DVD Tech Help Please

[Roger]

Windows XP pro.

I have just fitted a DVD Combo drive (for GTL & RBR :D ) - and it does not work. I have googled for firmware and found something that flashed the drive. Still nothing working.

Windows sees the drive there and knows what it is called.

One small confession there is an Audio cable which I have not connected because I don't know where this plugs into the MB - would that be it?

PS it's an Aopen COM5232/AAH SL

Thanks

[Zieman]

You'll need to be a lot more specific with your system specs, when you ask technical questions ;)

Windows sees the drive, but can't read data from it?

I don't know about XP, but in earlier win-versions you have to enable new storage media in BIOS before it works.

See http://www.pcguide.com/vb/ for professional help for free (need to register to post questions though, if I remember correctly, but its free too) :wave:

[Lord_Verminaard]

Firstly, like Zieman said, check the Bios to see if it's there. Next, once in windows, go to My Computer, right click on the drive, and hit Eject. The drive should pop open. If that works, then we know that the computer can talk to it. Try something easy first, like an Audio CD. Does it read it? If not, the drive is probably bad. Not a suprise, at my work, we build and sell computers and see a lot of DVD/combo drives not work right out of the box.

Dont worry about the audio cable, that was only for 98/ME or earlier where it needed an analog cable for audio from CD to soundcard. XP does it all with software now. :)

Good luck!

Brendan

[Roger]

Great - that's enough info. Yes, it ejects. I tried a music CD and it works ( :o - why didn't I think of that) - It sees other DVD's but won't play them.

The DVD with the software that came with the drive does not work, so I don't have a DVD decoder and that was the disc I was trying out!

Dope as ever :P

For now I have downloaded a decoder trial. Will a decoder come with a game DVD - or will I have to sort out a decoder elsewhere?

Thanks again :wave:

[Jim]

My DVD drive wouldn't read the RBR DVD. I couldn't work out why this was, but I soon found out the DVD region of my drive wasn't set. Once I set it to UK, it worked perfectly! :cool:

You might want to check this, can't find it now, but I think if you have a DVD in the drive, in My Computer if you right click the drive and click properties it could be there somewhere.

[Jim]

Just read your last post again, you only need software to play DVD video, i.e. films and such like. If the DVD is a DVD data disc you won't need any decoder, its just read like any other disc.

I don't use any software to play DVD video discs, Windows Media Player does the job just fine... ;)

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Jim.

[Jim]

One small confession there is an Audio cable which I have not connected because I don't know where this plugs into the MB - would that be it?

Sorry to post again, just thought I'd offer advice on the quoted. The audio cable is used if you have a sound card. I remember my old PC had the CD-ROM drive connected to the sound card, if it wasn't connected, audio from the CD wouldn't play. I suspect its the same for a DVD-ROM drive. If your sound is 'on-board', i.e. a chip on the motherboard, I don't think you need it, as this is the case with my current PC.

[Roger]

Thanks for all of the above - when I get the games I will find out if it's Ok. But I can view DvD's and listen to CD's fine.

I have a sound card, but there was onboard sound anyway, so I will see if there is a connection in the card for it.

Ta........... :up:

[Lord_Verminaard]

I don't use any software to play DVD video discs, Windows Media Player does the job just fine... ;)
Jim.

Actually, windows media player can only play the DVD's, it cant actually encode, so you do in fact need some other kind of software even if you dont use it to actually play the dvd's, like WINDVD.


The audio cable is used if you have a sound card. I remember my old PC had the CD-ROM drive connected to the sound card, if it wasn't connected, audio from the CD wouldn't play. I suspect its the same for a DVD-ROM drive. If your sound is 'on-board', i.e. a chip on the motherboard, I don't think you need it, as this is the case with my current PC.


And again, was only used as an analog sound connection from CD/DVD to sound device- back in the 3.1/95/98/ME days, you needed this to hear any CD audio playback, but now it's done through windows automatically so you dont need the cable. On the plus side, it wont hurt anything if you install it. :)

I'm gonna guess the Regional thing too, like Jim said windows sees DVD data discs just like one big CD really. Press the windows key + Pause/Break (above the pageUp button) to bring up system properties. Click on hardware tab, then on device manager. Find CD/DVD drives, click on the little + box, then right click on your DVD and select properties. 3rd tab over should be Regional settings. There you go! Careful changing regions around, as you can only change it a certian amount of times. Dont ask me why. :P


Hope this works out, you will LOVE RBR. ;) Dont forget the official patch, and be sure to download one of the sound packs though first thing, as while the standard engine sound is pretty good, it sucks that all cars sound the same. :P

Brendan

[Jim]

I don't use any software to play DVD video discs, Windows Media Player does the job just fine... ;)
Jim.

Actually, windows media player can only play the DVD's, it cant actually encode, so you do in fact need some other kind of software even if you dont use it to actually play the dvd's, like WINDVD.

I've never installed any other software for playing back DVDs, nor needed to download any codecs? :confused:

I'm pretty sure the newest Windows Media Player plays DVDs as a stand alone package?

The audio cable is used if you have a sound card. I remember my old PC had the CD-ROM drive connected to the sound card, if it wasn't connected, audio from the CD wouldn't play. I suspect its the same for a DVD-ROM drive. If your sound is 'on-board', i.e. a chip on the motherboard, I don't think you need it, as this is the case with my current PC.

And again, was only used as an analog sound connection from CD/DVD to sound device- back in the 3.1/95/98/ME days, you needed this to hear any CD audio playback, but now it's done through windows automatically so you dont need the cable. On the plus side, it wont hurt anything if you install it. :)

I'm gonna guess the Regional thing too, like Jim said windows sees DVD data discs just like one big CD really. Press the windows key + Pause/Break (above the pageUp button) to bring up system properties. Click on hardware tab, then on device manager. Find CD/DVD drives, click on the little + box, then right click on your DVD and select properties. 3rd tab over should be Regional settings. There you go! Careful changing regions around, as you can only change it a certian amount of times. Dont ask me why. :P

That would figure then as my old PC was Windows 98 SE. I just assumed as my new PC had on board sound and no audio cable that it was done through the motherboard, so thanks for clearing that up.

I couldn't remember how I found the place to select the DVD region, so thanks for that also!

Hope this works out, you will LOVE RBR. ;) Dont forget the official patch, and be sure to download one of the sound packs though first thing, as while the standard engine sound is pretty good, it sucks that all cars sound the same. :P

Brendan

RBR is fantastic, almost makes RT seems slightly arcadey! ;) I have the sound mod by HDI and it is great, it all sounds much more realistic, I especially like the waste gate sound! :twisted:

Once you get used to the physics you realise how realistic the game is and what a challenge it is to be quick. The add on cars are nothing less than amazing, so all thats left is for them to crack how to export tracks into the game...

Just wish I had got this game when it came out I've missed out on over a year already! :(

Cheers,

[Lord_Verminaard]

LOL another thing I wish while playing RBR is that I had a better computer, it's the only game I have where I have to run it lowest quality and it still chokes sometimes.... :P It sucks though because there is so many new techlology trends coming out right now, it's hard to build a decent new computer for less than $800. It's not really worth upgrading my AMD Athlon with AGP when everything is going 64 bit and pci-express!

Brendan

[Hakker]

a bit OT

Roger, if you start on RBR, especially if you have a steering wheel, you need this: http://www.bhmotorsports.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=32307

It changed the whole game for me :wave:

[Roger]

Thanks for all the tips :wave:

Just got GTL in the post today - can't wait to get home........... :smash: