[PC] Disc Read Errors

[Badmagic]

If there is a topic somewhere on this already that someone knows a link to I'd appreciate it if they post the link, after a while searching and reading a great many posts I cant find one that matches the issue.

 

Install was a bit of a nightmare, putting disc 1 into the drive for the first time gave me the autorun menu and I proceeded to install and verify the five billion applications and security checks the game required.

 

On request I extracted disc 1 and inserted disc 2… the system thinks about… then it thinks about it some more… then it thinks about it a little bit more… and nothing happens.

 

If I browse “My Computer” the disc drive reads as if nothing is inserted, trying to explore the drive results in the auto eject being triggered with the “No disc, do you want help in discovering what disc to put in?” Microsoft Vista spam that's almost as horrendous as the infamous paper-clip.

 

Turned out I just had to keep opening and closing the drive repeatedly until somewhere between attempt 10 and 20 oh, it reads it now.

 

When finalising the installation the dialogue requested I extracted disc 2 and insert disc 1, oh joy, here we go again, somewhere around reinserting attempt #5,000 it finally read the disc and finalised the installation process.

 

Now, finally after installing I am logged into Rockstar Games Social Club, I’m also logged into Games for Windows Live but no you guessed it, although I already entered my unique licence key code and verified my copy of the game and account details and handed over a pound (or three) of flesh I still need the disc to launch the game (paranoid much folks).

 

Now once the disc has been recognised by the drive (Securom must have [CENSORED] up on these rare occasions as its not blocking the disc being read) if I remove the disc for any reason or god forbid have to reboot I have to go through this side-show freak-show of eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert- eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert-eject-insert-etc until the disc is recognised and I am permitted to launch the game I just paid a wad of cash for.

 

The drive in question works with every other game I own including brand new bloatware infected titles like Fallout 3, Farcry 2 etc, every DVD I own, every music CD I own, any/all writeable DVD’s and CD’s I own but magically has issues reading the GTAIV disc’s 49/50 times.

 

It’s also worth mentioning I have had a very close look at the disc’s for any/all possible visible defects or any hint at all of damage, they have none.

 

So, with all that said has anyone seen, heard, discovered a solution to this rigmarole?

 

[adrenaline15]

i have this problem too, so i decided to make a mini image of my 2nd disc, disc 1 reads, 2 doesnt. while all other games i have, call of duty 5 and such are able to read. please dont get me wrong, i did not pirate the game, i have all the bloody proof in the world to show i bought the game for 60SGD.

 

so i installed it using disc 1 n mini image disc 2, no problems, however, when i start the game, RGSC wont start up, nothing happens when i do execute it. it just shows up RGSC.exe in task manager for a sec, then it shuts off by itself.

 

i have not a single idea wats happening but this sure sounds like a rockstar prevention for using disc images.

 

sad to say, so far i have no solutions to it.

[PolarisX]

Unlike most of the other games you guys mention the 2 discs for GTA are DVD9's . . . Dual Layer. At the outset i would guess your drives are having trouble reading the data off the dual layer discs.

 

Id maybe grab a DVD that is in DVD9 format and see if you can read it, most popular movies have enough extras to have to be put onto DVD9's. If you cant read those then atleast you know where you stand. It was my understanding that dual layer was backwards compatible with older drives but maybe not yours . . . just a thought.

[adrenaline15]

ahh, i see. but the strangest part is how come disc 1 reads and disc 2 doesnt?

[tinkerbell32]

Oh I'm very interested in how you solved the not-recognize disc thing?

 

 

I got to install the game like you, both discs read fine.

Then I go trough the crap of the Windows LIVE stuff, not the social club (2 online accounts needed? wtf?), then I had to update the social club I just installed (great! why do I bother buying a DVD if I need to update the software on it after not even using it for a day) with some Windows LIVE update.

Did that, restarted the social club. Same message appears: I had to update it. Crap bullocks, I just did it!

Ugh, I rebooted, and that solved it: the message is gone.

Then OH MY GOD, securom says I don't have the correct DVD in my drive - funny, this message is in my native language, not in my XP English language.

Great, I reboot a second time.

Now I have the disc spinning endlessly in my drive - it won't recognize the disc.

I uninstalled daemon tools, just to try something out.

But still, after 5 reboots, same thing: my disc is not recognized anymore (both discs actually) - tested a CD, that still works.

 

Daaaaammmmn you rockstar!!!!

 

edit: my DVD drive now only reads normal CDs, no more DVDs! Damn, I bought a new computer just for GTA4, and now I can't play anything anymore.

Edited December 6, 2008 by tinkerbell32

[adrenaline15]

made an image of disc 2 and mounted that, that solved the installation of the game, then a new problem appear when RGSC auto exiting when launched.

[pauldamasta]

 

This is utter bullsh*t! I go buy this stupid DVD like a model consumer and pay money to get this crap. I am gonna download the pirated version so I can play it because my retarded Disc 1 reads once in ten million times. f*ck you rockstar.