Alan: Today, I removed the Teac DV-516D DVD/CD reader, manufactured
October 2004, in Japan, from my daughters box. I temporarily hooked it
up in my box. The exact same problem! I could not see the contents of a
DVD-R, but, I was able to see the contents of my Knoppix Live CD,
without any problem. So, I did not bother with the PITA of removing the
DVD/CD reader from my box, and trying that one in my daughters box.

I booted my daughters box with my Knoppix Live CD V. 5.1.1 and it also
showed the FC6 Install DVD to be blank.

I suspect:

(a) The Teac DV-516D DVD/CD reader is not supported in this kernel or
somewhere else in CentOS 5. or

(b) The DVD/CD reader is somewhat faulty.

(c) However, Windows XP shows it to be "OK" and I can see the contents
of the FC6 install DVD OK, in Windoze. Also, I can boot from the CentOS5
and FC6 Install DVD's, without any problem. And, I was able to mount the
FC6 Install DVD, in a terminal and install the RPM I wanted to install,
without any problems. Thank you, very much, for your time and ideas!

Lanny - Thanks for the update. I would recommend, therefore, that you replace the CD/DVD-ROM with a modern DVD writer that can cope with CD-RW/DVD-RW/DVD+RW, etc, formats. When I refurbished this workstation, a Dell OptiPlex GX1 (manufactured last quarter 1999 :-D ), I replaced its original CD-ROM drive with a multi-format AOpen DVD/CD rewritable optical drive, model no. DUW1616L and have had absolutely no problem with it at all. I seem to recall it cost me UK£41-00. However once you've done the conversion at the current exchange rate, I don't know if you will think that is good value - or not.

As for all mentions of Windoze, I would trust/believe that about as far as I could spit into a high wind!

Alan.