Well I think this might be the problem:

Talk:Xbox Linux Boot CD/DVD Burning HOWTO - Xbox-Linux

Older Thompson drives are pretty picky with what media types they read. Try alternating DVD media, try some games burned on Verbatim's or Taiyo Yuden's at 4x or 8x. Also, try burning a game to the same DVD media you burned the movie to and see if your Xbox will pick it up.

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so if i can somehow replace my DVD-ROM, it might fix my problem?

Maybe, but I would test if different DVD media works before replacing the DVD-ROM drive. Try different brands of DVD media before installing a new DVD-ROM drive. A good start is the same type of discs you burned the movie to. Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden discs have the most success for game backups across many different setups. You can get Verbatim's in most chain stores. You can get Taiyo Yuden's or Verbatim's online for cheap at sites like:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

DVD-R,DVD R Media,DVDR Blank Media,DVD R,DVD+R,Dual Layer,Double Layer,Printable DVD,DVD Case,Duplicator,USB Flash Memory,Ink Cartridges

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well... i think i just screwed up my dvd rom drive by trying to do teh thompson pot tweak guide. it wont recognize my lg movie dvd anymore either now. luckily i found a store that has an extra thompson dvd drive, and they will install it for $25, should i get it replaced or try to pot tweak it a little more to see if it will work?

Up to you really, I'm not familiar with the pot tweak for Thompson Xbox DVD-ROM drives. I assume it has to do with upping the voltage running into the drive so it can better read DVD's, there is a similar procedure for PS2. Your call really, I would probably get a Xbox DVD-ROM that is a bit less picky with media, the Samsung and Phillips drives are supposed to be less picky with DVD media. I have a HL DVD-ROM in my v1.6 Xbox, it reads pretty much all burned DVD+/-R's that I've tried with it, it does not read CD-R's well at all though. That's normal though, the HL drives are supposed to boot burned CD's 3 in 10 times, it's significantly less in my case.

If it were me, sure try the pot tweak, if that doesn't work, then get a Philips or Samsung replacement drive.

How many different types of recordable DVD media have you tried? If you have only tried one or two brands, that is not a large enough sample size to determine that your DVD-ROM drive will not read DVD+/-R media successfully. This is particularly true for low grade media, my Xbox has never really had issues with Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim media.

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If you wanted to see if the games worked you should have just FTP'd a game to the HDD to see if it worked. The dashboard you use doesn't run the game so it wouldn't matter which you use BTW. Odds are the Thomson just didn't like the DVD brand.

That's a good idea for alleviating general hardware failure, but that doesn't appear to be the case here. If his dash and apps run fine, more likely it's just his DVD-ROM being picky with DVD-/+R media.

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Yeah, I'm just saying that would have been the first thing I tried to see if it was the xbox, dvd drive, or media. If the game played off the HDD I would have known it was the media or dvd drive.

Verbatim works for the thompson drive.

now i know for sure that my dvd drive is finished... when i was trying to do the thompson pot tweak i went a little too far and didnt notice it. after i got it back in the right position, it still didnt work. im just gonna get a new drive now. oh and if u dont know what the thompson pot tweak is, here is a link

Thompson Potentiometer

Switching out the Xbox DVD-ROM drive isn't hard, here's a guide: Guide: Replacing The Xbox DVD Drive & Laser Assembly - XBox World Australia User Forum

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