t60 won't read cheap cd's or dvd's

[halfcard1]

i got these 50-packs from office depot, and this t60 doesn't see any of them lol. boy was i scratching my head for a long time. finally i put in a different brand and the t60 goes right in there. now i have a bunch of worthless blank cd's and dvd's.

[emtee3511]

Return them to the store for a refund

[Radioguy]

Hmm, what model drive is in there? Device manager should display the OEM, model number, and firmware revision (Device Manager >Details>Hardware IDs).

While the discs may be bad, that specific drive might not read/write all types of media, or may only do so with a firmware update (which might be available).

Also, certain apps like DVD Identifier or DVDInfo can tell you who the actual disc manufacturer is and what type, and then you can Google it for reviews.

[halfcard1]

it says 'hl dt sd dvd-rom gdr8083n ata device'

[Radioguy]

The Hitatchi-LG Data Storage GDR-8083N is a DVD-ROM drive. It will read CDs and DVDs, but can't burn media whatsoever.

Specs:
http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19135

Are there lines below (under Hardware IDs) with some added info after some underscores? If so, the end bit would be the firmware revision.

Anyhow, here's a Lenovo firmware update page:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_CH/downloa ... D=DS003308

and there's a region-free version here:
http://tdb.rpc1.org/ More discussion: http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=40857

Updating the firmware might improve reading some discs, but, in the end, you might just want to buy a better compatible DVD-RW Multiburner.

[TuuS]

If you pop out the drive it will say either DVDrom (can't burn discs), CDrw/DVDrom (burns only CD, not DVD), or DVD multiburner (burns CD and DVD). That's the fastest way to tell.

Also, as mentioned DVD discs come in many different formats, DVD-r, DVD+r (both come in r and r/w, single and dual layers), DVDram is also supported by some of the multiburners. This requires special more expensive discs, but allows for full integration into windows gui for using the disc as a a hdd.

Note: windows does have support for using drag n drop of files into dvd and cd recordable media, but this isn't fully compatible and results in a disc that not all systems can read and is definitely not how these optical discs were designed to be used. They are designed to be WORM (write once, read many), so using them for incremental backups can be problematic. DVDram is much better suited, but requires a drive that supports it and more expensive discs.

If you want to upgrade your drive, I have the cdrw/dvd combo for $9 each and the dvd multiburner for $25 each. Shipping of 1-5 would be $6 domestic, $17 international.

[Radioguy]

If you pop out the drive it will say either DVDrom (can't burn discs), CDrw/DVDrom (burns only CD, not DVD), or DVD multiburner (burns CD and DVD). That's the fastest way to tell.

I wouldn't rely on that alone, unless the device was bought firsthand from a retailer or otherwise reputable source. I have read of Chinese resellers (on eBay, and elsewhere) selling laptop optical drive pulls, both enclosed and bare, that have been tampered with, and that's including labeling.

While firmware can also be tampered with to give false info (we've all heard of counterfeit flash media), I don't think it's as prevalent with optical drives, so I'd rely on what it's reported as over what's stuck on the outside.