DVD ROM packed in

[parisienscot]

Hi there - my DVD ROM drive on my computer no longer seems to want to work. Fortunately I also have a CD-RW drive too which works fine (if a little noisy!).

Problem is whenever I want to play a game that requires the CD in the drive - it seems to check the DVD ROM one by default and doesn't check to see if it's in the other drive. I can install games fine but not play them from this drive.

Is there any way to change this? - I have windows XP.

Please help as the only game I have that doesn't need to check for CD in drive is DAOC and I'm becoming addicted

 

[old.moriath]

its just that it checks the drive letter u installed from as its stored somewhere and looks at that drive letter for the cd.

As the cd is in a different drive and drive letter it cant find it.

you could.

1 hack the registry and change it. If you can find it.
2 change the drives somehow so that the cd is the drive letter the dvd was
3. reinstall the games
4. get a no cd patch from somewhere on line.

 

[parisienscot]

I tried reinstalling the games from the CD RW but it STILL seems to look for the CD in the dvd rom drive when you start playing!

So I have to change the system registry - how do you do that? Sounds a bit scary really

 

[old.moriath]

personally option 4 is best but go start > run > regedit and search for proggie name and look for D:\ or what ever .....

try www.gamecopyworld.com for cd nocd patches btw .... it stresses its only for use for games that you have the original cd for etc etc

 

[parisienscot]

OK I'll look at the regedit thing then - although if you could link to somewhere with any helpful tips that would be appreciated.

Oh and lol at the copycd site - I think I'll be their first ever legit user

 

[old.moriath]

nope don't no a link sorry ... and it can be dangerous messing with the registry if you don't know what you are doing.

And the site well I use it for the games I buy cause its such a pain having to find and swap cd's all the time just to play a game.

Much nicer just to patch that requirement out imo.

 

[freewheelin]

Hardware solution is easiest fix

There are 2 hardware fixes which are quite easy to do bu require you to open up the case:

1) Make the CD-RW the master drive: swap it into the DVD drive position; alter the jump setting on it to be master. Remove DVD drive and throw it away - very easy unscrew it from mountings and unplug the ide and power connector.

2) Buy a new DVD drive, very cheap these days and put it into where the current DVD drive is. Just connect it as the old one is. The old drivers will run it fine.

Much much easier than messing with your registry

Or try first, open up the machine and push the connectors on your DVD drive home and in firmer. If you have moved the machine they may have come loose. It may just have lost its power and data connection.

BTW if the CD RW and the DVD share the same ide cable, and the CDRW works fine then its not the ide cable on ide socket on the motherboard.