How can i make sure my cd is a faulty one?

[Billekentrek]

I bought this bloody copy of Emperor: Battle for Dune and i can't even install it. Tried several things and my only option left: it's a defect disc. the install disc has a strange sort of haze over it, the house-cd's don't. This couldn't possibly be the copy-protection, can it? (sounds very ridiculous to me) Westwood claims my cd-rom can't read the copyprotection and that i just should buy a new cd-rom. (wow, thanks a lot westwood, that really solved my problem! #&$%!!)
If anyone has any suggestions (even silly ones, i don't care) please tell me, i'm desperate.

[q3arenakman]

Ok - i have emporer: battle for dune - is this 'copy' an original?
and from memory, only the first disc is protected - but there is no haze on any of the 4 discs, just a protection scheme on the first - im not quite sure on that though.
and the best advice would be to get your hands on an original copy of Red Alert 2 and see if your cd drive can read it. if it cant, (it uses the same protection) then i would reccomend investing in a new drive, becuase a lot of games coming out have the same protection scheme. if you can read and play red alert 2, then i'd ##### it in a friends/store's computer. if they work, theyres no way out - buy a cd writer or buy a new cd rom!

[Ghost rider]

the copy protection on a disc has no effect on wether or not a cdrom can read the media the fault is more than likely to lie with cdrom the haze you describe on the disc is because these discs are pressed in a machine and not burnt on a writer any original disc is pressed the fact that it wont even install suggests that your cdrom is not capable of reading the data layout looks like you will have to follow westwoods advice and get a replacement drive go for plextors as these in my opinion are currently the market leaders