DLA issues

My current computer is a Dell Inspiron 5160. It comes stock with a CD burner/DVD reader combo drive. I have the strangest issue with DLA. I bought Battle for Middle-Earth. When I insert the cd (it's actually a DVD-ROM) I get a message that reads something like, My DLA version will only allow me to read the information on the disc. Well, duh, why would I want to do more than that? But the problem that that doesn't tell me about is...when I go to My Computer, it lists the drive, but tells you there's nothing in it. *scratches head* I'm not quite senile, and I know I put the disc in there. I right click the menu for that drive, and there is a list of possible actions. A couple include Format and Eject. Then there's another Format and Eject that have a little cd icon in front of them. If I click either the Format or Eject button with the cd icon in front of it, the drive makes a noise for a moment (reading), and wah-lah....it lists the contents of the drive, and assigns it the proper icon for the game. All works after that. What the dealio? Problem is sorta solved, but...what is the problem?

This occured very soon after I purchased the computer, so I don't think my DLA version coulda been out of date.

:confused:

OK

Firstly, I don't really like combo drives, as they do tend to have more problems than dedicated ones in my experience.

You say that this started happening soon after you bought the computer? does that mean that it happens with other CD or DVD media?

As a first step, update your software and drivers.............just check to see, I have updated drivers that were only a month old!

Clean the CD and the CD drive.

Test the DVD in another computer.

If that doesn't work and the DVD works in another machine you need your drive fixed. I would guess that it is "better" with CDs than DVDs? If so then it sounds like the laser thingy might be slightly out of line or it is spinning with a bit of a wobble.

Please let me know how you get on.
:)

k, the story involves a bit of stupidity on my end. While packing to leave Kuwait to move into Iraq, I dropped my laptop case (I was carrying far too much stuff)....and that pretty much wrecked the original dvd-r/cd-rw drive. No biggie. Got on newegg.com and ordered a new ASUS ext slim-line dvd-rw. It's only this disc that does this: The Battle for Middle-Earth. I've had a friend use the disc and he had no issues on his box. So I know it's my box. The disc does the same thing on the new ext drive as it did on the original combo int drive. It won't read anything on the disc till I right click the disk drive on the my computer window, and select either "Format" or "Eject" with the little disc icon next to them.


:( :confused: :(

I guess my next step would be to get someone to copy/clone the CD for me onto different media, and see what happens then?

If you still have the problem then I am not sure, if you just get some anti copy/piracy stuff pop up on screen then it is their media and your hardware don't get on.

I am assuming that this new drive will autostart other games CDs?

:)

BTW Please update all your drivers and software