Expert: Roy Bonner - 11/9/2006

Question
I have a Compaq Armada 7800 Laptop Computer (Armada 7800  6300/T/8000/V/M/1)(Serial #7920CB631264). I also have the proper Compaq DVD ROM Drive for this machine and is Compaq Model No. DRD-U424-V3, CPQ PN:388836-390, CT:726CC08D61HOYT, Mfg:09/1999, Mfgr:TIK, FW:1.18, H/W:F. When I install this drive into the laptop it will read and play any music CD that I load into it but it will not read data discs. Please help? Thanks, Bob

Answer
Hi Bob,

I don't really understand this at all, a music CD is just as much a data disk as any other whether it be video, game mp3 or  straight audio, therefore if the drive reads one it must read them all, unles there is a faulty disk.When you say it won't read data disks, do you mean that it doesn't autorun them? Put a disk in the drive and double click the drive icon in My Computer, does it run it now? If so it's just that the drive hasn't been told what to do with data (program) disks. If all that happens is an explorer window showing the contents of the disk, then the disk itself is at fault, in so far as it isn't set to autorun. If nothing at all happens it must be a faulty disk since if the drive is reading music CDs it must also be reading all others. (Assuming they are valid PC Rom disks)

Regards

Roy