Playing (or not) DVDs

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Rex · #1 Post by **Rex** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:32 am

Hi there,

I have a T20 and T22, so have two DVD Ultrabay drives.

Recently bought at a boot fair, a boxed set of a TV show. About 75% of the set plays just fine on either of the Thinkpads, the remaining 25% does not. There appears to be nothing wrong with the disks; no noticeable damage whatsoever.

DVD is set to AutoPlay and starts to spin; the head searches around and then it stops. Changing the Ultrabay and the same thing happens.

But non-playing DVDs do play on my desktop computer.

I have cleaned the lens, cleaned the disk but they refuse to cooperate.

Why? What is it on a DVD that makes it spin or not spin?

Really grateful for some advice.

Many thanks in advance,

Rex

rhubarbcrumble · #2 Post by **rhubarbcrumble** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:19 am

Meh, old drives. I've had some CD's which my thinkpad just flat out refuses to read (does exactly the same as yours does). I just duped them onto a CD-R using a desktop pc which read them perfectly.

Shoved it back into the thinkpad, and its fine.

Give it a go.

#3 Post by **Harryc** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:25 pm

Update the firmware on the drive/s.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 41018.html

Rex · #4 Post by **Rex** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:15 pm

Thanks for the replies.

I have managed to copy them to a DVD-R but they still don't play.

Also, thanks for the links. But, I don't undestand the instructions. The links create a bootable floppy from wcich the update program runs.

The instructions read as follows:

5. Run the EXE file you downloaded to create the bootable diskette and follow the instructions on the screen to create the diskette.
6. When the diskette has been created, place the diskette in the ThinkPad system that has the DVD drive to be updated.
7. Boot the system from the diskette.
8. DVD drives that have been detected will be listed in the upper area of the Main Menu. If a drive that requires an update is detected, it will be shown with a blinking mark on the left. If you find no blinking mark, your DVD drive has latest firmware and there no need to update or the firmware update is not for your DVD drive. Remove the diskette and power off your ThinkPad.

My TP has an Ultrabay It is either a DVD player or floppy but not both. Booting from a floppy will not find a DVD player.

What should I do?

Rex

#5 Post by **Harryc** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:45 pm

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 62296.html

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:58 pm

In order for the T2x systems to become "three-spindle" machines, the easiest solution is to get a port replicator (02K8668) and external floppy (05K5187 housing and 05K88874 600-series floppy). Mount the T2x onto the port replicator and plug in the external floppy into the matching jack on the replicator. Boot the system and press the F12 key and select "Removable Devices" (the floppy).

Rex · #7 Post by **Rex** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:00 pm

That's the one. Many thanks, I'll give it a try.

Rex

Rex · #8 Post by **Rex** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:48 pm

Made a bootable CD from the link and installed the firmware up-date.

Would love to report that everything was working fine, but unfortunately, that is not the case. No difference; DVD spins, the head searches and the DVD stops. Most disks work, a few don't, but they all work in my desktop.

Is it the DVD (dodgy?) itself or the drive?

Rex

#9 Post by **Harryc** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:08 pm

You'd have to assume that the DVD player is having problems reading certain DVD's since another machine reads them fine. It's not the firmware, so the only thing left is the drive.

fefrie · #10 Post by **fefrie** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:51 pm

my thinkpad only reads '-' drives. that could be it too...

Rex · #11 Post by **Rex** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:03 am

Harry,

Hear what you are saying but why would most read and a few don't?

I figure there is something do do with the DVD, but have no way of knowing what. Figure that my desktop reads because it is a more modern drive. I have copied the DVD to a new disk, but the result is exactly the same.

I have found a work-around; copied the DVD to the Thinkpad hd using a USB connection from the desktop and can run directly from the TP hd. Since this works, I guess the information on the DVD is fine.

Rex

Purcy · #12 Post by **Purcy** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:09 am

Just curious, have you since tried to copy that DVD info from your hard drive to a DVD-R and see if that plays??

Also, the TV shows DVD's that you purchased, were they a commercial package, not something someone burned, right?

Rex · #13 Post by **Rex** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:39 pm

Yes, I did try that and the same thing happened. Disk starts to spin, the head starts searching and searching and searching and searching and the disk comes to a halt.

Using PowerDVD, I start it again and get the message that there is no disk in the drive (or something like that.) Try to close PowerDVD and everything is locked. Have to close with Ctrl-Alt-Del. However, that newly burned disk does play on my desktop.

Have not tried that burned DVD since up-dating the firmware. That could be the next stage.

Rex

Playing (or not) DVDs

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