Why can i play CD's on my laptop but not DVDs?

Question

When i put a CD into my laptop it responds and opens Media Player and works great.
But when i put a DVD into my laptop it does nothing. I have a DVD player called PowerDVD and I'd put the DVD into the laptop and nothing will happen. So i'd open PowerDVD and nothing would happen. It'll tell me to insert a disk. WTF! Please help. I looked at my D Drive and it says nothing is in it as well. How can it read my CDs but not my DVDs?

Answer 1

Is your optical drive a DVD-ROM drive? Because if it isn't, it can't read DVD's.

Answer 2

Is your disk drive a DVD drive? Although you may have PowerDVD installed, it still needs the correct hardware to play the DVD. Check with your manufacture, or, if your running Windows XP or Vista, open My Computer and see the disk icon just says "CD Drive". If so, you won't be able to play DVD's without an upgrade.

Answer 3

You laptop might only have a cd drive instead of a dvd/cd drive combo Look at the box or computer to see if u have both if not try using a different program


Or be more specific
The computer wont read it?
or the program u are trying to use with it wont read it?

Answer 4

Is the unit (where you insert your cd/dvd into your laptop) a DVD PLAYER (example: cd/dvd rom?) Because if your HARDWARE (the cd/dvd player) is only only a CD-ROM (which means it will only play cd's, not dvd's, then your software(PowerDVD) will not work, and does not recognize a cd-rom.

Answer 5

Power DVD is just an application, the most important thing is to have a DVD player unit or a combo unit DVD player /writer.

Another feature about DVD player it reads VCD cds data and video file but your VCD unit player only reads only VCD file not on DVD's.

Answer 6

My sister's laptop is like that. It says it has certain features, but they don't work. If your laptop is an old model or if it has overheated before, that messes with how the programs run. Hope this helps! Also, it is easier for a CD to be read thasn a DVD.

Answer 7

My first impression is that you do not have a DVD drive only a cd drive.

Look at the drive bay door and see what is says.

Answer 8

Well, there are two possibilities:
1. Your laptop doesn't have a DVD drive. In this case, get one, external. You can check this: Insert a DVD, except a movie, and check if it reads.
2. You don't have the required codecs. Get K-Lite Codec Pack from:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/K-Lite_Codec_Pack_Full_d4844.html
then see if it works in WMP.

Answer 9

Do you actually have a DVD/CD combo drive? Check for the DVD symbol on the drive itself.

Answer 10

question for you - are you able to actual see the CDcontinual in homestead windows Explorer (in different words, are you attempting to browse to the CDcontinual, even though it extremely is giving an blunders once you gain this). If there is not any CDcontinual indexed in homestead windows Explorer (or from My laptop or in spite of the fact that) then this suggests that your laptop is bodily no longer recognising the CDcontinual in any respect. subsequently, in spite of the fact that if it extremely is a removablecontinual (there is many times a brilliant button in this form of element) then get rid of thecontinual from the pc thoroughly and then positioned it back in back. now and back you get tousled whilst it loses connection. Does the actual CD spin up in any respect or is it purely no longer working? additionally once you start up your laptop you are able to flow to something observed as "Boot thoughts" - attempt as nicely from a CD - does not remember what it extremely is, purely any CD will do and notice if it extremely is going to attempt and spin up the CD from there. If it does, then it extremely is there is something incorrect with homestead windows it extremely is inflicting you issues quite than the CDcontinual being broken.

Answer 11

Ah,... it sounds like you have a CD drive in your laptop and not a DVD drive.

A CD drive can't play DVDs.