in the system before.
That works fine, but another won't even be seen as media in the device.
So, it would seem to not be a decrypting issue...

DVD ISOs that I have ripped to Hard Drives play well enough, every time.
I usually use VLC and denice it plenty.

If I don't have to reboot, and there's no power failure (often enough),
I can borrow some DVDs, and perhaps some of them will play. YAY!

Any thoughts?

[elludium_q-36]

Progress, ZERO...

I tried different USB cables, for the external USB DVD device, but it's not recognized.
The internal DVD player had NOT been recognized on some boot-ups.

Now, the internal DVD will only play SOME of the DVDs, it played BEFORE.
The drive's info is reported as, "no media present"...

A selling point for Linux, is that most ills may be remedied by editing a file,
or running a simple command.

It COULD be weak lasers, but that wouldn't keep the device (DVD player/burner), from being reported as present...

Any ideas?

[Shabakthanai]

I have a pretty good graphics card, is there a way to disable Via and let the card do the work. I suppose a dumb question. Additionally, both DVDROMS are having the same difficulty if you are right. I have been thinking about getting a blueray writer. Might that eliminate the problem? Now that I am retired, money gets to be a problem much of the time, but I suppose I could build another system. Computing seems to take more of my life that pretty much anything else, so I guess it could be moved up on the list a bit. By the way that is a beautiful puppy. Wish I could care for an animal again. My last dog was a difficult loss when he passed. Thanks for the input, my friend. I guess I have some decisions to make. I am marking this solved, and cudos friend.

Looking at your specs, you suffer the scourge of having a Via gpu on-board, notoriously crappy linux drivers all around That and perhaps ram are your limiting factors here; IMO the KDE version available in 10.04 is not so good video-wise, you might be amazed at how much smoother more recent KDE versions run on older boxes once things like akonadi and nepomuk are disabled or not used. the Via graphics might make all that goodness null and void, though .

Back on to the dvd drive. My past experience is that you are probably having your drive's laser heading south. All of mine in the past matched your symptoms as they died.

[elludium_q-36]

Solved

I'm not sure how Shabakthanai considers the issue to be solved.

If I had the funds, I could just go buy a brand new WINDOWS box,
and consider it solved...

My understanding of Linux is that most issues may be solved,
by editing a file, or running a series of commands.

Granted, it might be hardware, but I thought perhaps someone,
with the experience and knowledge, might know what to try...

[claydoh]

If your device is faulty, there may be no way to tell from a command line tool. You might be able to determine this by running a distro from a usb flash drive and seeing how the drive works there. Check your cable connections, perhaps try a different one if possible.



Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[elludium_q-36]

Good Advice!

Good advice!

I plan on also making a UNetBootIn USB drive,
with multiple boot options/tools.

I booted with another 10.04 environment, over USB.
Same thing.

I swapped out the IDE DVD RW drive, for another IDE DVD RW.
SAME SYMPTOMS, even with the USB boot.

Next I booted another box, with a DVD rom,
using the same 10.04 USB boot environment.
Success!

It seems that I either have TWO dying DVD drives,
that recognize CDs, but SOME DVDs,
or there's a cable/motherboard issue.

The alternate box has a face plate that's murder to remove; E-Machines...
The face plate seems like it's designed to be impossible to remove.
There are ratcheting push pins, that expand and grab, like "ty-wrap" cable ties.
Seems you have to squeeze them ALL simultaneously, to remove the face plate.
Otherwise I would have tried the known working DVD RW, in the suspect box.
Process of elimination halted, for now.