line 12 and 13 of my last post should read "none worked in the
the cdrom drive."

rksanders

I don't know the details about how device nodes are actually created, but during boot the Linux kernel does some device detection, plus there are the "discover" and "hotplug" programs in Debian that also auto-detect hardware. You might want to run "gmesg | grep hdc" to see if your cdrom device is correctly recognized during boottime. Also, you can run "lsmod" to check if a kernel module/driver has been loaded for the cdrom drive.

Hi Dead Parrot & Michaelk,
Just installed a new Sony 52x32x52 CD-R/RW drive.
So $80 and hours later, I'm happy.
Prior to this I switched the drive into a borrowed Windows
machine and it didn't work there either (even after I
changed the jumper).
I did learn alot from your various instructions and I do
appreciate the support.
I'll be backwith more questions as I try to utilize allof the
write features of this new drive which Ididn't have before.
And to get sound working.
My motherboard came with an on-board AC97 sound
system, but I have never been able to get it to work.
My CD player reads all the info on a music (artist, selection
titles, etc.), switches tracks, moves ahead, moves back,
ejects the disk, etc., just can't hear anything.
I'll be back when I have learned enough to as a question.
Thanks againfor all your help.
Rusty

Yes, it's a data cd, with jpg pics on it. For what it's worth: in windows it's recognised as having a joliet format, instead of iso9660. Does that matter in any way?

Cheers, Leon.

The joliet format is fully iso9660 compatible, no problem there.

http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/people/chaffee/joliet.html

I've once had an old cdrom drive that, for some strange reason, could read CD-R disks but not CD-RW disks. So if you've burned the cd with some other computer (that is, some other cdrom drive), it's not yet guaranteed that the same cd will work with the cdrom drive in your Debian computer. But if you've got the same cdrom drive to read some cd's of a similar type, then the problem is not hardware incompatibility.

CD-ROM drives include some precious mechanics and optics. No wonder if a disk does work on some of them and doesn't on the others, either on linux, windows or what ever. If the lenses mirrors just get more and more dirty, it stops reading "low-contrast" CD-s and later cannot read anything at all. If you are brave enough, you may try to clean them. Sometimes it works.

best,

Ott

Ott,

How brave? I twice took my laptop apart (to the last screws, with cold sweat running down my back) to replace the ventilator. Or is the bravery in the risk that the cdrom won't read anything after that?

Cheers, Leon.

Hi,

you need to clean the lenses/mirrors or what exactly is there inside. BTW, I haven't cleaned it myself. If it is not working anyway, then you have obviously no risk. Otherwise, I am not sure. I guess this the most vulnerable part of modern computers which is "open" (in HDDs all the vulnerability is closed).

Old CD-ROMS are not supposed to read CD-RWs anyway, AFAIK. CD-RW has lower contrast than CD-ROM.

Good luck! And let us know!

Ott

Ott,

As this has only occurred once or twice so far, I am not going to run the risk to ruin it all (yet) ;-)
I'll just blame it on the cd!
Thanks for the advice!

Cheers, Leon.

i have the same problem..but it happens only with empty cdroms..all other cd/dvds' are recognised and mounted without any problems...but when i need to burn a cd ..k3b or mount always say "no medium found"

Just a suggestion, probably too old...

Did you wait for, say, 30 seconds, before giving the mount command? I my system, the computer gives 'no media'
till that time passes. Then the mount proceeds.

John