How do I read a cd/dvd data disk? Can't play music cd.

hearthstone · 01-05-2013, 06:01 PM

I have a data dvd (all of Mother Earth articles, etc. from the last 40 or so many years), but how do I open it to read it? It doesn't show at all anywhere.
Also--I can't play any music cds. Also--not registered anywhere, doesn't show at all!
I run Debian Stable.
Used to be that this was never any problem, I started having this problem only a few years back--why should this issue become such a big science?
Thanks, Hearthstone.

frankbell · 01-05-2013, 09:06 PM

Have you tested these disks in another computer/optical drive?

Optical disks do go bad; once they are five years old or so, their continued survival becomes rather iffy.

Since this is affecting so many disks, though, I would tend to suspect the optical drive.

hearthstone · 01-07-2013, 01:11 AM

I don't have a way of testing the disks, but I have noticed, over some years now, that reading data disks have been more and more difficult, on Debian at least. And why plain playing music cds should be a problem?
I am getting a new desktop soon, I hope, and will start from there ...
Thanks, Hearthstone.