my desktop PC cannot read VCD but can read DVD. I can play DVD games or DVD movies on my PC still. my laptop cannot do both, why eh?
Likely that the CD laser diode is dead. From what I know, a combo drive that reads CDs and DVDs uses different lasers for each of them, so it's possible that one of the laser diode is damaged while the other remains functional.
Sources:
http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-xp/dvdrom-only-reads-cds/148592.html
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Challenges+Of+CD-RW/DVD+Combo+Drive+Design-a077058317
http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/removable-media-drives/207800-combo-drive-reads-dvds-but-not-cd-roms-audio-cds.html
http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/removable-media-drives/308688-dvd-rom-can-read-cd-but-cant-read-dvd.html
http://forums.techarena.in/xp-hardware/1058137.htm
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic27674.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080904002507AARM31x
so what can I do about it? sent for repairs?
Originally posted by Rooney9:so what can I do about it? sent for repairs?
Replace the drive. A new one would cost around $50.