I was given a SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-608, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive to add to my working Redhat 9 system. I installed it below my CD-ROM on the same bus using the slave connector. The SLA had the jumper on the S.

When I booted, I expected the Redhat kudzu to detect the DVD-ROM and ask me some questions, but such a screen never appeared. I saw the PnP detect message flash by on the boot screen, though. After boot, the DVD-ROM light blinked profusely. I put DVD in but nothing happened.

Any suggestions appreciated

The kernel startup said:

hdc: OEM CD-ROM F563E, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive
hdd: SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-608, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive <==== this is it
ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14
ide1 at 0x170-0x177,0x376 on irq 15

The System log said:

Mar 8 20:11:39 walden4 kernel: hdd: attached ide-cdrom driver.
Mar 8 20:11:39 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI 32X DVD-ROM drive, 512kB Cache, DMA
Mar 8 20:11:40 walden4 kernel: cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Mar 8 20:11:40 walden4 kernel: cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Mar 8 20:12:30 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Mar 8 20:12:30 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: error=0x00
Mar 8 20:12:30 walden4 kernel: hdd: DMA disabled
Mar 8 20:12:30 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 8 20:12:55 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Mar 8 20:12:55 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: error=0x00
Mar 8 20:12:55 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 8 20:13:07 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Mar 8 20:13:07 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: error=0x00
Mar 8 20:13:07 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 8 20:13:25 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Mar 8 20:13:25 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: error=0x00
Mar 8 20:13:25 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
:
11 more of these
:
Mar 8 20:16:18 walden4 kernel: cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Mar 8 20:16:32 walden4 last message repeated 2 times

Putting in the DVD added the following to the log:
Mar 8 20:19:35 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:19:35 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:19:42 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:19:42 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:19:49 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:19:49 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:19:55 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:19:55 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:19:55 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 8 20:20:04 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:20:04 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:20:10 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:20:10 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:20:17 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:20:17 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:20:23 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:20:23 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:20:23 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 8 20:20:32 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 8 20:20:32 walden4 kernel: hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
Mar 8 20:20:32 walden4 kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev 16:40 (hdd), sector 0

I've seen several DVDs which can be read by a standard DVD player but not by the DVD-ROM reader in my PC. Read errors are detected by the drive and if they can't be corrected the drive will keep retrying, which sounds like your description.

Put in a ordinary data CD and try to mount the drive. If everything is OK, I would suspect your DVD disk.

Is this an old drive? In my experience CD drives are one of the least reliable common hardware items.

Ok, progress but I'm not quite there yet.

Silly me, I checked the master/slave jumper and I had misinterpreted the the slave slot.

I insert a CD-ROM and the Redhat 9 automounter did its work and popped up a nautilus file manager. Yes! However I note the following errors in the system log, every time I insert a CD-ROM:

Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: hdd: packet command error: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: hdd: packet command error: error=0x50
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: ATAPI device hdd:
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: Error: Illegal request -- (Sense key=0x05)
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: Cannot read medium - incompatible format -- (asc=0x30, ascq=0x02)
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: The failed "Send DVD Structure" packet command was:
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: "ad 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 08 00 00 "
Mar 13 12:00:51 walden4 kernel: udf: registering filesystem
Mar 13 12:00:55 walden4 kernel: UDF-fs: No VRS found

Now I try inserting the DVD-ROM (this is not a movie, but a data DVD-ROM). Nothing happens. The System log says:

Mar 13 12:44:45 walden4 kernel: cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!

So I try a movie DVD, run mplayer on it. It kaes forever to read it, then it almost starts, but fails with:

Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.
Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.
Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.
Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.
Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.
Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.
Encrypted VOB file! Read DOCS/en/cd-dvd.html.

FATAL: Could not initialize video filters (-vop) or video output (-vo).

So I re-insert the DVD-ROM and then try a mount as root:

mount /dev/cdrom1

The dmesg is flooded with messages:

hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
end_request: I/O error, dev 16:40 (hdd), sector 52888
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hdd: cdrom_decode_status: error=0x30LastFailedSense 0x03
hdd: ATAPI reset complete

However, after 5 minutes the nautilis file manage pops up with the directory listing. I try to open a file in it and it takes a long time and many more error messages. Eventually, the messages stop and now I can normally access the files.

Is there something wron with this drive or what. All these CDs and DVDs work fine on my XP box.

I think I am suspecting a bad DVD-ROM drive. Trying things over and over, I managed to get mplayer to play a DVD. However it no gets about a few minutes into the DVD and hangs. I cannot kill mplayer and have to reboot to recover and get my DVD out of the drive. The System Log says hdd is losing interrupts when it gets in that state.

What do you all think

Mar 13 16:07:05 walden4 kernel: hdd: timeout waiting for DMA
Mar 13 16:07:05 walden4 kernel: hdd: timeout waiting for DMA
Mar 13 16:07:05 walden4 kernel: hdd: (__ide_dma_test_irq) called while not waiting
Mar 13 16:07:10 walden4 kernel: hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Mar 13 16:07:10 walden4 kernel: hdd: status timeout: error=0x00
Mar 13 16:07:10 walden4 kernel: hdd: drive not ready for command
Mar 13 16:07:10 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 13 16:08:00 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Mar 13 16:08:00 walden4 kernel: hdd: irq timeout: error=0x00
Mar 13 16:08:00 walden4 kernel: hdd: ATAPI reset complete
Mar 13 16:08:52 walden4 kernel: hdd: lost interrupt
Mar 13 16:09:32 walden4 last message repeated 4 times
Mar 13 16:10:42 walden4 last message repeated 7 times
Mar 13 16:11:52 walden4 last message repeated 7 times
Mar 13 16:13:02 walden4 last message repeated 7 times