Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Computer help, before i blow it up

In the past year ive had problems with my computer crashin, im thinking due to aol, and well now, its been a couple months since the last time its happened. When i getting goign again, i reinstall the HP disc that came with it, and the driver cd. well, as of lately, the cd-rom , i think has crapped out. i know it has worked sicne the last reboot. but for some reason now, it wont read discs. Anyone know why? I am trying to install a cable modem via usb, but i cant install the software cd because of my cd-rom problems.

any help, computer guru's?

The CD-ROM drive on my old Emachines (Celeron/366) crapped out after three years usage - the only thing that ever went wrong on that machine. It wasn't spinning right so buffer underruns kept occurring when I was trying to copy CDs. It's possible your actual hardware went bad, rather than a software problem - it could be as simple as dust on the lens, or more serious like what I had (required replacing the drive).

I also had a cheap piece of junk CD-RW drive go on me after a year's use. It spun up only when it wanted to, and you had to hold the tray in to prevent it spitting the discs out as soon as you put them in.

Of course, the most thorough way to eliminate or prove the CD-ROM as the culprit would be to swap it to another computer and see if the problems follow it.


Ray

the last time i did that, i lost my computer for a few months. i bought a new cd-rw drive a couple years ago, installed it, and the computer when to hell. so i have a new cd-rw drive sitting in another computer, but i dont really want to risk pulling this one out of the parents computer, and fuggin something up.

im trying to DL the driver for the modem online, but with the same 56k its slow as poo. i guess ill try to find some way to fix the cd-rom drive soon, or something.

ok well now that ive ben messing with it for a lil while, i have gotten it to read a disc, but any disc i put in there, it reads as a audio disc. and it takes 3-4 minutes to load to that point. but of course, its not an audio cd im trying to get to work, its software, being recognized as a audio cd, this blows.

That's a software issue, man.


Reload the drivers for the ROM


Ray

i cant use the ROM to run the software cd. it read that as a audio cd.

Don't waste your time trying to fix the CD drive. 99% of the time, nothing can be done.

Pull the drive out, put in a new one, and call it a day.

There is nothing to be worried about when changing a CD-ROM drive. Unscrew the old one, remove it, change the jumper setting on the new one to match the old one (eliminates any configuration), install the new one, done!

BTW, using a cable modem via USB interface is complete garbage. I find computers having issues with disconnects, slow response, etc. all the time using USB. Using USB simulates a ethernet card in Windows. So your modem is now performing 2 functions.

Do yourself a huge favor and get a ethernet card if you do not have one already, and connect the modem through ethernet. It is a much more reliable and stable connection. After all, that is what it is made for. Leave USB for keyboards, mice, cameras, scanners, printers, etc.

do i need to install that software for the new one before i don any hardware work? i think thats why fugged, me up last time.