Computer does not recognize disk

Don’t know what I said that was pirated.

I am not interested in installing windows 10.

I don’t understand most of what you say, especially all the initials.

Please don’t write me any more.

I am obviously too ignorant to post on this forum so I won’t be back.

@speedstep and @savvy2 - OBVIOUSLY I DIDN'T KNOW THE ITEM I LINKED WAS PIRATED, OR ALLEGEDLY PIRATED, AND LINK WAS REMOVED.

I don’t believe I said that because I never had occasion to do so.

sorry you got bogged down in Initials, they are actual abreactions. or acronyms.

or as some say buzzzz words,  all technology has this language, for sure even your doctor and in Latin, OMG.

HDD = hard disks drive, or SSD solid stated drive,
DISK = has mast meanings, HUGE< and must have 2nd word for anyone to know it or in CONTEXT.

CPU, the PCs processors yours is 13 years old. (Core2, Celeron) only the most newest CORE2 CPU runs w10-32 bit. so upgrades are impossible above w7 not knowing your EXACT CPU, model and stepping version. OK>

Central Processing unit,  this PC came with 512MB of ram (some did) and w10 will not load with that,ever.

Format?  the HDD is formatted many ways,  (Linux formats are not like windows, unless great care is done)

DVD , has many forms not just one, it has DVD-ROM (made by machine like you see at Walmart for Movies)

DVD-R recordable or DVD+R  ,  many DVD drives can not read this format, (the R means recorded at home)

CDrom, (machine made in huge volumes) like Walmart CDDA music disks or old XP installers from dell or MS.
CD-r like DVD-r  and again the R means recordable, and many a DRIVE can not handle this media for sure drive not supporting it, or weak or bad or media old. 13 years old is very very old.

DRIVE< the CD or DVD drive is the box that does it all, called  DRIVE< it spins the disk and reads the disk.

DRIVE can be a HDD or SSD, too, and is box with all that inside,magic,

USD boots,  all PCs 10 years old do this. 13yo is iffy but that video I posted tells you it works.

this  PC , to use USB one must go into BIOS and turn on USB ports all, and set them to boot first in ORDER.

seen as BOOT ORDER, first. of using DVD to boot set order to DVD.

The video posted at 10 seconds  in shows boot sequence can be also USB or CD rom.

Then same video , enable all SATA ports in this PC.

turn on SMART monitoring next.

at sata operation, set autodetect,. AHCI, (or legacy if that fails)

at video Integrated NIC< set it to ON and never set it to ON /PXE EVER> you never want it to boot to PXE and fail you will. if PXE is enabled !!!

NEXT is USB controller in the video,, are you watching it?

set this to  ON, do not pick NO BOOT or USB boots will be DEAD.

USB quad and DUAL and front must be ON,  or they will BE DEAD.

all PCI slots ACTIVE.

WAY DOWN, TURN OFF TPM. (THIS IS super old , class 1?UEFI JUNK) OFF. FOR SURE.

DO NOT SET BIOS PASSWORDS.

that is about it,

learn 1 thing, how to turn on all PORTs, and how to set boot order and learn how to boot DVD and USB installer sticks. (USB sticks means,  USB thumb drives, memory sticks, or as called no uDISK)

learn that HP PCs are not DELL and no DELL has HP BIOS nor does any HP have DELL BIOS, EVER>

you must learn both to be effective in your work as a tech.

BIOS is one of the most complex topics on Computers and is not standardized at ALL.

and the makers do not document BIOS, thus my posting of the wonder video of all BIOS SETTINGS just THIS PC.

"will not read linux,"

what does that mean, tell what you mean by  that statement. (tell you you did that?

windows, OS, can not read LINUX formatted disks of most kinds,  LINUX is not WINDOWS. (fat32 can share)

did you mean you are running, windows, and you inserted a Linux install DVD, and windows, explorer can not see the disk,  that is normal and at linux web site (1000 exist non stated by you) the tell you to boot the DVD

only that. and you need to erase the HDD first, or linux will not like what it sees there. ok>?

if only we can see what is in hand and what you did with linux something.

good luck to you.

  because it is not NTFS 

no that is not what it told you, sorry, it told you , that UEFI NTSF is there and you are trying to break a UEFI safe  disk HDD.

the cure is only one , erase the HDD, then install W10

learn this , UEFI protects the owner of the HDD< from others reading it  or using it on an alien PC.

it is also protected at the W10 install level too,  Setup.exe. the installers sees you attacking a locked UEFI set of partitions and that is not legal now. (new rules)

erase the drive first ( this comments you have all data backed up,  "BASICS")

hAfter my first post I got 3 or 4 posts, one every couple of hours from a Dell robot asking for details on my computer. I could not figure out how to reply as none of the buttons got me anywhere useful. I thought it was part of the thread so I finally posted it there. What I got was a notice that it was no longer under warranty, even though I never mentioned expecting that jt was. I also got a lot of flak from you guys. Is that the pirated material you are talking about?

OK. command prompt is not DOD, it is only analagous and just looks like it. I am not allowed to get to it on a library computer.

Thank you for your post.

As of now, I accept that the disks are probably not top notch even if they only work sometimes. The DVD player seems to be a generic model commonly used in refurbishes. so definitely not top notch. Not thrilled with the corrupted Windows 7 pro idea. Wiping the disk I have done and is a real time burner so not likely to try that at this time since antivirus scans are all negative. 

I did want to have some windows program on the new hard drive. I had paid $20 for a 260GB refurbished drive with windows 10, but got a 1Tb one with no OS. I wrote to the seller and he said the shipping guy must have pulled the wrong one, he would send me another. I told him it was OK, I didn’t need another h.d. I have installed Linux Mint which was my prime intent. If I can figure out how to install Win 7 when all I got when I tried was that I couldn’t, I will. If not I can always try a virtual os. got plenty of gb to play with.

Maybe it is possible to reformat a partition for windows. At the moment I am exhausted with this. So not really willing to think about it.

The unknowingly "pirated" material in question was a link I gave for a DVD with Win10 v.1909.  Please see screengrabs.  They'll show once approved by a moderator.

Tip:  In Android, from a cell phone anyway, photos don't show while signed in.  A tag like @bradthetechnut also doesn't show while signed in.

Also, where are you now with things?

Are the ones that can be read CDs and the ones that cannot be read DVDs?

they are called optical disk drivers now.

they can read CD or DVD or Blueray

the latter drives can read the older media,  CD and DVD.

DVD can read CD.

I have blueRay in mine and comes with a manual  and lists vast kinds of media supported

like this (I do not have your full optical drive sticker data facts to know )

LG example modern.  A drive that burns disks costs more and is MORE.

See why when you say the word DISK it means zero,  this list proves that fact.

all old disks get scratched or the drive optics packed in lint ever clean the DRIVE? DVD? be wise to... !!!!

this is a DISK or optical DISK,.

if burning disks and not using top brands, they can fail in any possible why, even STALL.

OLD PC problems, it's old, expect this, you must,

• no photos of disks presented. not one. ( we are blind and not gawd like, working blind = FAIL)
• DVD drives, can fail this old or be dirty inside, blow out the optics yet,? called normal service.
• DVD disks can be bad, for sure scratched or cracked or worn or even burned WRONG ! are they DVD-R ?
• Linux (unstated of 1000s) only installed from boot media, and best to an erased HDD>
• if you erase a HDD with DOD erase APP'S.  it will take days, so don't use DOD , just a single pass of 0s. oK. DOD is for them CIA, or NSA< not you , ever. use simple ERASE FAST , OK>?
• Ask for what to do, not guess ,ask, I use killdisk.exe to do that in single pass mode.
• Does your old Window7 have all 350 updates, gee if not then it can be infected the statement hear it is drama rings wo HOLLOW !,  infections are HUGE> proof here, and more.
• You have no bandwidth to the web in some library, will that is easy answer, go somewhere else and get your ISO files for Linux or windows,  who has bandwidth, or at home , if not then you have only one choice no buy the INSTALL Media from a top professional. (pre made on DVD or USB stick , USB is best)
• windows does not read Linux media, the reverse is does or can.  ? OK boot the Linux installer is correct.
• Most PCs this old have bad RTC coin cell, that is first to cure , never last , or CHAO happens.
• Most PC this old the HDD fails smart tests,  and is hopeless to install any OS to any bad HDD, we test the hDD first on all PCs, a PC Service 101, #1 do that now. test. OK> is this clear.?
• We erase  HDD only when windows installer fails to work to it, then run HDD S.M.A.R>T test if that passes we run killdisk.exe single pass and like magic the windows installer likes your HDD, is this clear?
• if the old HDD fails SMART tests we crush it and trash it. there is no cures on earth for bad hdd. zero, without $10,000 in the wild fund that is.
• The free version of killdisk does only one pass, and is fast and best for this job.
• If you have working OS, put the HDD to be erased in the 2nd SATA port and use CCcleaner free, and erase it.
• Try to learn that any infected PC can also scramble HDD formatting so bad the W7/8/10 installs do not like the disk it deems it ALIEN, and STALLS>  I can demo that to you  all you want, it's not magic this.
• Again and last DO EXPECT trouble with old PCs, old batteries ,old hdd and for sure junk DVDs laying about made by larry the cable guy. (or on wrong media , or made or burned WRONG)
• OK one more ever seen a USB DVD drive, I have one and boots on all my DELLS, on demand $15 bucks.
• we use that on PCs that have dead DVD drive and we MUST use DVD.  All shops have one, or go nuts.
• It too need new clean DVD media for it to work.

Sounds to me your top problems are

NO BANDWIDTH,  (ISO images of  4GB  are too big) wow that is SHOW STOPPER THAT NO?

Bad MEDIA (weak or burned wrong, or the media is infected, or worse)

BAD DRIVES. DVD and HDD., bad RTC coin cell battery is due. over due.

Just because w7  seems runs ok, does not mean the HDD is ok,  run smart tests, first. ok>???????

and full AV scans online (google that and learn how)

(windows 7 is  dead OS now, zero support. you might consider that, and upgrade)

zero support means , it is virus magnet worse , forward in time. from NOW.

just like XP is.

this is my summary of all things you told and did not do or respond. GOOD luck on OLD PC's.

I will answer INLINE now.

What about the MS Office 207 that is not recognized either. works fine on 

the DISK IS WEAK (happens and no photos of it by you to us) or the drive is bad, or weak and fails gee IT IS OLD.

As I said, the Linux disk does work on my really old Optiplex, GX620. That is why I thought about switching the dvd drives. (no stated method or symptoms stated when it failed told at all just fails, why?

My guess is you  do not have the skills to get any DVD to boot using BIOS setting right,

The DVD must be in the boot order first. ok and when you power on any old PC you must hammer the space bar (most easy key on earth) and that makes the DVD boot, that is called the El Torito RULE.

some PCs are devoid of El Torito rules and just boot the DVD, if first in the ORDER LIST.

oK, is this clear, BIOS IS NOT EASY, and varies by maker and model and year and versions,, oK<> ?

The Linux disk also installed on an old HP which happens to have the same model of dvd drive as the Optiplex that is not working

OK the disks seems OK , kinda.  (disks can be weak, and so can any DVD drive on earth and for SURE OLD or OMG the 2nd PC is not certified to do DVD-R disks, at all. no sticker model of drive stated. or photos of the DELL sticker on top of DRIVE.)

btw ,my other post of BIOS shows this PC is in fact UEFI free, that is why I posted that video

and to see that the video maker documented the whole settings every page, UNLIKE DELL !!!!!

That Video is your treasure trove, watch it and learn  the settings, clearly.,  watch it and learn.

For me and I am sure  all,

we do not know what DISK you have, not at all.  (good ,bad, weak, or are DVD-R and burned wrong)

nobody can just guess that and not ONE PHOTO IF IT POSTED (making help 10x more hard) by you.