Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

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Rick_88

Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

Post by Rick_88 »

Hello guys.

I have an issue with reading/mounting certain DVDs.
I was going through a bunch of DVDs (mostly containing pictures and files) that I made years ago, and most of them were read and monted okay ─ even a couple who were in pretty bad condition.

However, 3 just couldn't be mounted at all. The disk would spin and spin, until eventually it will stop but no mounting/reading will take place.

I've read on an (old) ubuntu forum that it might be due to libdvdread4, so I made sure to install/update it, as well as libdvdccs2 and libdvdnav4.

Now those same DVDs get mounted... but my laptop recognises them as blank, which they are most definitely not.
They are not in bad condition; a couple of scratches, but as I said I've successfully mounted DVDs in far worse conditions so it seems like a software compatibility issue.

Intriguingly, all 3 DVDs in question are of the same brand: MAGIK. Though I cannot remember if I successfully mounted any other MAGIK DVD.


...HELP?!
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Rick_88

Re: Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

Post by Rick_88 »

Can nobody help me with this at all? :(

Even just trying to understand what's the reason behind it?
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catweazel
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Re: Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

Post by catweazel »

Rick_88 wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:57 am Can nobody help me with this at all? :(

Even just trying to understand what's the reason behind it?
Rick_88 wrote:They are not in bad condition; a couple of scratches, but as I said I've successfully mounted DVDs in far worse conditions so it seems like a software compatibility issue.
I fail to see how it's a compatibility issue unless those DVDs were created in some alien format. The fact that other physically worse looking DVDs have loaded says nothing about the three that won't load. Your only option is to find someone with a DVD drive and try to mount them on their machine. For all intents and purposes, I would consider those DVDs dead until you can prove otherwise by testing on a different machine.
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
Rick_88

Re: Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

Post by Rick_88 »

Hi catweazel, thanks for the reply!

These DVDs were created a long time ago (~7-8 years ago) by myself, and other DVDs I burned around that time work, so I doubt they there were burnt wrong or in an unusual format.

I mentioned the fact that DVDs in worse condition are successfully read just to exclude the possibility of their condition being the reason behind their unreadability.

But I think the surprising issue is that all these 3 DVDs are of the same brand, and I seem to have no other DVDs of that brand that load successfully.
So I mean, if their condition is good and they weren't burnt in an unusual way, what else would cause a modern DVD player to read them as blanks?
Could it not be that that DVD brand is no longer readable with modern DVD players?
richyrich

Re: Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

Post by richyrich »

Yes, not all blank dvds are created equal. There is a thin metallic foil strip sandwiched between clear plastic. This is what the laser in dvd writers use to write data to the disk. Certain manufacturers are only interested in making sales/profit, thus that foil can be very cheaply made, and can deteriorate quickly, even if stored properly.

Been there, lost some data . . won't ever buy cheap blank dvds again.
phd21
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Re: Certain DVDs cannot be mounted/mount as blank

Post by phd21 »

HI Rick_88,


See these previous posts:

(SOLVED)Cannot play some of my DVD's - Linux Mint Forums
viewtopic.php?t=267299

Dvd's won't play - Linux Mint Forums
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=267440&hilit=regionset


Hope this helps ...
Phd21: Mint 20 Cinnamon & xKDE (Mint Xfce + Kubuntu KDE) & KDE Neon 64-bit (new based on Ubuntu 20.04) Awesome OS's, Dell Inspiron I5 7000 (7573) 2 in 1 touch screen, Dell OptiPlex 780 Core2Duo E8400 3GHz,4gb Ram, Intel 4 Graphics.
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