[CentOS] DVD reader: Hardware problem or OS glitch?

[Lanny Marcus]

On 01 May 2008, Alan Bartlett ajb.stxsl at googlemail.com wrote:
> Thu May 1 12:45:38 UTC 2008 
<snip>
> > (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: Thank you for all of the ideas you've had in this thread! I strongly suspect that your
idea of replacing the Teac CD/DVD-ROM with something else, is the only way to end this problem. My belief
now is that there is no support to auto mount a DVD in that Teac drive, in CentOS 5. Probably, when it was
my box and it worked OK, it was with a prior release of CentOS or Fedora Core and something has changed
and the auto mount support for that drive (for DVD media) was removed. I rarely use Windoze, but it was very helpful, to be able to test the same
CD/DVD-ROM drive and verify that it works perfectly under Windoze. I was able to mount the DVD in a terminal and install the RPM I wanted to
install OK, so that also makes me believe the drive is OK.   Lanny