veso266 wrote on 2020-06-26, 21:46:

Hi there, I recently bought myself a DVD RAM Drive: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-SW-9576-C- … WEAAOSw98FbaCho […]
Show full quote

Hi there, I recently bought myself a DVD RAM Drive: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-SW-9576-C- … WEAAOSw98FbaCho

to be able to use this caddied DVD RAMs that I have at home

at first I thought I can use one of theese: https://www.conrad.com/p/renkforce-usb-20-por … nverter-1277995
to read it but after trying that it didn't work and I thought that my DVD RAM drive is broken, then I found a computer to put it in

and unfortionatly the only computer that I can put it in has Windows 98SE on it 😀

I can read normal DVDs fine with interVideo WinDVD 4 although I can play them with this fine I still cannot browse the content with Windows Explorer

but once I put one of this discs: https://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-2330528-DVD-R … &pf_rd_i=760794

even if it is an empty one I cannot do anything with it, Windows Explorer doesn't even recognize there is a disc in the drive

does anyone know how to use DVD RAM (and if it is even possible to use theese 9,4GB in it) in Windows 98SE

Thanks for Anwsering and Best Regards

also if anyone can tell me if I can connect somehow this drive to USB since the adapter I am using is clearly designed for HDD only and doesn't know how to handle DVD drives

If the DVD-RAM disk is formatted in UDF and version greater than 1.02 , that would explain why Windows 98 won't read it .

As for a USB connection, just get any IDE to USB adapter that is advertised as supporting optical drives. Most do, AFAIK .

darry wrote on 2020-06-26, 23:03:

If the DVD-RAM disk is formatted in UDF and version greater than 1.02 , that would explain why Windows 98 won't read it .

Exactly. Windows 98 won't read multisession DVD±R discs either. You should be able to view the other filesystems using IsoBuster, though you need to pay for the full version to actually extract files.

UDF was also used for "packet writing" to CDRW discs back in the day, and there are a lot of UDF utilities that will run in the background for the purpose of reading and writing to CDRW discs, but I don't know if they're any good for DVD discs.

darry wrote on 2020-06-26, 23:03:

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-26, 21:46:

Hi there, I recently bought myself a DVD RAM Drive: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-SW-9576-C- … WEAAOSw98FbaCho […]
Show full quote

Hi there, I recently bought myself a DVD RAM Drive: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-SW-9576-C- … WEAAOSw98FbaCho

to be able to use this caddied DVD RAMs that I have at home

at first I thought I can use one of theese: https://www.conrad.com/p/renkforce-usb-20-por … nverter-1277995
to read it but after trying that it didn't work and I thought that my DVD RAM drive is broken, then I found a computer to put it in

and unfortionatly the only computer that I can put it in has Windows 98SE on it 😀

I can read normal DVDs fine with interVideo WinDVD 4 although I can play them with this fine I still cannot browse the content with Windows Explorer

but once I put one of this discs: https://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-2330528-DVD-R … &pf_rd_i=760794

even if it is an empty one I cannot do anything with it, Windows Explorer doesn't even recognize there is a disc in the drive

does anyone know how to use DVD RAM (and if it is even possible to use theese 9,4GB in it) in Windows 98SE

Thanks for Anwsering and Best Regards

also if anyone can tell me if I can connect somehow this drive to USB since the adapter I am using is clearly designed for HDD only and doesn't know how to handle DVD drives

If the DVD-RAM disk is formatted in UDF and version greater than 1.02 , that would explain why Windows 98 won't read it .

As for a USB connection, just get any IDE to USB adapter that is advertised as supporting optical drives. Most do, AFAIK .

Why wouldnt a normal IDE to USB adapter support an optical drive how is optical drive diferent to hdd from IDE perspective?
Or is my DVD RAM drive somehow broken and it only reads dvds but not RAM?

I also found some drivers for Windows 98SE: http://web.archive.org/web/20111023131028/htt … 9573drv_me.html

but the file: 9xDrv5021NEN.exe is not hosted on Wayback machine anymore and Panasonic does not host this drivers anymore, does anyone still have it

http://web.archive.org/web/20111023131028/htt … xDrv5021NEN.exe

not sure is it normal for this drive to not read CDs? or is this drive broken

If you can't find a driver through Panasonic, it is possible you might find one through other manufacturers' sites. Some companies used to create and sell hardware/software optical drive packages without ever producing anything themselves. Hammer Storage is/was such a company. I have a Hammer Storage internal 16x DVD Writer package that includes a Panasonic SW-9585-C drive with a Ulead software bundle that supports DVD-RAM.

akula65 wrote on 2020-06-27, 18:59:

If you can't find a driver through Panasonic, it is possible you might find one through other manufacturers' sites. Some companies used to create and sell hardware/software optical drive packages without ever producing anything themselves. Hammer Storage is/was such a company. I have a Hammer Storage internal 16x DVD Writer package that includes a Panasonic SW-9585-C drive with a Ulead software bundle that supports DVD-RAM.

Thanks what I am a bit confused as I don't realy know if my dvd ram drive (I have Panasonic SW-9576-C BIOS identifys it as MATSHITA SW) is broken or if something else is a problem, for some reason my cannot read CDs it can only read DVDs

I found a driver: https://www.driverguide.com/driver/detail.php … bJtjsq&frmist=1

but its only for Windows XP while I need it for Windows 98SE

even found older driver: https://download.cnet.com/dvdram-en-200709071 … 0_4-170034.html

but its for Windows 2000 only DOH

also heard that UDFReader from ROXIO is good so I installed the latest version I can find: https://download.cnet.com/Adaptec-UDF-Reader- … 4-10021086.html

but it didn't change anything still no go even on a new empty 9.4GB DVD RAM catridge
even tried to install an update: https://www.roxio.com/en/support/software-updates/udf/
but it said that it acnnot find UDFReader installed

so the best would be to find an official driver

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-28, 10:25:

Thanks what I am a bit confused as I don't realy know if my dvd ram drive (I have Panasonic SW-9576-C BIOS identifys it as MATSHITA SW) is broken or if something else is a problem, for some reason my cannot read CDs it can only read DVDs

It is distinctly possible that it is broken.

You can probably boot some flavor of Linux – Puppy Linux, perhaps – without having to make any persistent changes to your system. Linux ought to have better support for the drive.

Well I finally found the driver: https://web.archive.org/web/20070101182523/ht … xDrv5021NEN.exe

it installed fine but then 🙁

after installing this driver being so exited and poping a blank DVD Ram 9.4GB catridge in the drive it didn't read it also WPFormat tool showed there is no disc in the drive

then I tried with my old 4.7GB cartridge that had a movie on it and its the same thing

although my drive can read DVDs fine it cannot read CDs

but its wierd as CDs use diferent laser (so if that laser is broken 😀, I don't realy care as I didn't intend to use this drive for CDs anyway) so why can it not read DVD RAM then? the laser should be the same as for DVDs

also can this be repaired somehow?

You might have to try adjusting the potentiometers for the lasers. Have you tried cleaning the lasers?

never opened it yet (how do you know that laser is dirty/clean it then or adjust the screw), it still has warenty screw (label covering the scew)

the wierd thing is why it plays DVDs just fine but DVD RAM is no go?

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-29, 13:00:

never opened it yet (how do you know that laser is dirty/clean it then or adjust the screw), it still has warenty screw (label covering the scew)

There are apparently drive cleaning kits for cleaning the lens that do not require you to open up the drive at all. I've never used one myself, though.

the wierd thing is why it plays DVDs just fine but DVD RAM is no go?

I had a broken drive once that refused to read DVD-R discs but would still read DVD+R discs without any problems. Such things are possible.

Like I said, the only way to be sure would be to boot some flavor of Linux and thus remove the OS from consideration.

Jorpho wrote on 2020-06-29, 17:21:

There are apparently drive cleaning kits for cleaning the lens that do not require you to open up the drive at all. I've never […]
Show full quote

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-29, 13:00:

never opened it yet (how do you know that laser is dirty/clean it then or adjust the screw), it still has warenty screw (label covering the scew)

There are apparently drive cleaning kits for cleaning the lens that do not require you to open up the drive at all. I've never used one myself, though.

the wierd thing is why it plays DVDs just fine but DVD RAM is no go?

I had a broken drive once that refused to read DVD-R discs but would still read DVD+R discs without any problems. Such things are possible.

Like I said, the only way to be sure would be to boot some flavor of Linux and thus remove the OS from consideration.

What flavour of linux would you recomend for a computer that can only run Windows 98SE has

512MB RAM and an Asus P4P800 as notherboard and how would I test DVD RAM drive in linux?

Interesting thing will be to boot linux from this drive as it has problems reading CDs 😀

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-30, 05:48:

What flavour of linux would you recomend for a computer that can only run Windows 98SE has

512MB RAM and an Asus P4P800 as notherboard and how would I test DVD RAM drive in linux?

Interesting thing will be to boot linux from this drive as it has problems reading CDs 😀

Just for the tests, you could add more RAM, and remove it when you're done. If that's not an option, an older version of Lubuntu or Debian should do just fine. Pretty much anything goes, as long as it's 32-bit and doesn't require more than 512MB of RAM just to get to desktop.

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-30, 05:48:

512MB RAM and an Asus P4P800 as notherboard and how would I test DVD RAM drive in linux?

I already suggested Puppy Linux, though with 512 MB of RAM there are probably better options.

Puppy Linux supports a variety of boot methods; I haven't looked into it in a while. You might even be able to get it to boot from a USB drive on your machine.

@Jorpho also what clining kit would you recomend to clean the lasers? (couze I sincerly think its just dirty as iirc when I first put a DVD in it had a bit of black residue on the shiny side so...) I heard that this cleaning disks would rip the laser out

would realy like to avoid opening it up and if I can clean it with a disc that would be the best

veso266 wrote on 2020-06-30, 18:56:

also what clining kit would you recomend to clean the lasers?

Are you reading my posts..? I already said that I never used one before.

when I first put a DVD in it had a bit of black residue on the shiny side so...

If it was really so dirty that it was making discs dirty, I wouldn't expect the drive to be working at all. And if you actually have to open it up, it's probably a lost cause.

open the drive and if dust is everywhere, blow it out with pressured air. After that, clean the lens with ear cleaning stick soaked in ethanol or isopropyl. I am sure theres more than one guide on youtube for this.

Also, Asus P4P800 with 512MB RAM is fine for XP.

I remember when I first got a DVD drive and installed the bundled software, it mounted a virtual drive called DVD-RAM, so Win98 might need 3rd party software. I was using Win98SE back then.