malfunctioning dvd drive

[grass root]

i finally replaced my dvd drive and it now reads dvd's and automounts
them etc etc.  however, whenever i attempt to access them, ie vlc to run
a movie or guatu to run a comic, the drive simply hangs.  all this means
i cant access my dvd drive. 

im running a compaq armada E500 laptop.  can anyone tell me what they
think the problem might be?  i have a suspicion that it may be a driver
problem but cant find any linux drivers for compaq.  anyone have any
suggestions?