Help, some CDs won't play on my computer

3 of my CDs from Rhino/Warner Germany won't play on my computer. They seem to work fine on my regular CD player though. Is there any way to fix this without have to buy a new CD drive? The CDs are:

MC5 - High Time
Ramones - It's Alive
Stooges - Fun House 2 CD Edition

 

Same thing with my laptop (Samsung). Apparently it's a combination of cheap components and Warner CDs.

 

My Ramones "Rocket to Russia" CD won't rip to my MacBook, but plays fine on my CD player. Annoying as I'd like it in my iTunes match collection, but there you go. Also find some AF's don't play ball (e.g. Schools Out)

 

My AF Machine Head CD will not load on any of my computer drives, but plays fine on my regular compact disc player.

AJH

 

Well, sucks for us! Thanks for your responses. It's kind of reassuring knowing that I'm not the only one with this problem.

 

It's probably due to the quality of the CD/DVD-ROM drive in said computers. They're not all the same as far as quality goes.

 

I guess your computer has excellent taste. Sorry couldn't resist. I get the same thing from time to time.

 

I can't recall whether my experience with this problem is limited to Warners CDs, but I had a "Led Zeppelin III" (amongst others) that my computer failed to acknowledge the existence of. Perfectly happy playing the CDRW of it that I made on my Yamaha HDD/CD recorder, though.

 

It's a known hardware problem with discs featuring IFPI in the matrix. Mostly Warner (or Reprise, Asylum, Rhino, etc.) discs from the last 10-15 years. I have the problem on all DVD/CD ROM drives that are less than 3 years old.

 

Can't tell from reading Wikipedia, is IFPI a form of DRM or just an ID that the player has to be able to interpret?

 

Lots of warners/rhino cds either aren't recognised on my mac and sound really staticy on my external disc drive. (Buffalo Springfield box set, Marquee Moon deluxe, Narina Pallot etc). All play perfectly on a normal CD player or in the car.

 

I have found this problem at one of my jobs when I played one track from the Many Sides of Fred Neil 2 CD set, first disc, the rest of the disc played fine. The same disc plays fine on all of my normal CD players and on my home Windows PC.

 

Do you have EAC running at the same time?

 

I have two drives at home and one at work and own some of the discs mentioned, and they all play with no problems:

Home:
Panasonic/Matsushita DVD-RAM writer
LG-Hitachi DVD-ROM reader
Windows XP home, plays fine in WMP, iTunes

Work:
Dell add-on Panasonic/Matsushita DVD-RW writer
Windows XP Pro, plays fine in WMP

Really stumped why there would be an issue.

IFPI is the international copyright organization for music media. All legitmate CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays have an IFPI code in plastic moulding to identify the pressing plant, and also have one in the matrix to identify the recorder/master used. It is not a form of DRM.

If there is DRM, it would be a separate issue.

 

When my Audio Fidelity Deep Purple Machine Head disc wouldn't play in any of my computers (iMac, Macbook Pro, Dell PC, or Toshiba Laptop PC) but played fine in my compact disc player, I emailed Audio Fidelity relating the problem. Marshall Blonstein himself responded to my email basically saying he too was mystified as to why it was happening.

AJH

 

That I don't understand. I have this CD and it plays fine on my PC.

It also was pressed at ODC (old Sanyo USA CD plant) and not at Cinram's ex Warner plants (old Warner Europe Germany or WEA Mfg USA), so the pressing companies are different.

 

I don't understand it either (mine just says it was made in the USA).

AJH

 

the AF discs don't say ODC on them, but you tell by the style of the matrix or the IFPI code.

More importantly, what happens when a disc is inserted?

Does it:
1. Not spin
2. Spins, but nothing else
3. Shows up in "my computer", but doesn't play beyond that
4. Won't play in WMP or iTunes, nor even shows up
5. Plays, but skips
6. will not rip in a program

 

All that is in the inner ring is: $AFZ065 Z0224C, and there are no other markings and there is no IFPI code.

The disc just spins and does nothing else.

AJH

 

There's a couple of warners discs that eject themselves still spinning from my internal disc drive but play perfectly on my external drive.

Split Enz ~ Spellbound (warners pressing)
The Ultimate Kylie (the Festival/Mushroom version plays without trouble but the later warners 2CD/DVD version can only be played on the external drive)

 

That is an ODC disc. The code is moulded microscopically in the plastic hub.

If the disc just spins, the PC is not reading the table of contents on the CD or the PC driver for the CD/DVD drive is not initializing the program to play the disc.

There is no recognition of the CD in "My Computer" in the CD/DVD drive, correct?

 

Garcia (Compliments) on Rhino is the only one I have come across that does not play on my computer.

 

Correct.

AJH

 

I am stumped as to why this would occur.

 

I would guess they may be some kind of error in the disc's TOC.

AJH