Disc drive wont read my game disc.

[Ashcraft]

Ok.. Well, I bought Final Fantasy IX (11) for my PC. The game disc reads only on PC-DVD-ROM Software. I don't know if I have the right kind, this is what disc drive I have

HL-DT-ST RW/DVD GCC-4320B

Is that the correct one?

 

[Tmagic650]

Looks like the right kind... It might be worn out

 

[Ashcraft]

What do you mean worn out? I can play other CD's on it, like Battlefield. Maybe I have to update the driver? If so, do you have any links where I can download the latest drivers for free?

 

[raybay]

That is a pretty old version of a DVD player... looks like the cheaper DVD drive installed on a Dell. DVD players only last for about a year, and that one is much older than that.
They don't need drivers. If it needs anything, which I doubt, it needs a firmware update available at the computer manufacturer's web site.

 

[Ashcraft]

Well, I bought this computer back in 2001. When I was searching for firmware, I came across some, but in the readme, it said it could cause permanent damage to my computer and all that.. I don't know the manufacturer, for my PC was built custom. The only thing I know is it's "LG"

 

[Ashcraft]

Any help concerning that? ^^

 

[Cinders]

There are no updated IDE drivers. When you write new firmware to dvd-roms cd-roms dvd burners cd burners sometimes the update fails and the drive is ruined, most of the time that doesn't happen and everything is fine. Before you update the firmware you need to look at your IDE driver. To do that you click the start button, right-click my computer and choose properties in the context menu. Click the hardware tab and click the device manager button. Double click IDE/ATA ATAPI controllers. Double click Primary IDE Channel click the advanced setting tab and make sure the drive is operating is Ultra DMA mode. Also make sure the Secondary IDE channel is also operating in Ultra DMA mode. A rom drive not operating in DMA mode may be the cause of your problem.

Now check that the driver is provided by Microsoft. Microsoft drivers usually work best with rom type drives. If the driver isn't provided by Microsoft then roll the driver back until it's provided by Microsoft. The update firmware software usually expects the drive to operate at Ultra DMA access or at the drives fastest speed.

Turn off your machine and disconnect the rom type drive you don't want to update. Sometimes firmware update software can be confused by other drives on the same IDE channel so for safeties sake you disconnect the other drive.

If you really want to be safe you make a backup of the drives current firmware before you update to the new firmware. You will have to find software that will do that for you.

Update to the new firmware and reboot.

 

[Route44]

Nice info there, Cinders.

Ashcraft, sometimes Drives just wear out as Tmagic 650 and raybay note. For your drive to last as long as it has is beyond the average life. I ran into what you are now experiencing 2 years ago with my CD-ROM drive. I couldn't figure out why a certain game wouldn't load and play. It came down to the fact that after 5 years my drive gave up the ghost.

 

[Tmagic650]

I have seen CD or CD/DVD drives with this reading/writing only certain discs quite often. I have a 6 year old HP 4X writer that still reads ok, but no longer writes. I have a Lite-On CD/DVD R/W that completely failed at less than 6 months. My NEC CD/DVD R/W is almost 2 years old and after some 400 CD and DVD disc writes, is still going strong.

With Ashcraft's drive being 6 years old, there is no doubt in my mind that the drive needs to be replaced and no firmware update will solve the problem he's having

 

[raybay]

I agree.
However, old drives have a long and good history, if built before March of 2001...
Firmware does not help any optical drive of many manufacturer, except in ways related to speed or connections. Burnout of lasers, and broken, irreplaceable, drive belts are usually the cause of failure. The read and the Write are different components in all drives, with the read element being fairly permanent.

 

[Tmagic650]

You're right raybay,
I have a couple Samsung CD players that still work and they are of that pre March 2001 vintage. Those early writers were $$$

 

[Cinders]

The reason I mentioned a firmware update was because Ashcroft seemed to want to go in that direction, and because I think the disks copy protection may be part of the reason the drive can't read the disk. Updated firmware may help the old drive read the very new disk, and if it doesn't then at least we tried and he has an updated drive to boot. Very new DVD burners are now very cheap and will be able to read the disk if playing the game is that important. Borrowing a friends newer DVD player would be cheaper and would also get the job done.