DVD drive won't recognise anything!

[Ropey Pilot]

My DVD drive won't play anything I put in it.

If I try and explore the drive I get the message:

Windows cannot read from this disc. The disc might be corrupted or it could be using a format that is not compatible with windows.

If I try and access it through a program (eg Power DVD) it says the drive is empty.

I have tried cleaning it and uninstalling/reinstalling the driver (well let windows re-install it anyway)

What else can I try?

It is a Mat****a (Panasonic) sr-8585 running on Win XP.

~Any help greatly appreciated!

[spannersatcx]

Are these original disks or DVD-R's, if DVD-r's try them in another drive, if they work, then it sounds like your drive needs replacing.

[Ropey Pilot]

The list includes original DVD movies, original Music CDs and original software.

Given the age of the computer (2.5 years should be in a museum by now!) its probably better to get a new machine than replace the drive! Ridiculous but true.

[BOAC]

Any Service Packs/updates put in lately? Any new software? Check Microsoft Tech help and Mat****a web sites and try Googling it. I 'lost' a DVD drive recently for no known reason (WinXP SP2) and only got it 'back' via a system restore.

Good luck!!!

[Spitoon]

Had a similar problem a while back (on an HP drive as I recall, not that it has any relevance) and it turned out to be a failed 'optical block'. A new drive costs peanuts these days so, if you're happy with the computer in other respects, I'd suggest replacing the drive and it will probably resolve your problems. There's every chance that you're floggig a dead horse at the moment!