Re: dvd burner can't read cds
On Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:03:25 -0500 (EST), Leonardo Canducci wrote:
>
> Maybe a little off-topic: hardware issue with lenny.
>
> I've just replaced a broken LG dvd burner on my parents pc with an
> ASUS drw-22b2s (IDE interface) and it works fine except it cannot read
> audio cds. This didn't happen with the old one. Anyway serpentine or
> cdcd or else fail or return errors on lenny. I checked on win2k (it's
> a dual boot pc) and programs that use analog audio for cds fail while
> other that use digital audio work.
> I also tried installing the burner on another pc (mythtv box with
> etch) and had the same problems. Can't test it on my desktop 'cause it
> has SATA interface only.
> I went to the shop and asked for another unit (same model because it's
> the only one they sell with IDE interface) and had the same problems.
> So I imagine there must be some issue with this particular model or
> maybe some lethal mixture of motherboard, chipset and burner. Anybody
> had similar experiences? Do you have some hints?
>
> Actually there's a SATA connector on the gigabyte 7vt600 motherboard
> on the pc but I never used it and it was quite experimental at the
> time it was bought (maybe 6 years ago). Should I try with a SATA
> burner?
There are several things you can try. First of all, under Linux,
I recommend the cdtool package if all you want to do is listen to an
audio CD. (I.e. you're not interested in "ripping" audio data clips
or anything like that, you just want to listen to it.) The cdtool
package contains a number of command-line utilities, such as cdplay,
cdpause, cdstop, cdeject, cdinfo, etc. Install that package, place
an audio CD in the CD drive, cancel any programs that start automatically
on the desktop, such as "Sound juicer" in GNOME, then type "cdplay".
If you only have one drive capable of reading audio CDs in your system,
you usually don't have to specify the device. It usually finds it.
If that is not the case, you may have to specify the device in the
command line. See the man page for details.
First thing to check: Is the activity light on the drive flashing on
and off at regular intervals? On my system, it's on for about 0.5
seconds, then off for about 0.5 seconds, just like clockwork.
If you don't see that, then either the device never received the
play command or it doesn't support it.
Next: If you see the light flashing, the next thing to check is whether
or not there is an audio cable running from the audio output of the
CD drive to the CD input on the sound card. No cable, no sound.
It's as simple as that.
Next thing: run "alsamixer". Check to see that the "CD" input is not
muted. You should see OO, not MM, at the bottom of the CD column.
If it is muted, unmute it with the "m" key. Finally, make sure that
the volume in the CD column is turned up. For many audio chipsets,
the CD input, being analog, is not subject to the master volume
control, which is digital.
If the drive has a headphone jack on the front, plug in a set of
headphones and see if you can hear sound there. If so, the audio
cable is suspect. Check for loose connections.
Of course, the obvious stuff too: are there speakers plugged in to
the audio output of the sound card, are they turned on, can you
play wave audio files with aplay, etc.
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