MAT**bleep**A SR-8175 won't recognize burned data cds

Question

I did a fresh Windows 2000s install on an A21 P.  Everything is fine, except that the dvd/cd drive will not recognize or read burned data cds.  It reads store bought data cds, store bought music cds and burned music cds, but not burned data cds (I have not tried any dvds).
I tried to use the lenovo thinkpad optical drive update cd to see if it needed a firmware update, but of course it can't read the cd because it was burned.
There is a floppy optical drive checker also from lenovo.  That showed no drive.
Thanks in advance
TJM

Answer 1

Although, since when has a DVD that was rated for a higher speed NOT been able to be burned at a slower/lower speed?
Since always, if the data layer in the disc is sufficiently different from what the drive expects. In a high-speed drive, a disc with a high speed rating can be burned at any speed within the drive's range, often including very low speeds. But in a low-speed burner, high-speed media may not be usable at any speed, because its data layer is very different from what the drive was designed to work with. You may not be able to see the difference easily, but the drive does, and rejects the disc thinking it's defective.
Back before DVD drives and media were common, this problem arose all the time with people trying to read early CD-RW discs in the CD-ROM drives of older Macs: it couldn't be done. When the speed ratings of CD-R media skyrocketed to 48x and 52x, some CD-ROM drives couldn't read the high-speed CD-R media either, though that problem was less common.
When optical drives generally cost upwards of $200-250, it was hard to tell anyone that the simplest solution was to replace the outmoded drive with something newer and more capable. Now that you can buy a slot-loading high-speed dual-layer DVD burner with all the bells and whistles for under $100, it behooves anyone who can use those capabilities to go ahead and get one. As for me, I've never tried to burn a DVD in my UJ-815, and now that slow media are almost impossible to find, I probably never will. If I decide to burn more than one or two DVDs sometime, I'll replace my drive. You might save yourself some hassle by doing the same.
As for -RW media, I never bother with it: it's way overpriced and too often has problems. I've always had good luck with the cheapest CD-R discs on sale at Costco, Staples, etc. for about 15 cents apiece in large packages. I occasionally burn an archival disc using high-priced 200-year Delkin or MAM-A media, but for the most part, cheapies serve me fine.