[Pc_Support] CD-DVD Drive Question

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Sat, 2006-07-22 at 11:05 -0500, BBBB wrote:
> This week (I am not a computer professional) I tried to help a 
> friend install Windows XP on his HP ZE4600 laptop. We could 
> never get Windows to install. His hard disk had failed and a new 
> one was installed. We tried several Linux distributions to test the 
> new drive and he went home with Suse 10.1 on his machine but  
> He needs XP for his business. 
> All the windows install discs were CDs. We couldn't get any Linux 
> to install from CDs but DVDs worked. We had Ubuntu Dapper on 
> both types of discs and only the DVD would install. 
>   Is it possible that a CD-DVD drive could work in one mode and 
> only partially in the other? Should he buy a new DVD drive, or 
> does it sound like we are barking up the wrong tree? 
>   I should mention that the CD would start to install and would go 
> through the format process and get to the install screen but would 
> soon start giving errors that some files couldn't be installed. We 
> tried 98SE, 2000, and XP, (HP system restore discs). 

It is quite possible the laser has degraded and is incapable of reading
some types of media.  It happens as a drive ages.  Especially when it
comes to recordable or, worse yet, rewritable media -- but it can fail
to work with even pressed ROMs too.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith          Professional, technical annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org    http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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