Rick, I'm not sure why your drive says "DVD-ROM" on the case, but a quick check of Lite-On's Web site verifies that the LTN-486S is indeed a CD-ROM drive, and not a combination CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. What that means is that you're out of luck as far as playing DVDs on that drive. DVD and CD drives use lasers of different wavelengths to read discs (and the physical composition of the two types of discs reflects that). Basically, your CD-ROM drive has only one laser, the type that reads CDs. CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drives have both types of lasers and let you read and write CDs but only read DVDs. And DVD burners have both, allowing you read and write both DVDs and CDs.

At this point, the easiest solution is probably just to upgrade your drive. Obviously, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive would solve your problem, but DVD drives are pretty inexpensive these days, and you can easily pick one up for less than $100, even ones that support double-layer DVDs, such as the Plextor PX-716A. You can go even cheaper if you don't need double-layer support or the fastest write speeds. If you're not into the idea of installing the drive yourself (though it's not that hard), you can opt for an external drive, which connects via USB 2.0 or FireWire. Unfortunately, external drives are more expensive than their internal counterparts. Take a spin through our reviews of DVD burners to see what's out there for you.