I am having a problem with DVD-RW compatibility. I will present my
problem. Since you'll likely be unable to diagnose the problem
exactly, I am looking for an exhaustive list of possible solutions.

I am using a Dell PC desktop, two or three years old, running Windows
XP. I have a Samsung DVD-ROM SD-616T drive installed. It has always
worked flawlessly.

But this is the first time I have attempted to read DVD-RW discs. I
hired a service to rip my entire music library onto DVD-RWs. Now I
have the DVD-RWs, and my computer does not recognize them.

I get no error message. The system simply behaves as if there is no
disc in the drive.

The discs I have are HP brand DVD-RWs.

I have contacted Dell customer service twice to try to solve the
issue. Both times, I chatted online with technical support. The first
guy's English was so terrible that he never understood the problem. He
finally sent me the link to a patch that had nothing to do with the
DVD-ROM drive at all.

The second was a little better. He insisted that the DVD-RWs must be
defective, and refused to help further until I tested them on another
system.

I work long hours from home, and haven't had any time to take them to
someone else's system and test them. But just in case, I asked the
service to send me another set of DVD-RWs.

My brother-in-law said that some DVD-RW brands only work in certain
brands of DVD-ROM hardware. So that could be it, too.

As I said, I'm looking for as many ideas and as much material as
possible to help me solve this problem.

Does there exist online anywhere a downloadable patch for my problem?

What brands of DVD-RW does a Samsung DVD-ROM recognize?

Can you think of any other ingenious ways for me to get my music off
of these DVD's and onto my computer?

Thank you for the help.