Question How do I get my optical drive to work in Windows 10

[ajclawson]

I transferred my Windows setup to a different PC, and my BR drive started working again. After ripping a few discs, it stopped. Like, I ripped a disc, then immediately put in another and it just quit recognizing media. I put the drive on a SATA to USB adapter and... nothing. I know it's not the drive. The exact same thing happened with the previous PC, even though that drive was an EIDE DVD. I just didn't worry about it back then since I never needed it. I'm guessing it's some weird Windows thing, but I need to use my BR drive.
Any ideas?

 

[dwd999]

Could be heat related; is the drive mounted in a location in your case with adequate ventilation? And adequate ventilation in your room? Big enough power supply?

 

[USAFRet]

I transferred my Windows setup to a different PC

Details on this 'transfer'?

 

[Misgar]

my BR drive started working again

Optical drives die or work intermittently, just like many other components. I have SCSI CD Writers going back to the 1990s, IDE and SATA DVD Writers from the 2000s, plus a bunch of Blu-ray writers. If one drive doesn't work properly, I try another drive in a different machine, then another....

After ripping a few discs

HD or 4K UHD?

Is the drive re-flashed for LibreDrive and MakeMKV?

Do you have the latest firmware in the drive?

I know it's not the drive.

Unless you try a different Blu-ray drive in the same machine and the problematic Blu-ray drive in another computer, you cannot rule out the fact the drive (or SATA data/power cables) might be bad. Then there's the media itself to consider. Finally there's the OS and the software to check. Not easy with limited resources.

The exact same thing happened with the previous PC, even though that drive was an EIDE DVD

Could just be a coincidence. Failing to read discs, be they CD, DVD or Blu-ray, is what happens sometimes.

it just quit recognizing media

Probably a drive problem. Have you tried the media in a different drive? Have you cleaned the laser? It might be dusty.

I have two identical Blu-ray discs and both fail the rip process at exactly the same spot. Guess it's fault in the mastering process. Time to send them both back to Amazon.

 

[Misgar]

Further to my previous post, I recommend checking out these sites, especially the very long series of posts on the MakeMKV forum.

https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15055

It describes typical problems with faulty drives and bad media, plus the down side of using external USB drives to rip discs.

It seems that as the rip proceeds and the drive speeds up, it draws more power from the +5V USB supply, until a point is reached where the drive is starved of current, resets and stops reading.

This advice might only apply to drives connected to a single USB2 port with 500mA limit, as opposed to a USB3 port with 900mA. Play safe and use an internal drive.

See also this list of known Blu-ray discs released with manufacturing errors (a bad batch of resin).

http://bluraydefectueux.com/index-des-blu-ray-defectueux/

If your problem persists, it might be worth posting on the MakeMKV forum where people may have considerably more experience.

I've checked my second copy of the same Blu-ray from Amazon and I get picture breakup at the same point near the end. Conclusion it's a bad batch of discs. The video was filmed in 2013, so goodness knows when the disc was pressed and released. Both discs were shrink wrapped but could be 10 years old?

 

[ajclawson]

Could be heat related; is the drive mounted in a location in your case with adequate ventilation? And adequate ventilation in your room? Big enough power supply?

Way

 

[ajclawson]

Optical drives die or work intermittently, just like many other components. I have SCSI CD Writers going back to the 1990s, IDE and SATA DVD Writers from the 2000s, plus a bunch of Blu-ray writers. If one drive doesn't work properly, I try another drive in a different machine, then another....


HD or 4K UHD?

Is the drive re-flashed for LibreDrive and MakeMKV?

Do you have the latest firmware in the drive?


Unless you try a different Blu-ray drive in the same machine and the problematic Blu-ray drive in another computer, you cannot rule out the fact the drive (or SATA data/power cables) might be bad. Then there's the media itself to consider. Finally there's the OS and the software to check. Not easy with limited resources.


Could just be a coincidence. Failing to read discs, be they CD, DVD or Blu-ray, is what happens sometimes.


Probably a drive problem. Have you tried the media in a different drive? Have you cleaned the laser? It might be dusty.

I have two identical Blu-ray discs and both fail the rip process at exactly the same spot. Guess it's fault in the mastering process. Time to send them both back to Amazon.

No... (before you ask... I'm not a noob. I've been dealing with optical media for well over 20 years.) Also, firmware won't update. This is a newish issue that cropped up within the last year or two. I just haven't had a need to read until I wanted to rip a bunch of old DVDs.

 

[Misgar]

I've been dealing with optical media for well over 20 years.

I think I bought my first HP 8200 SCSI CD Writer back in 1999. How disc capacities have changed.

This is a newish issue that cropped up within the last year or two

Do you have another optical drive you could try? I buy a new drive for each new system build, every four years or so. Multiple drives makes testing easier.