Reader Q&A: Troubleshoot DVD Drive, Customize Windows Media Player - daltonanduction

It's been a few months since I last dedicated a Hassle-Detached to reader questions, and I apologize for being neglectful. So this week I help Deborah out with a mysterious DVD drive problem and tell Jim how to tweak Windows Media Player–and you can follow along.

Troubleshoot a DVD Drive That Windows Sees as a CD drive

Reader Deborah has a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7. A couple of weeks agone, the system start treating the DVD-Read-only storage drive as a plain CD-Read-only storage drive. It could play and burn CDs, but wouldn't have anything to do with DVDs.

Deborah says she scanned for viruses, checked for updated drivers, and ran Windows' DVD trouble shooter–complete smart steps, but all to no avail.

Here's where it gets weird: "Tertiary-party DVD burning programs all recognize this driveway for what it is and it works fine," she says. In early words, the problem is small-scale to Windows itself.

Here's where it gets weirder: Astir a workweek later, the same problem cropped up on Deborah's HP desktop. She tried nevertheless troubleshooting steps, but in the end was left-hand with ii DVD drives that Windows thinks are CD drives.

Now this is a artful one.

My hypothesi is that either a Windows update or a newly installed (or uninstalled) syllabu debased the Windows Registry, hence the OS thinking you've got CD drives patc other programs see DVD drives. Very crazy that it would happen on deuce PCs, especially thus close together, which is why I think just about errant Windows update is what gummed up the works.

Microsoft has a knowledge-radix entry and Gear up-it puppet that may help. I say "may" because the problem described therein doesn't exactly match what Deborah is experiencing. Simply IT's worthy a try. (Always, ever utilize System Bushel to make over a reinstate point before attempting any fixes like these.)

The not bad news is that you obviously possess third gear-company software that works, so your hassle is exactly that; it's non interfering with your unremarkable procedure.

Add More Music Locations to Windows Media Player

Reviewer Jim has a laptop running Windows 7, and wants Windows Media Player to scan the music stored on an external serious drive and add information technology to his library.

No problem, Jim! But let's make sure to clarify a few things in that setup.

By default, Windows Media Role player 12 looks for songs stored in the My Music and Public Music folders. On my organization, that would be a problem right from the start, as I typically computer memory my music in a folder called MP3s–one that's not stored in either of the aforementioned locations.

Fortunately, IT's pretty easy to tell WMP to look elsewhere for music. Here's how:

Run Windows Media Player. (Note that I'm matching Jim's setup of Windows 7 and Windows Media Participant 12.)
Select Organize, Care libraries, Music.
Click Bestow, then navigate to the leaflet you want to ADHD. Click it, and past select Include leaflet.

Note of hand those key lyric: "include folder." What you'atomic number 75 telling WMP to do is scan the selected folder, then add those songs to your music library. However, no songs are really derived or imported anywhere; they stay where they are.

Thus, while it's no problem to add songs from an extraneous drive, flash drive, network beat back, or any unusual source, you birth to make foreordained that source clay available, otherwise your songs won't play.

Put differently, if you tell WMP to scan an external drive and so unplug that drive, you'll fall back access to those songs.

The simple fix, of naturally, is to copy complete that euphony to your laptop computer's Winchester drive, then let WMP update its program library. If you don't have room, well, you'll undergo to leave that outward drive connected and running.

If you've got a hassle that of necessity solving, send it my way. I can't promise a answer, but I'll definitely read every netmail I pay off–and ut my best to dea at least much of them in the PCWorld Hassle-Free PC web log . My 411: hasslefree@pcworld.com . You can as wel Systeme Internationalgn up to have the Hassle-Free PC newsletter e-mailed to you each week .