Solved Unusual Problem with Portable Optical Drive


rk911

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I suspect this is a Windows 11 compatibility issue but want to see if anyone else has experienced this issue.

I have an older HP portable optical (model DVD556s) drive that I've used on my old Win 7 and Win10 laptops and now want to use on my Win11 laptop. When I plug it into my Win11 laptop (Dell Inspiron 5645, Win 11 Pro, 23H2) it treats the disc as blank. The same disc reads just fine on my Win10 desktop's built-in optical drive and if I plug the HP optical into one of the desktop's USB-A ports it also reads the disc properly.

Sure smells like a compatibility issue. The optical drive was bought new for my Win7 laptop. HP's website states compatibility with Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 / XP SP2 / Vista (32-bit or 64-bit), so yeah, it's a senior citizen and likely was never tested on a Win 7 or 10 machine. Before I shell out $ for a new portable drive (that IS compatible with Win11, Dell DW316) I thought I would see what the group thinks. And, yes, before you ask, I do have a need for a portable optical drive.

Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
I suspect this is a Windows 11 compatibility issue but want to see if anyone else has experienced this issue.
I have an ASUS external slim DVD-RW optical drive I bought in 2013, and it has zero issues with Windows 11. So no, not a Windows 11 issue where external optical drives are concerned. I suspect your drive is either bad or faulty.

The other possible issue is the discs were never finalized and are only reading on the PC they were recorded from.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (XFX MERC 310) RX 7900XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27-inch Eizo Color Edge - CG2700X
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i Elite Capellix XT
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro® Processor
    Motherboard
    Vendor
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz (Soldered)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED, Anti Reflection, Touch, HDR 500, 400 nits, 120Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal
    PSU
    Vendor
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    Touchpad: Haptic Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, Black with Fingerprint Reader and WWAN
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    202. Build Your Own laptop.
    vPro Certified Model: vPro Enterprise
For reference.....

Asus DVD Drive.jpg

D drive - Asus.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (XFX MERC 310) RX 7900XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27-inch Eizo Color Edge - CG2700X
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i Elite Capellix XT
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro® Processor
    Motherboard
    Vendor
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz (Soldered)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED, Anti Reflection, Touch, HDR 500, 400 nits, 120Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal
    PSU
    Vendor
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    Touchpad: Haptic Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, Black with Fingerprint Reader and WWAN
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    202. Build Your Own laptop.
    vPro Certified Model: vPro Enterprise
I have an ASUS external slim DVD-RW optical drive I bought in 2013, and it has zero issues with Windows 11. So no, not a Windows 11 issue where external optical drives are concerned. I suspect your drive is either bad or faulty.

The other possible issue is the discs were never finalized and are only reading on the PC they were recorded from.
Thought about that, Dru. If the drive was faulty then it shouldn't have worked on the desktop. Also tried a different USB cable on both PCs with the same results. I 'spose the drive could just be wonky now and then but that's a distinction without a diffterence. As for the discs...these are commercially produced discs.

Appreciate your response.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
Did you try using two USB ports on the laptop, for additional power?

See system requirements at
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Intel NUC12WSHi7
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P, 2100 MHz
    Motherboard
    NUC12WSBi7
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    built-in Realtek HD audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3219Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB
    Keyboard
    CODE 104-Key Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Clears
  • Operating System
    Linux Mint 21.2 (Cinnamon)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Intel NUC8i5BEH
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8259U CPU @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Iris Plus 655
    Keyboard
    CODE 104-Key Mechanical Keyboard - Cherry MX Clear
Are you plugging it into a USB 2.0 port? I'm not sure if it will make a difference but if the laptop has a USB 2.0 port it's worth a try.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
The Inspiron 5645 has two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and one Gen 2 with PD.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Intel NUC12WSHi7
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P, 2100 MHz
    Motherboard
    NUC12WSBi7
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    built-in Realtek HD audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3219Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB
    Keyboard
    CODE 104-Key Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Clears
  • Operating System
    Linux Mint 21.2 (Cinnamon)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Intel NUC8i5BEH
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8259U CPU @ 2.30GHz
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Iris Plus 655
    Keyboard
    CODE 104-Key Mechanical Keyboard - Cherry MX Clear
When you attach the optical drive to the laptop, how does it appear in Device Manager?

I don't have a lot of experience with external optical drives. (I have one, but it's an internal drive in an external enclosure.) But I'd be surprised if one that worked under 10 failed under 11.

I suspect that there's something a bit off with the laptop's 11 installation.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 26100.2161
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    BeQuiet! Straight Power 12 1500W
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    2000/300 Mbps (down/up)
  • Operating System
    windows 11 26100.2161
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
"As for the discs...these are commercially produced discs."

Ah, in that case it is likely to be disc protection measures like SecuROM or SafeDisc which are blocked in later versions of Windows 10, and 11.
Early versions can be got around reasonably easy and an ISO image made which you can mount in Windows.
Read around the subject.

I'll leave this bit in for others.
If it says the disk is blank then it can be dirty optics in the drive, or discs that have deteriorated, commercial ones do as well.
Another thing that might affect you is the USB power required, the 2nd USB lead should be plugged in to another USB port.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
"As for the discs...these are commercially produced discs."

(snip)
I missed that.

Does the drive work properly with writeable media?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 26100.2161
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    BeQuiet! Straight Power 12 1500W
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    2000/300 Mbps (down/up)
  • Operating System
    windows 11 26100.2161
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
Thought about that, Dru. If the drive was faulty then it shouldn't have worked on the desktop. Also tried a different USB cable on both PCs with the same results. I 'spose the drive could just be wonky now and then but that's a distinction without a diffterence. As for the discs...these are commercially produced discs.

Appreciate your response.
I hear you but am also making the case that if it was "a Windows 11 compatibility issue" with optical drives we'd all have them.

BTW, have you tried a music CD, or game disc? The point here is to see if the drive recognizes other CDs?

Ah, in that case it is likely to be disc protection measures like SecuROM or SafeDisc which are blocked in later versions of Windows 10, and 11.
That hasn't been an issue since early Windows 7 days. And even if that was an issue, not every single disc is SecuROM/SafeDisc protected and why I suggest different discs.

Outside of that, I've no answer why the OP is experiencing the issue they have. I do know external optical drives are not incompatible with Windows 11. Something else is going on. Here Windows is simply alerting the OP something is going on with the drive, USB port, or disk.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (XFX MERC 310) RX 7900XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27-inch Eizo Color Edge - CG2700X
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i Elite Capellix XT
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro® Processor
    Motherboard
    Vendor
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz (Soldered)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED, Anti Reflection, Touch, HDR 500, 400 nits, 120Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal
    PSU
    Vendor
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    Touchpad: Haptic Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, Black with Fingerprint Reader and WWAN
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    202. Build Your Own laptop.
    vPro Certified Model: vPro Enterprise
"As for the discs...these are commercially produced discs."

Ah, in that case it is likely to be disc protection measures like SecuROM or SafeDisc which are blocked in later versions of Windows 10, and 11.
Early versions can be got around reasonably easy and an ISO image made which you can mount in Windows.
Read around the subject.
I'm not sure if the content on the DVD would not show or just not be playable. I can't test because I have DVD player programs on both of my computers. To me it sounds like the drive isn't getting enough power for the laser to read the disk.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Are you plugging it into a USB 2.0 port? I'm not sure if it will make a difference but if the laptop has a USB 2.0 port it's worth a try.
Thanks...tried that, no joy. Still thinking compatibility issue. Everytime I use it on the Win10 desktop, it works and everytime I try it on the laptop, it doesn't.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
I hear you but am also making the case that if it was "a Windows 11 compatibility issue" with optical drives we'd all have them.

BTW, have you tried a music CD, or game disc? The point here is to see if the drive recognizes other CDs?


That hasn't been an issue since early Windows 7 days. And even if that was an issue, not every single disc is SecuROM/SafeDisc protected and why I suggest different discs.

Outside of that, I've no answer why the OP is experiencing the issue they have. I do know external optical drives are not incompatible with Windows 11. Something else is going on. Here Windows is simply alerting the OP something is going on with the drive, USB port, or disk.
I missed that.

Does the drive work properly with writeable media?
Didn't try...I'll give it a go.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
"As for the discs...these are commercially produced discs."

Ah, in that case it is likely to be disc protection measures like SecuROM or SafeDisc which are blocked in later versions of Windows 10, and 11.
Early versions can be got around reasonably easy and an ISO image made which you can mount in Windows.
Read around the subject.

I'll leave this bit in for others.
If it says the disk is blank then it can be dirty optics in the drive, or discs that have deteriorated, commercial ones do as well.
Another thing that might affect you is the USB power required, the 2nd USB lead should be plugged in to another USB port.
If it was a dirty disc why is it working on the Win10 desktop? Only one USB cord on the drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
Are you plugging it into a USB 2.0 port? I'm not sure if it will make a difference but if the laptop has a USB 2.0 port it's worth a try.
Tried them both. Don't have a 'C' to 'A' adapter or I'd try that, too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
The Inspiron 5645 has two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and one Gen 2 with
Tried both USB 2 and 3 on the desktop and it works. Doesn't work on either USB A on the laptop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
I'm not sure if the content on the DVD would not show or just not be playable. I can't test because I have DVD player programs on both of my computers. To me it sounds like the drive isn't getting enough power for the laser to read the disk.
Content is not showing...laptop thinks it's a blank disc.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro @2N23
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    M2 2TB SSD
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ioBit
Thanks...tried that, no joy. Still thinking compatibility issue. Everytime I use it on the Win10 desktop, it works and everytime I try it on the laptop, it doesn't.
I still think it may be a power supply problem. If the laser isn't getting the needed power it's not going to be able to read the disk. Do you have a powered USB hub you could try it on? I know for sure that USB DVD drives work in Windows 11. I have three of them and they all work good. Two are like the ones you find in laptops and one is a 5 1/4" drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

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