Hi All,

Let me preface this by saying this is not a Slackware-specific problem. The issue occurs on Slackware 12.0, Zenwalk 5.0, and WinXP. However you guys are definitely the most tech-savvy I've ever met so I thought if anyone could figure this out you could.

The drive in question is this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827152074

It's a re-branded NEC 4550a.

Bottom line: The drive writes dvd-r (dvd-minus-r) just fine, but it won't read them. The dvd-r discs it produces can be read by every other drive I try them in, including my very finicky old standalone. It simply won't read the discs it creates. When I try to load a dvd-r in Linux I get the following message:

Failed to Mount "DVD-R Disc"
Method "Mount" with signature "ssas" on interface
"org.freedesktop.Hal.Device.Volume" doesn't exist

Dig

Looks like you posted else where about the problem

Can't read-play dvd-r discs.
http://support.zenwalk.org/viewtopic...98bcf9b4374c74

The problem occurs on three different OS's using the same DVD drive hardware, so my troubleshooting instict tells me it's a DVD drive hardware problem. Check all your wire connections to the drive and make sure they're secured and connected properly. It sounds like your using the right media to burn with and other devices can read the burned disc, but not the source drive - hardware. If this drive has always done this for you and is still under warranty, ask Newegg.com for a replacement. I've dealt with them and they are good about returns/replacements.

Yep, never made any secret about that.

I don't believe so. The drive works fine under DOS, Win98, WinME but not WinXP or newer Linux kernels. I'm inclined to think it's a HAL problem.

Have taken the drive out and connected as primary, master, slave, and cable-select. No difference.

Thanks for your comments anyway. They are appreciated!

Dig

Must put a disclaimer with this drive then. Maybe Newegg got the idea, the product page says "Deactivated Item".

Oh well, sorry to hear about your problem. I bought this HP DVD drive from Newegg about a year ago and I've used it with new Linux kernels, WinXP, and OpenBSD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827140025

Have you tried putting it in the fstab? Manually mounting it?

Have you checked to see if there is a firmware update on the manufacturers website?

Hi and thanks again for the input.

I spent some more time last night scouring the web for answers and there are literally hundreds of posts about this exact issue. Apparently it's very common with the NEC 4550a but only on certain operating systems which is the confusing part. The drive works fine on pre-NT windows (Win98, etc) and on pre-HAL Linux kernels.

I'll just post what I've learned so far and if you have any ideas let me know.

- Mounting a dvd-r from console does not work, mounting a dvd+r does.
- It reads everything except dvd-r, and will write dvd-r perfectly.
- Have updated firmware to latest, and also rolled back to factory.
- Not a hardware, media quality, or cabling issue.
- Commercial dvd's (movie rentals) play fine.

I have not tried putting it in fstab as symatic suggested because frankly I have no idea what that is. I'll do some reading on that today.

Thanks,

Dig

Looks like the drive is crap, just buy another one.

CD/DVD drives are pretty cheap nowadays ($30 Canadian is an easy price to find -- I'm sure it's priced similarly cheap, if not moreso, in the US), so it may be your best bet. My crappy ~$35 drive has never failed me (never produced a bad disc and I always write at top speed), so buying a really expensive one is probably not the best idea (it probably won't last any longer than a cheap one anyway since they're basically made from the same parts). Unless you want LightScribe, a cheap drive may be a good option -- especially since, if you keep your existing drive as well (if you can fit another in there), you'll only need it for reading and not writing.