USB DVD-RW drive doesn't work

When I bought my Aspire One D150 last fall, I also received the Acer Netbook Accessory Kit. I used the external DVD-RW drive to make recovery discs, as recommended, first thing. I haven't needed the DVD-RW drive since, so it's been in the original box for the last several months.

I tried to use the DVD-RW drive today to watch a DVD. The drive does get power, and I can open and close it. When I insert a disc & close the tray, the drive spins up and makes noises as if trying to read the disc. However, the drive never shows up in the file system, so I can't actually watch a DVD, or burn one.

What is going on? Surely the drive didn't magically break just by sitting around for a few months?

And as long as I'm asking a question, what in the world is the deal with this weird USB cable that came with the Accessory Kit? It has two USB "A" connectors and one mini plug. But the drive only works (well, USED to work, apparently!) if I plug in the second of the "A" connectors. So why are there two plugs?

 

The two large plugs need to be plugged in for the drive to work. So make sure you have both connected. The reason being is that the USB interface on the AAO's are low amperage and your drive is a "self powered" USB drive.

Basically what this means is that each USB port has a limited amperage output and your optical drive needs a certain amount of amperage input. You wil probably notice that one of the large plugs has a slightly thinner lead, this is because it only carries two wires inside it. The purpose of this is to take the overal amperage from two USB ports to give your optical drive enough power to run.

 

There's something else going on. If I plug in the 2-wire connector first, then the other connector, the drive doesn't work. It shows no signs of life, and doesn't appear up on the computer, as if it weren't there. I guess that's why I thought the drive was just broken.

If I plug in the one-wire connector first, the drive works.

Why should it matter what order I plug in the USB connectors?

At least it sorta-works. But having to connect the drive in a certain order is nonsense, particularly because this quirk isn't documented anywhere. I received no instructions at all with the accessory kit, which was a little odd. Most manufacturers will put in 2 or 3 pieces of paper, even for something that doesn't really need instructions. There is no information whatsoever regarding the accessory kit on Acer's website, and Google turns up nothing as well. Odd.

 

I can't say Ive ever seen this happen before. I do know though, that one of the wires if used by itself shouldn't work as it will only carry the voltage lines, not the signal lines. In theory, it should be fully functional if both of the large plugs are inserted. Either way, try plugging the small connector into the drive, then insert the two larger plugs into the laptop. The drive should then be fully functional.

Have you tried with the AC connector both connected and not connected? My guess would be that the power output of your USB ports isn't sufficient to run the drive.