Corrupt Disc (?) Related to My Operating System at All?

I have a DVD set, which I purchased, that has two DVDs each with A and B sides.

I've always been able to play the DVDs both on my computer and with a DVD player.

Recently Disc 1 Side A is not recognized by my computer. I have Windows 7. I'm getting no AutoPlay window, and when I click on "Computer" and "DVD RW Drive," I get no option to Play. Yet it plays fine as usual on my DVD player connected to my TV.

I'm wondering whether I can use my tech support for this problem. Is this entirely caused by damage to the DVD which apparently matters with the computer but not the DVD player, or could my operating system have anything to do with it?

could just be dirt on the laser of your DVD drive.weird this thread came up actually,last night I was reinstalling Windows 7 for a friend from a usb drive.when installed the WiFi and ethernet needed a driver which was on a DVD,drive wouldn't read it which was a nightmare as I needed internet to get it with no working disc.gave the laser a wipe after it just spun the disc endlessly.this was on a laptop so I could open the drawer and easily clean the laser.if it's a desktop get a cheap disc cleaner CD.I think it's your drive not your operating system.

reply to post by glen200376


But all other DVDs play fine on my computer. It's only this Disc 1 Side A that I'm having a problem with.

how old is the DVD disc ?

There not guaranteed after 5 or 7 years.
The polymer and laminar bond starts to break down after 5 years.

Also how has the DVD been stored ?
Did it get hot at all ?

Jokingly, have you spun the DVD too fast and the data bits have flown off due to G forces ?

Try using DVD copying software to copy / clone the disk, over time disks degrade. By using copying software you might be able to make an exact copy without the errors.

Originally posted by diddy1234
how old is the DVD disc ?

There not guaranteed after 5 or 7 years.
The polymer and laminar bond starts to break down after 5 years.

Also how has the DVD been stored ?
Did it get hot at all ?

It's 4 years old. It hasn't gotten hot. There's nothing unusual about the way it's been stored.

Do DVDs normally play longer on a DVD player than with a computer?

Originally posted by diddy1234
Jokingly, have you spun the DVD too fast and the data bits have flown off due to G forces ?

Thanks! I needed that!

reply to post by PhoenixOD


I have to purchase this software, right? It might be cheaper just to replace the DVD set.

reply to post by Mary Rose


There's plenty of free DVD copying software out there. I use ImgBurn but everyone has their own favorite. I don't know of any to recommend offhand.

Maybe someone of the other experts here can recommend something.

reply to post by PhoenixOD


Do you have to have a second, external DVD RW Drive to copy to?

reply to post by Mary Rose


No , usually what happens is the program scans the disc and creates a single image file containing all the data on the disk. This file will probably have a .ISO extension. ie Whatever.iso. Thats what we call an ISO image file. Its a compacted format containing all your original files from the disc.

When you have the ISO image file you can then use a DVD writing program to write that ISO file to a blank DVD and it will create a perfect copy of your original disc.

In a lot of the cases the same program you use to create the ISO image file will also be able to write it to a blank DVD for you

reply to post by PhoenixOD


Cool! I'll check that out. Thanks.