need help from our computer experts

[tslvr]

Using a Dell desktop computer(inspiron), about 6-7 years old. I have played cd/dvd's before and they just automatically ran when I put them in. I have a cd with some medical images on it and when I put it in the drive, nothing happens. Anyone able to give me step by step info as to how to get it to run? Thanks for the help.

[ChemDawg291]

Double click "my computer" if its on your desktop, then double click the drive, and you should see the files on the disk. If they stored straight image files autorun isn't going to work. The files themselves might be in a format you need imaging software for, depends on how the office saved them. Usually those image disks you just navigate like an external drive

[betts]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-...ons-in-windows

[Jericho]

Try cleaning your CD drive.

[GroobyKrissy]

First and foremost, make sure it is not the disk itself. Clean it carefully and just swing by any box store and stick it in one of their computers. If it is recognized and plays, you have narrowed the problem to your computer.

Next, verify that your drive is being recognized. Open the Control Panel > Device Manager > Optical Drives > verify yours is there and working correctly.

If it is not there, try a refresh. If it is there, chances are your drive has just stopped working... it happens. Optical DVD / CD drives are inexpensive these days. Just purchase a USB drive and plug it in... it is much easier than replacing the actual internal drive, although that is not complicated either. You will just have to purchase an adapter probably since most are SATA connected these days.

Hope that helps.

[Wendy Summers]

First and foremost, make sure it is not the disk itself. Clean it carefully and just swing by any box store and stick it in one of their computers. If it is recognized and plays, you have narrowed the problem to your computer.

Next, verify that your drive is being recognized. Open the Control Panel > Device Manager > Optical Drives > verify yours is there and working correctly.

If it is not there, try a refresh. If it is there, chances are your drive has just stopped working... it happens. Optical DVD / CD drives are inexpensive these days. Just purchase a USB drive and plug it in... it is much easier than replacing the actual internal drive, although that is not complicated either. You will just have to purchase an adapter probably since most are SATA connected these days.

Hope that helps.

Nerd.

[Ben in LA]

And we love you both...techies!

[GroobyKrissy]

Nerd.

Cunt. Oops... was that a bit much? Sorry... I am in a mood today. Runt.

[tslvr]

Thanks for trying everyone. I guess it just won't work on this Dell Dimension?

[tsmirandameadows]

Thanks for trying everyone. I guess it just won't work on this Dell Dimension?

ChemDawg's response is the correct one: autorun requires a special script file which your disc is unlikely to have. Is the problem that autorun isn't working or is the problem that you simply cannot access the files? If the former that's because the disc is highly unlikely to have the autorun.inf script file on it which tells Windows to do something when it detects the disc. If the latter, it's probably a bad disc. Try inserting a known good disc into the drive, and if it works, then it's almost certainly a problem with the disc. See if the disc works on another computer with a known functioning optical drive, and if it doesn't, then the disc is for sure the problem.

The one caveat to the autorun stuff above is that I'm assuming you're running Windows XP, given the age of your PC. If you are running Vista or Windows 7, which CAN take automatic actions when you insert a disc, regardless of if it has an autorun script, then again the likely scenario is a bad disc, but it's possible that you've completely disabled autorun. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Autorun to check. If you don't see Autorun in control panel make sure you're in icon view (large or small, doesn't matter), which can be selected from the dropdown box in the upper right corner of the Control Panel window.