Linux unable to find Cd drive or DVD

Hi Guys,
This Linux business is all new to me - I am in my seventies and am not computer illiterate having used Windows for the past 18 or so years. I run a couple of Windows computers in a network each running different versions of Windows.Just recently I decided to give Linux a go, so purchased Suse V 11 which I loaded on to my elderly Socket 462 computer. I do not usually use the Internet very much but mainly use the computer for playing Cd’s and a bit of e-mailing. This Socket 462 machine is dual booting with XP as the default for now.
Having loaded the software I find that although I can e-mail and browse the internet neither of my CD/DVD drives is recognised - it would appear that I have some files missing. can anyone give some assistance with this problem, as I really like what I have seen so far with Linux as compared with the Windows product.

Hopefully,

Allen.

On 2013-07-04 15:56, allenaitch wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
> This Linux business is all new to me - I am in my seventies and am not
> computer illiterate having used Windows for the past 18 or so years. I
> run a couple of Windows computers in a network each running different
> versions of Windows.Just recently I decided to give Linux a go, so
> purchased Suse V 11 which I loaded on to my elderly Socket 462 computer.

Purchased? :open_mouth:

None of us have purchased openSUSE, we download it (free and gratis), so
the first question would be what is it you really have, because version
11 does not exist.

Please run in a terminal:


cat /etc/SuSE-release

Please paste it complete, from initial prompt to final prompt, using
code tags. Advanced forum editor, ‘#’ button.
Posting in
Code Tags - A Guide
- like this:


cer@Telcontar:~>
cer@Telcontar:~> cat /etc/SuSE-release
openSUSE 12.3 (x86_64)
VERSION = 12.3
CODENAME = Dartmouth
cer@Telcontar:~>

We need to know that before we can guide you properly.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

I think he means SLES 11 or SLED 11…

On 2013-07-04, allenaitch <allenaitch@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
> Just recently I decided to give Linux a go, so
> purchased Suse V 11 which I loaded on to my elderly Socket 462 computer.

Good for you and pleased to hear it Allen! If you really did purchase SUSE 11 (rather than openSUSE), then it comes with
a professional support service which I strongly you recommend you take advantage of. This particular forum is for
openSUSE users who downloaded openSUSE (now on version 12.3) for free rather than for those who purchased SUSE 11. The
forum dedicated for those with SUSE privileges is located at https://forums.suse.com . And you can tell them we sent you
:).

On 2013-07-04 16:46, wolfi323 wrote:
> robin_listas;2569408 Wrote:

>> Purchased? :open_mouth:
>>
>> None of us have purchased openSUSE, we download it (free and gratis),
>> so the first question would be what is it you really have, because version
>> 11 does not exist.
>>
> I think he means SLES 11 or SLED 11…

Me too, but it might also be open-slx Balsam.

In any case, the appropriate help forum is another. Both have, I
believe, phone support and other things.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

The OpenSuse came from a disk purchased with ‘Linux for Dummies’ and is as stated Version 11. I previously borrowed a version 12.3 from a colleague but for some reason or other this would not run on my Asrock Socket ‘A’, which is why I used the ‘Dummies’ Version.
Having checked the size of the ‘Dummies’ software, it is only about 660 Megs, rather than the 3 Gigs of the V 12.3
I cannot or will not download the ‘OpenSuse’ as this exceeds my ISP limit.
In addition this machine is intended as a ‘stand-alone’, machine that is very little or no Internet connection.
Hopefully this explains why I need a complete O/S, something that I can use ‘Out of the Box’ without a lot of updates or Downloads.

Regards,

Allen.

On 2013-07-05, allenaitch <allenaitch@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:
> Having checked the size of the ‘Dummies’ software, it is only about 660
> Megs, rather than the 3 Gigs of the V 12.3

I strongly suspect this is a `live’ version rather than the DVD version (which is usually around 5 GB). I also strongly
suspect now you are referring to SUSE Linux 11.x (and not openSUSE), which was end-of-life a long time ago. If you can
confirm which version (and whether you use KDE or GNOME), this may help troubleshooting your problem. However, be warned
that many here are reluctant to provide community advice on post-EOL OSs as their continued use is not safe practice.

I cannot or will not download the ‘OpenSuse’ as this exceeds my ISP
limit.

You can purchase the openSUSE physical DVDs (e.g. from Amazon openSUSE 12.3 costs £23 including tutorials).

In addition this machine is intended as a ‘stand-alone’, machine that
is very little or no Internet connection.

Ahh there’s the rub. There’s no such thing as having very little Internet connection'; it's like saying someone is a
little pregnant’ - you either have it or don’t. In your first post you said:

> I do not usually use the Internet very much but mainly use the computer
> for playing Cd’s and a bit of e-mailing.

This means that if you’re connected at all to the internet, then it means you can’t really treat the computer as
stand-alone machine. You therefore need to keep your OS up to date. Linux doesn’t have viruses, but packages can have
security vulnerabilities (including the kernel) that you will be exposed to unless you keep your OS up to date.

> Hopefully this explains why I need a complete O/S, something that I can
> use ‘Out of the Box’ without a lot of updates or Downloads.

OpenSUSE has a lot of updates on a daily basis. I routinely install them at the end of each day because (with very few
exceptions) they are painless and flawless. My recollection of post-install updates is that there were very few after
installing openSUSE 12.3 compared to 12.2 (but then I installed 12.3 the day it was released!).

On my father’s computer (he’s in his 70s), I installed Linux MINT 15 (Olivia) Cinnamon; the ISO file was 1GB and it
required very little updating post-install (I ssh into his machine occasionally to determine if it needs updates). I’m
not sure whether this distro would provide a better route for you. If on the other hand you like SUSE/openSUSE, it would
be a shame not continue with what you know and like; in which I wonder if anyone else has any ideas.

Well, but that 660 Megs CD IS NOT the complete OS, the complete DVD has >4GB even for 11.x (even that is not complete, there is more software in the online repo). And openSUSE 11.x is quite old.

12.3’s DVD has 4.4 Gigs (not 3), but there are other flavors like the KDE/GNOME LiveCDs (~1 GB each). Or you can just use the NET-install image (~200MB), then only those packages that are needed get downloaded (you need to have internet connection during installation then of course).

Anyway, even 11.x should recognize your CD/DVD drives out of the box.
But you should give more information:
Can you describe, how it doesn’t recognize them?
Are you not able to open inserted CD/DVDs?
Or can you not burn?

What are you expecting to happen, when you insert a CD/DVD, and what happens actually?

Which DE are you using? (KDE, GNOME, …)

On 2013-07-05 09:56, allenaitch wrote:
>
> wolfi323;2569413 Wrote:
>> I think he means SLES 11 or SLED 11…
>
> The OpenSuse came from a disk purchased with ‘Linux for Dummies’ and is
> as stated Version 11.

Please, run the command I asked and post the result here. We really need
that information in order to best help you.

> I cannot or will not download the ‘OpenSuse’ as this exceeds my ISP
> limit.

Be aware that any SUSE/openSUSE version has many updates, several
gigabytes in size. And those updates probably solve many of the problems
you have, so you really need them.

> In addition this machine is intended as a ‘stand-alone’, machine that
> is very little or no Internet connection.

There is no such thing. Any computer connected to internet even part
time is in serious danger.

> Hopefully this explains why I need a complete O/S, something that I can
> use ‘Out of the Box’ without a lot of updates or Downloads.

There is no such thing.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

The O/S is definitely ‘OpenSUSE’ V 11.2, I checked in the ‘My computer’ section (no problems) and as I suspected is a short version.
When I insert a CD/DVD data disc the software does nothing, that is it does not recognize either drive. I would expect something to happen. According to various books on Linux inserting a CD should give me an Icon on the monitor screen right away. Going into ‘root’ hardware tools media tells me that no CD’s are loaded.

Now for V 12.3 which I borrowed from a colleague. This apparently loads but will not start. In fact nothing happens when I start the Kickoff Application launcher! My second hard drive is 30 megs and devoted entirely to the O/S. As I mentioned earlier My computer is an Asrock K7S41 Socket 426 with 1 Gig of RAM and AMD Sempron 2400 running at 1667 Megs. which handles XP OK. The first time that I loaded the OpenSUSE software the computer downloaded about 2 hours worth of updates and then would not start after a re-boot.
Yes, I probably need to update my computer with a more modern one but not all of us OAP’s are rolling in in money!
I like the OpenSUSE O/S and want to stay with it.

Finally, with tongue in cheek, and I thought Linux was supposed to be easy!

Regards,

Allen

On 2013-07-05, allenaitch <allenaitch@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:
>
> The O/S is definitely ‘OpenSUSE’ V 11.2, I checked in the ‘My computer’
> section (no problems) and as I suspected is a short version.
> When I insert a CD/DVD data disc the software does nothing, that is it
> does not recognize either drive.

IIRC you have a dual-boot with XP. Can I confirm XP sees CD/DVD discs no problem? If it does, please output the result
of the command (surrounding the output with the code tags iconified by octothorpes):


sh-4.2$ ls -l /dev/*cd*

If you don’t know how to do this, please let us know and we can help you.

According to various books on Linux inserting a CD should give me an
Icon on the monitor screen right away. Going into ‘root’ hardware tools
media tells me that no CD’s are loaded.

I’m not sure what you mean by `root’ hardware tools; do you mean YaST?

> Now for V 12.3 which I borrowed from a colleague. This apparently loads
> but will not start.

Is the the live CD or the installation DVD? My guess this is the live CD. If so is it KDE or GNOME? Have you tried
booting in safe mode?

> In fact nothing happens when I start the Kickoff
> Application launcher!

I don’t understand how you could reach the Kickoff Application launcher when you say (above) V12.3 `loads but will not
start’. Can you clarify this, because if can reach the Application Launcher, I suspect we have a way forward.

> My second hard drive is 30 megs and devoted
> entirely to the O/S.

Do you really mean 30 megs?

> As I mentioned earlier My computer is an Asrock
> K7S41 Socket 426 with 1 Gig of RAM and AMD Sempron 2400 running at 1667
> Megs. which handles XP OK.

It will handle Linux OK aswell.

> The first time that I loaded the OpenSUSE
> software the computer downloaded about 2 hours worth of updates and then
> would not start after a re-boot.

Is this 11.2 or 12.3? When you say it does not start after a reboot, what happens? Does GRUB load and give an error when
you select openSUSE? If there’s an error, what does it say.

> Yes, I probably need to update my computer with a more modern one but
> not all of us OAP’s are rolling in in money!

If you’re using your machine for nothing more than email and some gentle surfing, I see no reason to change it.

> I like the OpenSUSE O/S and want to stay with it.

Good! But please expect a lot of questions from us, because the details are incredibly important in working out the
problem.

> Finally, with tongue in cheek, and I thought Linux was supposed to be
> easy!

This of course is not true! Linux is not free; you only pay with time rather than money. Whoever suggested to you that
Linux was supposed to be easy is plain wrong, and openSUSE is not the usual choice for someone starting to use Linux.

You still didn’t tell us what Desktop environment you are using.

And what is “‘root’ hardware tools media”?

Do you have k3b installed? If yes run it, are your drives listed there?

Now for V 12.3 which I borrowed from a colleague. This apparently loads but will not start. In fact nothing happens when I start the Kickoff Application launcher!

Are you trying to boot from the LiveCD? Or did you install it?
More infos are needed.

Yes, I probably need to update my computer with a more modern one but not all of us OAP’s are rolling in in money!

No. Mine has about the same specs, although I have 2GB RAM now.
It should work.
What happens exactly when “it would not start after re-boot”?

although, installing openSUSE from scratch (admittedly using the DVD) is usually easier (or at least no more difficult) than installing windows from scratch.
The difference is that most windows users buy a computer with the OS pre-installed so they don’t come across the difficulties that also arise in that operating system from a clean install.

Hi Guys,

After a few days of hectic Updating I can now state that I have openSUSE 11.2(i5860 KDE 4.3.5) release 0 or Linux 2,6,3.14-0,8-default i686 which is, I hope enough to satisfy. My list of available updates is now Zero.
In spite of all of this my CD/DVD drives are still invisible to Amarok or any of the other CD players on my system. I deleted the lot and re-installed them but to no avail. Having checked with YaST /softwear/ media check I receive the answer ‘Cannot read medium in the drive’ However a DATA CD or a DVD will show up on ‘Computer’ and will in fact open but not play. K3B will copy a CD or burn pics. to a CD or a DVD.
Comment. I have never purchased a computer with pre-installed software, right from Windows 3.1 in fact for the last 20 years all my computers are home built] During the last couple of days I have started to ‘Get my head around’ the Linux file system which is no harder than Windows.
The openSUSE 12.3 which Eric my colleague loaned me was purchased from Amazon for £23.95 but would not work on his pentium Dual core CPU either. It would load but when the time came to go to the splash(?) screen in spite of both of us having ticked the auto log-on box it would ask for the password again and again. The Software, he tells me has been sent back and he is now waiting for a refund.
Well we are in some respects nearly there, so Hopefully,

Al.

So, Linux IS able to find Cd drive…:wink:
But some applications are not.

Maybe you should list the programs with which you have troubles and tell us which problem you have with each one.

And what do you mean with “However a DATA CD or a DVD will show up on ‘Computer’ and will in fact open but not play.”
How do you try to play it? A data CD/DVD CANNOT be played, it can only be opened…
If you mean you want to play audio or video files from the CD/DVD, you may be missing codecs. Have you added the Packman repo? This contains nearly everything multimedia related you might need.

For playing AudioCDs you can use f.e. KSCD, Kaffeine or VLC, the latter two can play Video-DVDs as well, but you may need additional codecs and libdvdcss for encrypted DVDs.

Amarok never really was a good AudioCD player, if it even worked…

yes, try adding in Packman.

understand that 11.2 is pretty old now, but I think these options still exist.

Go to

Yast>Software Repositories>Add>Community Repositories

and select packman

Once added in and you have ok’d out of everything load up

Yast>Software Management>View>Repositories

Then click on the repository tab and select packman from the list.
Once you have selected packman you should see an option to switch system packages

Select that and also do a search for smplayer

OK to install everything and then try smplayer to see if that will play music etc from your DVDs

11.2 repositories haven’t been updated for a long time so no matter what you will be working with outdated software.
The only way to get current software is to use a currently supported version of openSUSE

On 2013-07-08 16:26, allenaitch wrote:

> In spite of all of this my CD/DVD drives are still invisible to Amarok
> or any of the other CD players on my system. I deleted the lot and
> re-installed them but to no avail. Having checked with YaST /softwear/
> media check I receive the answer ‘Cannot read medium in the drive’
> However a DATA CD or a DVD will show up on ‘Computer’ and will in fact
> open but not play. K3B will copy a CD or burn pics. to a CD or a DVD.

So Linux DOES find the CD drive or DVD! You lied to us!

What appears to not work is audio CDs.

Audio CDs do not have a filesystem formatting, thus they are invisible.
Some applications may see them, though. And you may need to install the
multimedia things from packman first.

Have a read here:


http://opensuse-community.org/Restricted_formats

and use those instructions to add the software you need for multimedia.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

And another thought:
11.2 is STILL supported by the Evergreen project (until November 2013). So you should add the Evergreen repo to get some more bug fixes and security updates…
See: openSUSE:Evergreen - openSUSE

On 2013-07-08 19:36, wolfi323 wrote:
>
> And another thought:
> 11.2 is STILL supported by the Evergreen project (until November 2013).

True, I forgot.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

I vaguely remember some old versions having trouble with CDs/DVDs in KDE if the user was not added to the “cdrom” group, or something similar. In fact, I believe once I had to add the user to the “disks” group, contrary advice notwithstanding.

Perhaps a search in goggle (way more accurate than the forum’s) for “openSUSE 11.2 CD not recognized” will yield usable results.

Good luck.