I can't extract/rip/save songs from audio CDs to PC

Anic

I hope someone can help me - sorry about the long posting but hopefully it might be able to shed some light on any backgroundto solve my problem.

My PC runs Windows 98SE and one day a couple of weeks ago, for no apparent reason when I switched it on it wouldnt' go by the Windows 98 Welcome Screen (don't even know if that is what you would call it). It just seemed to stick there and wouldn't load anything up so not really knowing what to do I booted it from the CD which reinstalled the OS without affecting most of my other programmes meaning they still worked normally, i.e. Microsoft Office, etc.

Everything seemed to be going fine until my son tried to use Sonic Stage (which had been working fine on the PC for over a year before this). It kept coming up with a database corruption problem. When I tried googling this error it seemed to be quite common after a reinstallation. One solution suggested ensuring that the PC had all the updates on it so I downloaded all the critical and suggested updates I could find on Microsoft's website (for Windows 98SE). However, after I did this, when the PC rebooted it said I had replaced a .dll file with an older version and to put in my CD to restore the original (or words to that effect).

I put the CD in the drive and it reinstalled Windows again only this time it wiped all my other programmes, i.e Microsoft Office, internet, broadband, etc. I gradually reinstalled all of the programmes over the last week, and everything so far seemed to be running fine except for when I put an audio CD in. When I do this, Windows Media Player comes up with the following message:-

"Windows Media Player encountered an error reading the CD-ROM drive in digital mode. Click OK to switch to analog mode. Click Cancel to retry playing in digital mode."

I tried following the help i.e going Tools, Options, Devices... but when I double click the 'Audio CD' nothing happened.

I tried google to see if I could find a solution to this problem but the only thing I could find was the following which did not work.

Start\Settings\Control Panel\Multimedia, clicked the "CD Music" tab to see if the checkbox beside "Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device" could be ticked but this section is greyed out and I cannot select it.

The other suggestion was replacing the ASPI32.exe or something like that but when I read about that it was way too technical and above my head and I didn't really understand what it meant or what to do.

I don’t think this is a problem with the Windows Media Player and has more to do with the CD-Rom itself as the CDs play okay in Realplayer, however if I try to save the songs to my PC an error appears saying something about the generic drivers and suggesting updating to ASPI drivers with yes or no to try. If I click yes it says the drivers are the most current ones but the songs still won’t save.

I did think I had manage to "export" some songs as MP3s using my Adaptec CDCreator software but when we transferred them via Sonic Stage to the Sony MP3 player it would not recognize or play them. I assume this is because the songs on the CD couldn't be "digitally" read in the first place meaning they hadn't been extracted properly.

I can play audio CDs and DVDs on the PC and can hear them okay. It only seems to be when I want to extract/rip/save them the “digital” problem comes up.

Would anybody be able to help me with an idiot proof solution to try and get my CD-Rom to work properly again please.

I tried removing the CDRoms from the Control Panel in Safe Mode and rebooting the PC to see if they would fix themselves when they reinstalled themselves when it restarted but they didn’t. work either.

Anic

Does anybody know? Can anybody help?

Please!!

dounome

Do you know what type/make of cd-rom it is and if so download drivers from the website

wolfman

Could be a lack of ASPI drivers.

Download and install this:
http://www.download.com/Adaptec-ASPI-Drivers-Windows-98-Me-NT-2000-XP-/3000-2098_4-10219041.html

then see if it works.

Here's a bit of background info on it:
http://web.ncf.ca/aa571/aspi.htm

ScottishSapper

I know it does not 'solve' your problem but try installing iTunes (free download) and see if you can 'rip' them from it (and it's not a bad replacement for Media Player!)

superscaper

ScottishSapper wrote:

I know it does not 'solve' your problem but try installing iTunes (free download) and see if you can 'rip' them from it (and it's not a bad replacement for Media Player!)

I doubt it, itunes 7 does not support windows 98. To be pedantic, as silly as it is, ripping CDs is still illegal, so the CDs you are trying to rip may have copy protection on them.

ScottishSapper

Agreed Superscaper - but it would indicate a problem with Media Player. However did not take into account not compatable with Win98

Anic

dounome wrote:

Do you know what type/make of cd-rom it is and if so download drivers from the website

I am at work at the moment but from memory the CD-Rom is something like a Matshita CD/DVD Rom 8586. When I searched google for drivers the only one that came up was to make the DVD region free so I didn't think this was what I was looking for so didn't bother

Anic

Thanks Wolfman

I will try this when I get home tonight.

Anic

ScottishSapper wrote:

I know it does not 'solve' your problem but try installing iTunes (free download) and see if you can 'rip' them from it (and it's not a bad replacement for Media Player!)

Realplayer also wouldn't let me save them to my PC so I don't think it is a problem with Media Player. I think it is more to do with the CDRom.

Anic

superscaper wrote:

I doubt it, itunes 7 does not support windows 98. To be pedantic, as silly as it is, ripping CDs is still illegal, so the CDs you are trying to rip may have copy protection on them.

I had thought might be the cause too but when I put in an older CD which I have already saved some song from it gave me the same messages.