# Is This CD Protected **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345 "2009-02-04T01:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/1 "2009-02-04T01:49:32Z")
I am looking to buy an mp3 player so I’ve been ripping my CDs onto my computer in an mp3 format. No problems so far EXCEPT. I have one CD that won’t play in my computer. I figured OK it’s damaged. So I try it in my CD walkman. Plays perfect. I try it in my DVD player. Plays perfect. I took it to some other CD players it plays fine. I tried it on 2 other computers. Will not play. In fact not on any computer, will the computer even recognize the CD, it says do you want to format the blank CD. I’m thinking that somehow this particular CD is copyright protected? It’s a Sheena Easton CD called _Freedom._ I got it in 1999 as an import from Virgin Records. It was released only in Japan. Is there any other explination you can think of as why this particular CD won’t play, other than somehow it’s protected. Like I said, the CD plays fine in a player, but I tried it in three different computers and none will recognize the CD. All my other CDs have ripped fine, at least so far, so it can’t be my computer, can it? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/2 "2009-02-04T01:53:14Z")
Oh by the way I’m not looking for a way to circumvent the copyright protection, if that is indeed what it is. I’m just wondering if I could be overlooking something ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/3 "2009-02-04T02:12:51Z")
There’s usually listings on the intarwebs about what CDs are copy protected, a little googling should turn up the info, and its something you should do if any of your music was released by Sony as the copy protection is malware. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/4 "2009-02-04T02:17:25Z")
I don’t think that CD piracy was really an issue yet in 1999, though, was it? At least, not enough that the record companies would have been taking measures against it. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/5 "2009-02-04T02:18:56Z")
Thanks I’ll try that. The lable is MCA (and again it was only issued in Japan) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/6 "2009-02-04T02:22:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t think that CD piracy was really an issue yet in 1999, though, was it? At least, not enough that the record companies would have been taking measures against it. Yes, a few CDs from around then _did_ have copy protection on them. (The Fiona Apple CD I bought around then had it.) Its relatively easy to defeat these days, but it was there. It might help to know what software the OP is using to rip the CDs. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/7 "2009-02-04T02:33:18Z")
I tried it with the DVD riper that came with my Windows Vista Home Premium sp1. I also tried it with Cyberlink DVD suite. Both programs were able to rip CDs so far I’ve done like 25 cds, using both programs (I’m getting my CD collection ready for when I buy an mp3 player) So far no problems. But when I put this particular CD the drive won’t even recognize it. I can’t even play it back. With Windows and with Cybersuite it says “no media” then if I hit refresh it says “blank CD do you wish to format?” Like I said I’m not looking to circumvent the protection, I just was wondering if something else could be wrong? For all I know the CD could be bad, but it DOES play back fine in every CD player I tried. It even plays back well in my DVD player. I was thinking since this was an import issued only in Japan (Sheena was still big over there even after she decline here in the states), maybe they had copyright protection, as the Japanese are usually one step ahead of the Americans in stuff like that ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/8 "2009-02-04T02:40:35Z")
I have a [Kronos Quartet](http://www.kronosquartet.org/records/indiv.php?id=162) CD from 1997 that refuses to be recognized by the computer drive, on both OS X and XP. According to info on audio forums, sometimes the problems are caused by “enhanced” CDs. The advice I found was to use EAC (Exact Audio Copy) to rip the files because it usually works. I haven’t gotten around to trying it for the couple of problem CDs I have, but you might consider downloading that and giving it a try. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/9 "2009-02-04T02:40:47Z")
Any chance it’s a hybrid or, what did they call them, _enhanced CD_? One with video and other stuff on it, too? Sometimes those things were hard for PCs to figure out. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/10 "2009-02-04T03:31:26Z")
I’ve got kind of the opposite problem. A couple of my Alice Cooper DVD’s will play fine on my ex’s computer but not at all on my little 7" pocket DVD player. THe front page comes up with the “chapters” but that’s all it will do. I’d like to see them - him, not so much…so I’m not going over just to watch a video! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/11 "2009-02-04T03:50:39Z")
Mention of MCA rings a dim bell. IIRC, the CD consortium refused to allow some ‘enhanced’ discs to be labeled as Audio Compact Discs, because the enhancements were not according to the Audio Compact Disc standard. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/12 "2009-02-04T04:20:08Z")
[Look on the case for this logo.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CDDAlogo.svg) If it _isn’t_ present, the CD is _not_ up to spec (the [Red Book](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_(audio_CD_standard)), in specific) and its incompatibilities can cause problems. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/13 "2009-02-04T18:36:56Z")
_If_ you have a MS-Windows OS (ahem), try holding down the shift key while inserting the disc. If that works learn to turn off “autoplay” which is really important in this day and age. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cd-protected/484345/14 "2009-02-04T18:50:54Z")
I don’t use autoplay but I did some more experimenting and it’s definately the CD that’s causing issues. I don’t know whether it’s protected or just messed up but it’s causing the problems Here’s what I do. I put a five different CDs in the computer. No problems playing them. I put the Sheena Easton CD in there and now the computer doesn’t recognize the CD and says “want to format the CD?” I try going to explore no files show up on the drive. Then I took the CD out and put back each of the five that previously showed up. NOW none of those five CDs is recognized. It says “do you want to format CD?” So something in that Sheena Easton CD is causing issues. I go to reboot the computer. After reboot I put the each of the five CDs back in and they all play fine again. So something in that Sheena Easton CD is causing the computer issues. Whethr it’s on purpose or maybe the CD is scratched or broke I don’t know. The CD plays fine without scratches in all the CD players I tried and my DVD player too. I also updated my Spybot, my AVG and my Malwarebytes, and Windows Defender and ran a scan of the computer. No issues at all So it’s gotta be the CD, interesting.