Uninstalled EMC 7; now cannot read DVDs

[greyeggsandham]

After reading several other threads on this forum, I've been unable to find a solution to this problem, so I figured I'd ask for help directly. Thanks in advance for reading.

 

I've had EMC 7 installed on my Win XP machine for about 2 years now, and during that time I've had no problem reading audio CDs, CD-roms, DVDs or DVD-roms. The other day, however, I decided to uninstall Roxio EMC because it interferes with a game I wanted to install (Oblivion). But after I uninstalled EMC, my CD/DVD drive (a Plextor PX-716A) started to malfunction. It now will not read DVDs or DVD-roms. It still can read audio and CD-roms just fine, though. If I insert a DVD, go into My Computer, and double click the drive, it appears nothing is there. Ironically, I discovered this when trying to unsuccessfully reinstall EMC (it came on a DVD software bundle which was included with my optical drive, so obviously I was never able to reinstall, har).

 

I've tried 2--well, one, actually--methods to fix this: uninstalling and reinstalling the CD/DVD drive and editing the registry as outlined in this Microsoft KB article even though my problem is slightly different (never received errors, for one). I was actually unable to try the registry edit, because neither UpperFilters nor LowerFilters entries were present in the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} subkey. Huh. Anyway, the first method didn't work. Also tried upgrading my drive's firmware, and that didn't work either.

 

If anyone has any ideas, I would be very, very, very grateful to hear them. I'd like some input on this particular situation before I go trying all kinds of solutions offered to different problems. ;p Thank you!

[greyeggsandham]

Of course system restore did nothing to resolve the issue. And since I never actually installed the game in question, I would say that isn't the problem either.

 

So I followed cdanteek's advice to try to self-diagnostic. Running it first with a CD-R, it was successful. But when I tried with a DVD+R (ok, two to be sure), ye olde drive tells me I haven't inserted a blank DVD+-R disc. This scenario is, according to the manual, different from a write, read, or initialization error. (Lack of a blank disc is indicated by 3 amber LED flashes; read/write errors by 1 green flash; and initialization errors by 2 green flashes) Yet clearly something is up with the drive. Seems like a strange coincidence having a hardware issue simultaneous to my uninstallation...

Still hoping to try the drive in a different machine (will have to wait for the owner of said machine to make himself absent, ehem).

 

Would you guys say this means I definitely have a hardware issue, then? Just seems odd the way it's manifesting itself.

[Guest ml]

Would you guys say this means I definitely have a hardware issue, then? Just seems odd the way it's manifesting itself.

 

I wouldn't guarantee it's a hardware issue.

 

I had a DVD drive that would only burn part of a DVD after I installed another DVD burning program. Since I use the drive all the time, it wouldn't have surprised me if it had burned out, but the timing was strange.

 

I did ALL the solutions recommended in the knowledgebase articles and on these boards.

 

Finally stumbled on this post http://forums.support.roxio.com/index.php?showtopic=20482

and that fixed my problem. I could burn DVDs again.

 

Have you tried any free ( or trialware ) DVD burning programs from a place like www.videohelp.com to see if it will burn?

[greyeggsandham]

Ah, finally got a chance to try the drive in another machine and--guess what?--it failed to read the DVDs I fed it. Bah humbug. I guess it was just coincidence that I had just uninstalled EMC. All the similar problems plus the fact that I haven't used the DVD portion of the drive very much at all misled me. Woe to she of few funds whose drive fails while no longer under warranty.

Thanks for everyone's input. Looks like this thread can be locked now or whatever.

[cdanteek]

greyeggsandham,

the Plextor test has never lied to me! I'm sorry about the drive but it happens. If you would like some advice on a new drive, by all means ask. The folks here have a wide variety of drives to give opinions on.

 

cd

[james_hardin]

Something most odd…

 

If you don't have Upper/Lower Filter keys in that location, you won't have any drive recognition. It is not uncommon for one of those filters to be missing but not both. After deleting the drive from Device Manager and Rebooting the filters will be reconstructed.

 

I suggest you try this again but use the guided help from MS to do it: Here

[Guest ml]

And you can also try this: http://kb.roxio.com/content/kb/Creator/000040CR

[greyeggsandham]

If you don't have Upper/Lower Filter keys in that location, you won't have any drive recognition. It is not uncommon for one of those filters to be missing but not both. After deleting the drive from Device Manager and Rebooting the filters will be reconstructed.

 

I suggest you try this again but use the guided help from MS to do it: Here

 

Not surprisingly, trying this a third time has not yielded any different results. Again I uninstalled the drive; again, I rebooted and Windows rerecognized the drive; and again, I have no Upper or LowerFilters in the expected location. :/

 

ml: Thanks for the advice, but I already tried those to no avail.

 

This is probably a looooong shot, but in the looking in the registry for {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}, in the right pane, should the CLASS be CDROM even if the drive is a DVDRW technically? Really, I'm probably just completely off here, but it's worth asking.

[james_hardin]

On this PC, with a CD-RW drive and DVD-ROM, it looks like this:

[cdanteek]

This is probably a looooong shot, but in the looking in the registry for {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}, in the right pane, should the CLASS be CDROM even if the drive is a DVDRW technically? Really, I'm probably just completely off here, but it's worth asking.

 

On this machine the two drives are a DVD Burner, Plextor 716A and BenQ 1650.

 

Notice I only have one LowerFilters PxHelp20, and no UpperFilters.

 

 

cd

[james_hardin]

"My God man, what does it mean?"

 

cdanteek: I don't pretend to know what voodoo takes place in the Registry but your pic sent me to my other PC with 2, DVD burners on board. It has both Upper and Lower filters present and it is my understanding that if you delete them as well as the drives, they will be rebuilt on reboot.

 

I know you can burn, apparently even without the upper filter present. But do you have anything you can offer the OP or are you just sniping?

[greyeggsandham]

Hmm, my registry entry looks exactly the same as yours, James and cdanteek, except for the not-having-Upper/LowerFilters part.

I've been holding off on using system restore, but I suppose I'll try that next.

Thanks for your advice so far. I only regret it hasn't fixed anything.

[james_hardin]

I suspect that there is more here than just a simple uninstall of EMC7 that you have left out???

 

OR the game you installed is blocking the XP functions? I suspect the game refused to install because it detected burning software on your PC. Thus you removed it to install the game. I am guessing that this self-righteous game installer then blocks the Registry from performing its normal tasks concerning a burner.

 

Unless there is a hardware problem that picked this time to expose itself, I would be contacting the game maker.

[cdanteek]

or are you just sniping?

 

No, I thought contributing. Others here seem to think I'm after, or hunting (sniping) them also. Where does that attitude come from?

 

I would call myself a above average pc user, with extra skills in software and hardware but that's my opinion. Others might not agree.

 

This PC has EMC 9 and Nero 7 and four or five other burn apps including Xp's burn engine.

Without a step by step comparison, who knows!

 

I don't experience the normal problems reported here. James, you and I have discussed this in the past with different versions.

 

I custom build my PC's. Any junk or problems with them, I know who did it!

 

I would suggest the OP get his Plextor Manual out and do the self diagnostic on the drive. If no manual go to Plextors website and download it. It writes to the drive and reads from the drive. If I remember there is a CD and DVD test. Now it's involved you have to unhook the IDE cable to preform the test. It will verify that the hardware is working correct. The test is done from the Flash Rom in the drive and has nothing to do with the PC except power. I own four Plextor drives and have did the test above on my 716A. If the drive checks out ok we will have to look elsewhere, it's where I would start. Don't worry about the filters for now.

 

cd

[james_hardin]

I will take my helmet off then… I agree with you, that you are an above average user with a skill set that leaves me envious! Glad it was only my misunderstanding.

 

Those sound like some good suggestions too.