[NiceCans]

Windows Vista is doing something I find a bit strange.

When I turn off "AutoPlay" for my DVD-R/W drive, it will no longer read software discs, but instead offers to
"format the blank disc"

After resetting autoplay to active and rebooting, it now reads the same disc with no problems exactly as it should.

Turn OFF all the autoplay features and reboot once again and it returns to offerring to format rather than read the disc.

In none of these cases has the disc been a CD-R/W or DVD-R/W, but simply a software CD or DVD disc (whether factory manufactured or burned at home onto CD-R or DVD-R).

Has anyone encountered such a condition or have any possible remedy?
(other than just leaving AutoPlay set to ON)

I have been planning to install Windows XP on this machine, but was waiting for the warranty to expire as they will only offer support with the OEM OS installed.

 

[Jigglybootch]

Ugh. What a surprise. Vista sucks again...

 

[redshifter]

Nicecans,
Vista has multiple autoplay options, make sure you have the right ones checked. There are different settings for each kind of optical media.

Otherwise, perhaps try reinstalling your optical drive drivers.

 

[NiceCans]

thanks Redshifter,

I have all set to "Take No Action", which to me means do nothing, but allow me to do whatever I choose.
Perhaps unlike XP, Vista take this literally?

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiceCans /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks Redshifter, I have all set to "Take No Action", which to me means do nothing, but allow me to do whatever I choose. Perhaps unlike XP, Vista take this literally?

But you are still having the problem of the machine prompting to format your software discs when autoplays are turned off?

Is it Windows prompting to format or some 3rd party burning software like Nero?

 

[NiceCans]

It only makes that prompt when I attempt to Open or Explore the drive so as to access files on a CD or DVD, not by itslef.
I am unable to get into the disc, run the software on it, and there is no right-click otion offering to run the Autoplay as there was in XP.
Also windows is asking, not a 3rd party software.

 

[SilverTrumpet999]

Whoa, at first I thought it was just offering that as an option but it actually claims there is nothing on the disc?! That is serious, and considerably more than just an annoyance.

It does this for both CDs and DVDs? Once I had an optical drive go bad slowly, so it couldn't read DVDs anymore but still had good enough focus to read CDs... I doubt this is your problem, though. It seems like the filesystem on your optical media is going unrecognized, but why this would be tied to the Autoplay subsystem is beyond me.

Perchance does your system have Sonic burning software installed on it? Sonic installs this thing called DLA, or Drive-Letter Access, which interferes with Windows' ability to use the drive. It could conceivably create a situation like this. Nero and Roxio are coded better and don't need a constantly running system service to do their jobs.

The only other thing that can really mess with optical drives I know of is Starforce copy protection software which comes with some games - however, I have no idea how this works in Vista (it was developed for XP, and I have no idea if it has been ported to Vista or if Vista could possibly run the XP variety).

Long post, but maybe something in there rings a bell...

 

[NiceCans]

Actually I've had none of the softwares you mention installed. Also the laptop was brand new when this started, and the drive works well otherwise (burns are good, rips work fine). Just in Explorer that it behaives oddly.