Strange problem not being able to copy files from cdrs or dvds

[Synergy67]

This is bizarre. Suddenly, my computer will no longer let me move/copy any kind or size of file from a cd-rom, cdr, or dvd in either my internal Toshiba dvd drive or my Sony external drive. One's on internal ATA, the other on external USB 2.0, via a USB 2.0 card. I can read files on the disks fine. I get a "not permitted" white circle with a diagonal cross through it when I try to drag and drop copy a file to my desktop. My attempt to do so anywhere else on my computer but the desktop results in the file bouncing back to its original location, uncopied.

I have 4GB of hard drive space available. I just ran Disk First Aid and repaired the disk and permissions. There were no disk errors to repair, just a couple insignificant permissions.

It gets weirder. I can control click on a file or folder on a mounted disk, and it will let me create an archive of those materials to the desktop. I just can't copy it directly as is.

Someone have any idea what is going on here? Help please.

Thanks,

Doug

 

[Sky Blue]

Have you checked the permissions on the Desktop folder (Get Info) your user should have read/write access.

 

[Synergy67]

My user>desktop folder has permission to read/write. Same with the hard drive icon itself. I am able to zip an archive and have it appear on my desktop.

 

[Synergy67]

I seem to have discovered the largest piece of this puzzle. I CAN copy files from some cdrs or dvds still, as it turns out. The dvds giving me trouble are ones with long titles, maxed or nearly maxed in possible dvd title length. Something about the OS seems unable to handle the path for copying from a source with a too long titled dvd to my computer. Or something like this. I'm not a programmer, just a user who loves his Mac. I bet someone here can tell me now, though, eh?

Now, what I'm wondering is why? Why should this even be possible to be an issue with no way to know it would even be a problem? The only way I can now extract data from a number of dvds I've burned for backups is to zip the contents to my hard drive and unzip them once there. Thank God for that much, but still...anyone know what the exact problem here, and whether this is the sort of thing Apple should have caught?

I'm running OS 10.4.11