Since I am a Macintosh guy, I had to buy a Windows-based computer in order to download my PB420E data using Silverlining software. (I got a nice Dell laptop for $187 on ebay. It works great and appears to be a retired corporate machine). The machine runs Windows 98 (meets Silverlining system requirements).
When I insert the Silverlining disk and click on the d: CD icon, I get a warning that says "d:\ is not responding. Device is not ready."
I inserted a couple other Windows software CDs, and they worked fine. I also took some steps recommended on the Windows technical support site: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=218617 Nothing seemed to work.
I then called Puritan Bennett and talked to a nice guy named Chris who said he knew what the problem was and knew the solution, but HE COULD NOT TELL ME! (It's the silly FDA rule that only the DME and doctor can provide technical support to a patient. He also admonished me that SL is not for patient use. Chris deserves kudos from his employer for holding fast and complying 100% with FDA regulations--much to my detriment).
The nice folks at cpap.com struck out in helping me as well.
So, I have a nice $187 Dell laptop, and I cannot install the only software I need.
It's brushes with Windows like this that remind me why I'm a Macintosh guy (What's more, my wife was not in favor of my $187 purchase, and I really don't want to go to her with my tail between my legs when this $187 purchase proves to be a fools errand).
I know some of you have a great deal of computer savvy. Can somebody please help?
Thanks!
George
Computer Nerd Needed: Silverlining/Windows Problems
Hi George.
Sounds to me like the CD drive may be "bad". If you have some more CD's that you KNOW will work in a CD drive, try some of those. I'm sure that drive is one that is removable. You might also try taking it out and putting it back in (there should be a "latch" or release on the bottom). One other thing you should check is to look in the BIOS setup (you'll have to hit F2 as it's starting to boot up) and check the settings for that drive (if there are any). You didn't say which model it is, but you should be able to get another CD drive for it.....shouldn't be TOO expensive. There should also be a "Service Tag" number on a sticker on the bottom of it. You should be able to go to the Dell website and get further information on that computer with that tag number.
Good luck.
Den
Sounds to me like the CD drive may be "bad". If you have some more CD's that you KNOW will work in a CD drive, try some of those. I'm sure that drive is one that is removable. You might also try taking it out and putting it back in (there should be a "latch" or release on the bottom). One other thing you should check is to look in the BIOS setup (you'll have to hit F2 as it's starting to boot up) and check the settings for that drive (if there are any). You didn't say which model it is, but you should be able to get another CD drive for it.....shouldn't be TOO expensive. There should also be a "Service Tag" number on a sticker on the bottom of it. You should be able to go to the Dell website and get further information on that computer with that tag number.
Good luck.
Den
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User since 05/14/05
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George, Sorry I know nothing about SilverLining, but if as you said all other CD's work fine in the drive and this one does not, I would not suspect the drive. The SL CD probably has some type of special coding on it to make it harder to install unless you know the proper routine. For example, it may be as simple as 'AutoRun' being disabled. How are you trying to access the CD? By double-clicking the drive letter in My Computer?
With the SL CD in the tray, open My Computer, find the D:\ drive icon, and right-click it. This will open a drop-down menu. Choose 'Explore' and left-click it. This should open windows Explorer and let you see the files on the CD. Look for one called 'Setup.exe' or 'Install.exe', and double-click it. You might have to open sub-folders to find the install executable.
Are you certain that the SL CD is intact (has it worked for you in other machines)? Try the CD in another PC if possible to see what happens.
Put an audio CD in the laptop drive to make certain the drive works. If the drive consistently reads ALL other CD's, there is nothing wrong with the drive.
Good luck!
With the SL CD in the tray, open My Computer, find the D:\ drive icon, and right-click it. This will open a drop-down menu. Choose 'Explore' and left-click it. This should open windows Explorer and let you see the files on the CD. Look for one called 'Setup.exe' or 'Install.exe', and double-click it. You might have to open sub-folders to find the install executable.
Are you certain that the SL CD is intact (has it worked for you in other machines)? Try the CD in another PC if possible to see what happens.
Put an audio CD in the laptop drive to make certain the drive works. If the drive consistently reads ALL other CD's, there is nothing wrong with the drive.
Good luck!
Thanks for the input--but darn it, the thing still doesn't work.
To answer your questions:
It's a Dell Latitude CPi
Other CDs work fine: Music, data, and software.
However, if I insert a blank CD, I get the same message: "D: is not accessible. The device is not ready".
Things looked OK in BIOS
I've tried the CD in a colleague's machine and it works fine.
I disabled auto run
I've banged my head against the wall several times and it still won't work.
Any other suggestions?
To answer your questions:
It's a Dell Latitude CPi
Other CDs work fine: Music, data, and software.
However, if I insert a blank CD, I get the same message: "D: is not accessible. The device is not ready".
Things looked OK in BIOS
I've tried the CD in a colleague's machine and it works fine.
I disabled auto run
I've banged my head against the wall several times and it still won't work.
Any other suggestions?
-
Jan in Colo.
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 11:54 pm
- Location: Colorado
I'm not a computer geek at all, know practically nothing AND don't even have that software yet.
But did I read in another thread that "device not read" referred to the concept that you didn't have your 420E hooked up to the computer yet? The "device" in question is actually the 420E?
I think that's what I read anyway. Do a search on Silverlining software, this problem has been encountered before...
Jan in Colo.
But did I read in another thread that "device not read" referred to the concept that you didn't have your 420E hooked up to the computer yet? The "device" in question is actually the 420E?
I think that's what I read anyway. Do a search on Silverlining software, this problem has been encountered before...
Jan in Colo.
George,
Sorry I missed the part in your first post where you said that other CDs were working in it.
Another thing you might try is to get a copy of the CD burned to another CD. I've seen some instances where some CDs don't want to spin in some drives. This may be caused by the thickness of the CD at the center or some other dimensional differences (I don't know....I've never quite figured it out). However, I'm not sure if I've ever encountered this situation on a CD that's been provided by a software company (where it wouldn't spin). This could also account for the situation you described on blank CDs.....depending on what brand they were.
Beyond that, I'm kinda stumped, but it still may come back to the drive itself. I definitely HAVE seen this happen before. Last year, we had some NEW Dell SX-270 computers (that use laptop CD drives) that had problems reading certain parts of "factory" CDs and by swapping the drives they then worked fine.
Good luck.
Den
Sorry I missed the part in your first post where you said that other CDs were working in it.
Another thing you might try is to get a copy of the CD burned to another CD. I've seen some instances where some CDs don't want to spin in some drives. This may be caused by the thickness of the CD at the center or some other dimensional differences (I don't know....I've never quite figured it out). However, I'm not sure if I've ever encountered this situation on a CD that's been provided by a software company (where it wouldn't spin). This could also account for the situation you described on blank CDs.....depending on what brand they were.
Beyond that, I'm kinda stumped, but it still may come back to the drive itself. I definitely HAVE seen this happen before. Last year, we had some NEW Dell SX-270 computers (that use laptop CD drives) that had problems reading certain parts of "factory" CDs and by swapping the drives they then worked fine.
Good luck.
Den
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
I can think of two possible reasons for the probelm. First reason is that the CD has defect. You can test this by loading your CD on other computer. Another possible reason is that your CD drive is too old, which has problem to read certain CD media. Some old computers in our organization has problem to read some CDs that support higher speed.
If you can read the CD from other computer, you can copy the folder from the CD to some other media, such as USB memory or even another CD, and transfer the folder to your computer. Good luck.
If you can read the CD from other computer, you can copy the folder from the CD to some other media, such as USB memory or even another CD, and transfer the folder to your computer. Good luck.
I've never seen a situation where a functioning drive wouldn't spin a CD, but I have seen older drives not read certain media.Wulfman wrote:George,
Sorry I missed the part in your first post where you said that other CDs were working in it.
Another thing you might try is to get a copy of the CD burned to another CD. I've seen some instances where some CDs don't want to spin in some drives. This may be caused by the thickness of the CD at the center or some other dimensional differences (I don't know....I've never quite figured it out). However, I'm not sure if I've ever encountered this situation on a CD that's been provided by a software company (where it wouldn't spin). This could also account for the situation you described on blank CDs.....depending on what brand they were.
Beyond that, I'm kinda stumped, but it still may come back to the drive itself. I definitely HAVE seen this happen before. Last year, we had some NEW Dell SX-270 computers (that use laptop CD drives) that had problems reading certain parts of "factory" CDs and by swapping the drives they then worked fine.
Good luck.
Den
"To sleep, perchance to dream"
The suggestion of burning it on another computer and trying the burn sounds best to me.
If it does not read on your computer, but it does on another, then yes it may be that there are defects with that disc and due to possible poor quality of the drive on your laptop, it is unable to read it. This would explain why it works on another computer, with a better drive, while still letting you use other discs on this computer of better condition.
If another data disc (something besides music) works on the computer than I wouldnt suspect anything wrong with settings anywhere, including autorun because the computer isn't seeing anything about that particular disc. Like I said, the biggest possibility is that it is a combination of poor drive quality/functioning and poor disc quality. Try copying it on the computer it does work on.
I dont think its the fact its not a Mac, its the fact that you bought a 187 dollar laptop on ebay
Report back if the disc could not be copied, that would be a sign of a poor disc, or if you could not see the disc once it was copied. I dont know that would be a sign of I would not bother spending money on a new drive at this point until youve ruled out the disc having issues. I assume it is a brand new disc so if that is the case, I would recommend you requesting a new one. If it is used then that would go along with it possible being a problem with the disc.
wkwchau's suggestion is good as well if that is feasable. I would assume the software is not very large so if someone has a good thumb drive than it would be a good way to get it on the computer so you can install it like you would on the CD. Or get the person with the computer to transfer it to you via a messenger type program. That may be delving into some shady areas of copyright protection. You own the software so it shouldn't be too bad but just be aware.
Keep updated, ill see what I can see.
If it does not read on your computer, but it does on another, then yes it may be that there are defects with that disc and due to possible poor quality of the drive on your laptop, it is unable to read it. This would explain why it works on another computer, with a better drive, while still letting you use other discs on this computer of better condition.
If another data disc (something besides music) works on the computer than I wouldnt suspect anything wrong with settings anywhere, including autorun because the computer isn't seeing anything about that particular disc. Like I said, the biggest possibility is that it is a combination of poor drive quality/functioning and poor disc quality. Try copying it on the computer it does work on.
I dont think its the fact its not a Mac, its the fact that you bought a 187 dollar laptop on ebay
Report back if the disc could not be copied, that would be a sign of a poor disc, or if you could not see the disc once it was copied. I dont know that would be a sign of I would not bother spending money on a new drive at this point until youve ruled out the disc having issues. I assume it is a brand new disc so if that is the case, I would recommend you requesting a new one. If it is used then that would go along with it possible being a problem with the disc.
wkwchau's suggestion is good as well if that is feasable. I would assume the software is not very large so if someone has a good thumb drive than it would be a good way to get it on the computer so you can install it like you would on the CD. Or get the person with the computer to transfer it to you via a messenger type program. That may be delving into some shady areas of copyright protection. You own the software so it shouldn't be too bad but just be aware.
Keep updated, ill see what I can see.
-
Guest
Do you have a USB port on the laptop? If so, you could install it via a peer-to-peer network with a data transfer cable like this one:
http://www.cwol.com/usb/usb-2-usb-data- ... -uc250.htm
http://www.cwol.com/usb/usb-2-usb-data- ... -uc250.htm
George,
As a computer geek who has worked with CDs since they were introduced I believe I can offer some clues.
There is a high probability that your cd reader in the dell being an earlier model, will have trouble reading newer CDs that are written at high speeds such as new CDs tend to be. I have this problem a lot & my 1st solution is to buy a new CD reader (they are soo cheap) but on a laptop this is not so easy so I merely copy the errant CD
The simple solution re this if you can do it is to find a computer that can read the SL CD and copy it but when writing the new CD choose a speed no faster the 8 x write and also try to choose a conventional blank CD (no fancy color dye on the writing side - light blue & silver are usually better).
Try to pick a blank with the slowest write speed written on the fron of it i.e. 24 X avoid CDs with say 52 X
I had this same problem trying to install AutoScan on my Win98 PC last week off a 52 X CD but I have a WiFi net & mounted the CD on another computer that could read it & shared it with the Win98 notebook over the network & got it installed.
If your Dell supports UTP (lan cable) can you connect to another PC and share the CD with the Del ?
Cheers
DSM
As a computer geek who has worked with CDs since they were introduced I believe I can offer some clues.
There is a high probability that your cd reader in the dell being an earlier model, will have trouble reading newer CDs that are written at high speeds such as new CDs tend to be. I have this problem a lot & my 1st solution is to buy a new CD reader (they are soo cheap) but on a laptop this is not so easy so I merely copy the errant CD
The simple solution re this if you can do it is to find a computer that can read the SL CD and copy it but when writing the new CD choose a speed no faster the 8 x write and also try to choose a conventional blank CD (no fancy color dye on the writing side - light blue & silver are usually better).
Try to pick a blank with the slowest write speed written on the fron of it i.e. 24 X avoid CDs with say 52 X
I had this same problem trying to install AutoScan on my Win98 PC last week off a 52 X CD but I have a WiFi net & mounted the CD on another computer that could read it & shared it with the Win98 notebook over the network & got it installed.
If your Dell supports UTP (lan cable) can you connect to another PC and share the CD with the Del ?
Cheers
DSM
xPAP and Quattro std mask (plus a pad-a-cheek anti-leak strap)
clean the laser lens?
I would tend to believe the problem is the older CD player and a high speed disc.
Is it possible to buy or borrow a USB connected CD player?
One other long shot. That CD player could have a LOT of mileage on it. Have you tried running a CD cleaner disc through the player? The laser might be getting weak or just being an older weaker type, might need all the help it can get.
Is it possible to buy or borrow a USB connected CD player?
One other long shot. That CD player could have a LOT of mileage on it. Have you tried running a CD cleaner disc through the player? The laser might be getting weak or just being an older weaker type, might need all the help it can get.
Remember:
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
Victory! Thanks everybody for the guidance!
I finally was able to install the Silverlining software; but only after several frustrating hours!
The final solution was a jump drive. Needless to say, Windows 98 requires a driver to read a usb drive; so I had to find a driver for my nameless generic jump drive. After downloading the driver, I learned that my machine didn't have winzip; so I had to download that...all on dialup. Arrrgh.
It was all worth it! My $187 Dell laptop runs Silverlining just fine, and I am amazed at the all the data it records. It's a wealth of information.
Thank you all for your advice and input. Now, if all the world could just learn the joy of the Macintosh.
George
I finally was able to install the Silverlining software; but only after several frustrating hours!
The final solution was a jump drive. Needless to say, Windows 98 requires a driver to read a usb drive; so I had to find a driver for my nameless generic jump drive. After downloading the driver, I learned that my machine didn't have winzip; so I had to download that...all on dialup. Arrrgh.
It was all worth it! My $187 Dell laptop runs Silverlining just fine, and I am amazed at the all the data it records. It's a wealth of information.
Thank you all for your advice and input. Now, if all the world could just learn the joy of the Macintosh.
George