Problem Reading Some Discs

MorkaiTheRed · 09-22-2008, 01:31 PM

I bought a new computer recently along with a few new games. I have been playin World of Warcraft on this new system for about a month and it is on a DVD rom and my drive reads it with no problems. The new games I bought (Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander) are also both on DVD rom but the drive will not recognize them. I dont' get an error or anything but the setup does not run and I can't see any of the files on the disc if I go to the drive from My Computer. Also the problem is not the discs as they both work fine on my roommates PC.

Motherboard: EVGA 132-CK-NF78
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q9450 @ 2.66GHz
Ram: 2.5GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2
Hardrive: ??????
Sound: Realtek HD
PSU (Power Supply Unit): ?????

**koala** · 09-22-2008, 01:58 PM

Hi, welcome to TSF

Company Of Heroes and Supreme Commander both come on dual-layer DVDs (8gb). Your DVD drive probably only supports single-layer discs (4gb).

MorkaiTheRed · 09-22-2008, 05:18 PM

That sucks, thanks for the help.
Do you have any reccomendations on a solid drive that will read dual-layer DVDs?

**koala** · 09-22-2008, 05:35 PM

SATA or IDE? Black or beige?

MorkaiTheRed · 09-22-2008, 05:37 PM

I don't know the difference between SATA and IDE and don't care what color it is

**koala** · 09-22-2008, 05:44 PM

You need a spare slot on your motherboard, either IDE or SATA, to plug the drive into.

Open your case to see how your current drive is connected to the motherboard. If it's on a wide grey ribbon cable then it's IDE. If it's a thin red or black cable then it's SATA.

Lite-On IDE - $23
Asus SATA with Lightscribe - £35

MorkaiTheRed · 09-22-2008, 06:14 PM

It appears to be a wide grey ribbon cabble wrapped in a thicker black one, also I don't see an empty slot, is changing to a new drive problematic at all?

**koala** · 09-22-2008, 08:04 PM

No, it's very simple. Just remove your current drive and replace it with the IDE dual-layer drive, noting where the cables plug into.

There's a power cable coming from the power supply unit (PSU) that plugs into the back of the drive, and you can use the same connector as your old drive after you've removed it.

If you want to keep your current drive as well as the new one, you'll need a spare bay to fit the drive into and a spare IDE connector. Do any of the grey ribbon cables have an unused connector in the middle?

This is an IDE data cable. One end plugs into the motherboard, the other end plugs into a hard drive or CD/DVD drive, and the middle connector can be used if you want to add any extra drives.

This is a SATA cable. There is no middle connector, meaning it can only be used for one device, so you'll need a spare SATA slot on your motherboard if you want to install a SATA DVD drive.

This shows the difference in size between the 2 cables.

MorkaiTheRed · 09-23-2008, 01:00 PM

Thank you for all the help, I appreciate it.

09-22-2008, 01:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
MorkaiTheRed Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Problem Reading Some Discs I bought a new computer recently along with a few new games. I have been playin World of Warcraft on this new system for about a month and it is on a DVD rom and my drive reads it with no problems. The new games I bought (Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander) are also both on DVD rom but the drive will not recognize them. I dont' get an error or anything but the setup does not run and I can't see any of the files on the disc if I go to the drive from My Computer. Also the problem is not the discs as they both work fine on my roommates PC. Motherboard: EVGA 132-CK-NF78 CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q9450 @ 2.66GHz Ram: 2.5GB Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 Hardrive: ?????? Sound: Realtek HD PSU (Power Supply Unit): ????? Last edited by MorkaiTheRed; 09-22-2008 at 01:33 PM.

09-22-2008, 01:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,433 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs Hi, welcome to TSF Company Of Heroes and Supreme Commander both come on dual-layer DVDs (8gb). Your DVD drive probably only supports single-layer discs (4gb). __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-22-2008, 05:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
MorkaiTheRed Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs That sucks, thanks for the help. Do you have any reccomendations on a solid drive that will read dual-layer DVDs?

09-22-2008, 05:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,433 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs SATA or IDE? Black or beige? __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-22-2008, 05:37 PM	#5 (permalink)
MorkaiTheRed Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs I don't know the difference between SATA and IDE and don't care what color it is

09-22-2008, 05:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,433 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs You need a spare slot on your motherboard, either IDE or SATA, to plug the drive into. Open your case to see how your current drive is connected to the motherboard. If it's on a wide grey ribbon cable then it's IDE. If it's a thin red or black cable then it's SATA. Lite-On IDE - $23 Asus SATA with Lightscribe - £35 __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here Last edited by koala; 09-22-2008 at 08:06 PM. Reason: typo

09-22-2008, 06:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
MorkaiTheRed Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs It appears to be a wide grey ribbon cabble wrapped in a thicker black one, also I don't see an empty slot, is changing to a new drive problematic at all?

09-22-2008, 08:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,433 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs No, it's very simple. Just remove your current drive and replace it with the IDE dual-layer drive, noting where the cables plug into. There's a power cable coming from the power supply unit (PSU) that plugs into the back of the drive, and you can use the same connector as your old drive after you've removed it. If you want to keep your current drive as well as the new one, you'll need a spare bay to fit the drive into and a spare IDE connector. Do any of the grey ribbon cables have an unused connector in the middle? This is an IDE data cable. One end plugs into the motherboard, the other end plugs into a hard drive or CD/DVD drive, and the middle connector can be used if you want to add any extra drives. This is a SATA cable. There is no middle connector, meaning it can only be used for one device, so you'll need a spare SATA slot on your motherboard if you want to install a SATA DVD drive. This shows the difference in size between the 2 cables. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-23-2008, 01:00 PM	#9 (permalink)
MorkaiTheRed Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Problem Reading Some Discs Thank you for all the help, I appreciate it.