[SOLVED] Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp]

biglou · 06-04-2008, 02:04 PM

Recently my DVD-R drive has been unable to recognize CDs. It plays audio CDs just fine, but if I put in a CD based game or CD-R, the drive acts as if there's no CD in there and doesn't recognize it at all. I can hear my DVD-R drive do the usual spinning when I close the disk tray, but it quits after about 10 seconds and nothing else happens. It writes/reads DVDs with no problems, it's just the CDs that do this.

I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed, and my DVD-R drive is a Samsung TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H552U.

All help greatly appreciated.

**ThorXP** · 06-04-2008, 02:07 PM

Welcome to TSF....

I would go to the Samsung site and obtain the new drivers for this drive and if there are no new one I would download the current ones and then un-install the old drivers and install the new and reboot the computer.

biglou · 06-04-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThorXP

Welcome to TSF....

I would go to the Samsung site and obtain the new drivers for this drive and if there are no new one I would download the current ones and then un-install the old drivers and install the new and reboot the computer.

Sorry, I forgot to add that I did update the drivers for my DVD-R drive. I got the latest version (US09). Still I have the same problem though.

**ThorXP** · 06-04-2008, 02:21 PM

Un-install the drivers thru safe mode then exit out of device manager normally and reboot the computer and let windows re-install the drive, I have seen drives have several of the same drivers installed so remove all of them.

dai · 06-04-2008, 02:58 PM

i gather you updated the firmware as the drivers are opart of windows
uninstall the upper and lower filters
scroll down to how here
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=k...060&x=12&y=13#

biglou · 06-04-2008, 03:43 PM

ThorXP and Dai, I did both of the things you two suggested. I had windows reinstall the DVD drive, but still nothing. When I used the "guided help" program from the microsoft site during the middle of it a window said that some errors were detected. After each method, I tried a handful of different CD media and the drive actually recognized one of four CD-Rs I put in it, but none of the CD-ROMS I tried.

dai · 06-04-2008, 03:54 PM

you were supposed to scroll down to this section

Log on to Windows by using an account that has administrator rights and permissions. Then, follow these steps.
Step 1: Start Registry Editor
Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. Registry Editor starts.
Step 2: Delete the UpperFilters registry entry1. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
2. Expand SYSTEM, and then expand CurrentControlSet.
3. Expand Control, and then expand Class.
4. Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
5. In the right pane (topic area), click UpperFilters.

Note An UpperFilters.bak registry entry may also appear. To delete the UpperFilters registry entry, you must click UpperFilters and not UpperFilters.bak.
6. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
7. When you receive the following message, click Yes to confirm the deletion of the UpperFilters registry entry:
Are you sure you want to delete this value?

The UpperFilters registry entry is removed from the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} registry subkey.

Note Do not exit Registry Editor. You must have this program for the next step.
Step 3: Delete the LowerFilters registry entry1. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
2. Expand SYSTEM, and then expand CurrentControlSet.
3. Expand Control, and then expand Class.
4. Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
5. In the right pane (topic area), click LowerFilters.

Note An LowerFilters.bak registry entry may also appear. To delete the LowerFilters registry entry, you must click LowerFilters and not LowerFilters.bak.
6. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
7. When you receive the following message, click Yes to confirm the deletion of the LowerFilters registry entry:
Are you sure you want to delete this value?
The LowerFilters registry entry is removed from the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} registry subkey.
8. Exit Registry Editor.

Step 4: Restart the computer
If a CD recording program no longer works after you restart the computer, you must reinstall the CD recording program.

backup the registry before you start

biglou · 06-04-2008, 04:30 PM

I got to this step in the registry editor:

4. Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
5. In the right pane (topic area), click UpperFilters.

There is no Upperfilters file there. I checked multiple times to make sure I was in the right directory. When I ran the "guided help" program on the Microsoft page earlier I think it may have deleted the Upperfilters file. What should I do?

edit: The "guided help" program said that if I ran it again it would undo what it did the first time, so should I do that and then manually delete the registry entries?

dai · 06-04-2008, 07:13 PM

don't worry if they are not there it's not unusual

biglou · 06-05-2008, 07:23 AM

Is it possible I have a dirty CD lens? Or could the CD laser be dead?

dai · 06-05-2008, 08:15 AM

it's begining to look that way they are cheap to replace these days
http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category...-Burners-Media
liteon or asus

biglou · 06-05-2008, 10:59 AM

Would it be a good idea to try a CD lens cleaner before I buy a new drive? My drive actually seems to recognize CDs extremely sporadically, could that mean it's just got dust on it? BTW thanks so much for the help, you guys rock!

mommabear · 06-05-2008, 12:29 PM

Have you looked at your AutoPlay tabs and the choice of what to do when a particular disc is inserted? You could be missing some handlers. Right click the drive, select properties, and then the AutoPlay tab. At the top, use the drop down arrow and see if you have all of these:

Music files
Pictures
Video files
Mixed content
Music CD
DVD movie
Blank CD

Then as you highlight each one, you should see (in the box below) the various "handlers" from which to choose the action to perform for that type of disc. If any haven't been set, that might be all you have to do.

Also some burning programs will take over some options when they shouldn't. Or an uninstalled burning program will leave its handler behind and cause problems.

If some types and their choices are missing, or burning programs you don't have anymore are in the list, then we've got some digging to do. A few months back I lost Blank CD and DVD Movie and that affected reading different discs too. I'm fixed now and can tell you how I did it for me, but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves until you report back.

biglou · 06-05-2008, 12:59 PM

hi mommabear, I have all the handlers except for Blank CD. Could you please tell me how to fix this? Thanks.

mommabear · 06-05-2008, 04:04 PM

Ok. In my case, I searched for days trying to fix my problem. I did all the other reg changes, used all the utilities I could find on the net and nothing worked. I tried TweakUI, AutoPlayRepair, Auto Fix, Clean Handlers, the upper and lower filters thing. I always used System Restore before each one. When they didn't work, I uninstalled them and used my restore point to start over again.

I finally found a forum post in Google that pointed me here.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;330135

It talks about Roxio, which I don't use, but I read on. My fix was using #3 and #4. I'm betting it was #4 that really fixed me because I'd already made the changes earlier that are described in #3. Once I applied the changes to Winlogon in #4, I got my missing Blank CD and Video movie back in my drop down selections and my drives now appear and work as they should. My combo DVD-CDRW no longer says CDrom in My Computer. My disks were readable again.

This fixed everything for me.

Just be sure to make a System Restore Point and/or backup your registry first...just to be on the safe side.

Good luck!

biglou · 06-05-2008, 06:42 PM

I tried everything in the link but still no dice. Everything in the registry was already set to what it should be. I also tried AutoPlayRepair but it couldn't find anything wrong. I'll try TweakUI and the rest of the programs you used and see if they help me out. After having tried all these different methods I'm thinking that the CD lens is either dirty or broken. I'm going to get and use a CD lens cleaner this Saturday and hopefully the CDs will work again. Thanks again for the help.

dai · 06-05-2008, 09:33 PM

can you try the drive in another computer

biglou · 06-05-2008, 10:03 PM

I can't really try the drive in another computer, I have no idea how to remove/add any hardware to a computer. Also I'd be worried I'd accidentally break something. Unless I knew what I was doing, the only way I could get something added/removed from my PC would be to take it to a computer store for a $39.99 installation fee. Ouch.

mommabear · 06-06-2008, 04:12 AM

It's not hard to change out the drives. I've done it and I came to computers late in life. (I'm 63) There are plenty of tutorials online and the new drive will come with instructions. And plenty of people here could walk you through it.

For the cost of the installation fee you could almost buy a new one.

biglou · 06-09-2008, 05:45 PM

Well, I got a brand new DVD-RAM drive, now CDs work fine. I can finally play the Sims Complete Collection I just bought(yay!) Thanks everybody for taking the time and energy to help me out. Dai, mommabear, ThorXP, you're all heroes in my book!

06-04-2008, 02:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	[SOLVED] Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] Recently my DVD-R drive has been unable to recognize CDs. It plays audio CDs just fine, but if I put in a CD based game or CD-R, the drive acts as if there's no CD in there and doesn't recognize it at all. I can hear my DVD-R drive do the usual spinning when I close the disk tray, but it quits after about 10 seconds and nothing else happens. It writes/reads DVDs with no problems, it's just the CDs that do this. I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed, and my DVD-R drive is a Samsung TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H552U. All help greatly appreciated.

06-04-2008, 02:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
ThorXP TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 2,568 OS: Windows XP Pro SP3, Kubuntu & Ubuntu 8.10	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs Welcome to TSF.... I would go to the Samsung site and obtain the new drivers for this drive and if there are no new one I would download the current ones and then un-install the old drivers and install the new and reboot the computer. __________________ I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one. *Heaven goes by favorites, If it didn't then your dog would get in first. Amen.*

06-04-2008, 02:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
ThorXP TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 2,568 OS: Windows XP Pro SP3, Kubuntu & Ubuntu 8.10	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs Un-install the drivers thru safe mode then exit out of device manager normally and reboot the computer and let windows re-install the drive, I have seen drives have several of the same drivers installed so remove all of them. __________________ I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one. *Heaven goes by favorites, If it didn't then your dog would get in first. Amen.*

06-04-2008, 02:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,753 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs i gather you updated the firmware as the drivers are opart of windows uninstall the upper and lower filters scroll down to how here http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=k...060&x=12&y=13# __________________

06-04-2008, 03:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] ThorXP and Dai, I did both of the things you two suggested. I had windows reinstall the DVD drive, but still nothing. When I used the "guided help" program from the microsoft site during the middle of it a window said that some errors were detected. After each method, I tried a handful of different CD media and the drive actually recognized one of four CD-Rs I put in it, but none of the CD-ROMS I tried.

06-04-2008, 03:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,753 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] you were supposed to scroll down to this section Log on to Windows by using an account that has administrator rights and permissions. Then, follow these steps. Step 1: Start Registry Editor Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. Registry Editor starts. Step 2: Delete the UpperFilters registry entry1. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. 2. Expand SYSTEM, and then expand CurrentControlSet. 3. Expand Control, and then expand Class. 4. Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. 5. In the right pane (topic area), click UpperFilters. Note An UpperFilters.bak registry entry may also appear. To delete the UpperFilters registry entry, you must click UpperFilters and not UpperFilters.bak. 6. On the Edit menu, click Delete. 7. When you receive the following message, click Yes to confirm the deletion of the UpperFilters registry entry: Are you sure you want to delete this value? The UpperFilters registry entry is removed from the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} registry subkey. Note Do not exit Registry Editor. You must have this program for the next step. Step 3: Delete the LowerFilters registry entry1. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. 2. Expand SYSTEM, and then expand CurrentControlSet. 3. Expand Control, and then expand Class. 4. Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. 5. In the right pane (topic area), click LowerFilters. Note An LowerFilters.bak registry entry may also appear. To delete the LowerFilters registry entry, you must click LowerFilters and not LowerFilters.bak. 6. On the Edit menu, click Delete. 7. When you receive the following message, click Yes to confirm the deletion of the LowerFilters registry entry: Are you sure you want to delete this value? The LowerFilters registry entry is removed from the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} registry subkey. 8. Exit Registry Editor. Step 4: Restart the computer If a CD recording program no longer works after you restart the computer, you must reinstall the CD recording program. backup the registry before you start __________________

06-04-2008, 04:30 PM	#8 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] I got to this step in the registry editor: 4. Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. 5. In the right pane (topic area), click UpperFilters. There is no Upperfilters file there. I checked multiple times to make sure I was in the right directory. When I ran the "guided help" program on the Microsoft page earlier I think it may have deleted the Upperfilters file. What should I do? edit: The "guided help" program said that if I ran it again it would undo what it did the first time, so should I do that and then manually delete the registry entries? Last edited by biglou; 06-04-2008 at 04:33 PM.

06-04-2008, 07:13 PM	#9 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,753 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] don't worry if they are not there it's not unusual __________________

06-05-2008, 07:23 AM	#10 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] Is it possible I have a dirty CD lens? Or could the CD laser be dead?

06-05-2008, 08:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,753 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] it's begining to look that way they are cheap to replace these days http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category...-Burners-Media liteon or asus __________________

06-05-2008, 10:59 AM	#12 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] Would it be a good idea to try a CD lens cleaner before I buy a new drive? My drive actually seems to recognize CDs extremely sporadically, could that mean it's just got dust on it? BTW thanks so much for the help, you guys rock!

06-05-2008, 12:29 PM	#13 (permalink)
mommabear Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 415 OS: XP Home Sp2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] Have you looked at your AutoPlay tabs and the choice of what to do when a particular disc is inserted? You could be missing some handlers. Right click the drive, select properties, and then the AutoPlay tab. At the top, use the drop down arrow and see if you have all of these: Music files Pictures Video files Mixed content Music CD DVD movie Blank CD Then as you highlight each one, you should see (in the box below) the various "handlers" from which to choose the action to perform for that type of disc. If any haven't been set, that might be all you have to do. Also some burning programs will take over some options when they shouldn't. Or an uninstalled burning program will leave its handler behind and cause problems. If some types and their choices are missing, or burning programs you don't have anymore are in the list, then we've got some digging to do. A few months back I lost Blank CD and DVD Movie and that affected reading different discs too. I'm fixed now and can tell you how I did it for me, but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves until you report back. __________________ YES WE DID!

06-05-2008, 12:59 PM	#14 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] hi mommabear, I have all the handlers except for Blank CD. Could you please tell me how to fix this? Thanks.

06-05-2008, 04:04 PM	#15 (permalink)
mommabear Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 415 OS: XP Home Sp2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] Ok. In my case, I searched for days trying to fix my problem. I did all the other reg changes, used all the utilities I could find on the net and nothing worked. I tried TweakUI, AutoPlayRepair, Auto Fix, Clean Handlers, the upper and lower filters thing. I always used System Restore before each one. When they didn't work, I uninstalled them and used my restore point to start over again. I finally found a forum post in Google that pointed me here. http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;330135 It talks about Roxio, which I don't use, but I read on. My fix was using #3 and #4. I'm betting it was #4 that really fixed me because I'd already made the changes earlier that are described in #3. Once I applied the changes to Winlogon in #4, I got my missing Blank CD and Video movie back in my drop down selections and my drives now appear and work as they should. My combo DVD-CDRW no longer says CDrom in My Computer. My disks were readable again. This fixed everything for me. Just be sure to make a System Restore Point and/or backup your registry first...just to be on the safe side. Good luck! __________________ YES WE DID!

06-05-2008, 06:42 PM	#16 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] I tried everything in the link but still no dice. Everything in the registry was already set to what it should be. I also tried AutoPlayRepair but it couldn't find anything wrong. I'll try TweakUI and the rest of the programs you used and see if they help me out. After having tried all these different methods I'm thinking that the CD lens is either dirty or broken. I'm going to get and use a CD lens cleaner this Saturday and hopefully the CDs will work again. Thanks again for the help.

06-05-2008, 09:33 PM	#17 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,753 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] can you try the drive in another computer __________________

06-05-2008, 10:03 PM	#18 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] I can't really try the drive in another computer, I have no idea how to remove/add any hardware to a computer. Also I'd be worried I'd accidentally break something. Unless I knew what I was doing, the only way I could get something added/removed from my PC would be to take it to a computer store for a $39.99 installation fee. Ouch.

06-06-2008, 04:12 AM	#19 (permalink)
mommabear Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 415 OS: XP Home Sp2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] It's not hard to change out the drives. I've done it and I came to computers late in life. (I'm 63) There are plenty of tutorials online and the new drive will come with instructions. And plenty of people here could walk you through it. For the cost of the installation fee you could almost buy a new one. __________________ YES WE DID!

06-09-2008, 05:45 PM	#20 (permalink)
biglou Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 12 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Re: Computer can't recognize CDs[moved from xp] Well, I got a brand new DVD-RAM drive, now CDs work fine. I can finally play the Sims Complete Collection I just bought(yay!) Thanks everybody for taking the time and energy to help me out. Dai, mommabear, ThorXP, you're all heroes in my book!