DVD drive help, please!

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

I tried a few dvds, including two that played on it before. I went to the Dell website and updated the driver. I did check the file location and nothing shows up at all. It's like the drive is empty. I also restarted it. I'm at a loss.
Thanks for trying to help. It's much appreciated.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

I tried a few dvds, including two that played on it before. I went to the Dell website and updated the driver. I did check the file location and nothing shows up at all. It's like the drive is empty. I also restarted it. I'm at a loss.
Thanks for trying to help. It's much appreciated.

Have you tried blowing inside it, failing to make it work and then shouting at it and drinking some beer?

If going down this route I also suggest finding a close friend or partner and banging on about it to them until they grow tired of your complaining and shout at you. then drinking more beer.

If all this fails try giving it to a ten year old and do not ecpect an explanation as to why it is now working.

Hope this helps.

a reply to: nonspecific

LOL Thanks. I actually did blow in it.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: nonspecific

LOL Thanks. I actually did blow in it.

So it's working now then?

Just if you are up to it, and nothing else work, i have had drives that wouldn't read specific CD/DVD/BD while others worked, but after a cleaning they all worked fine.

Try to use the right size of screw driver, the first time you remove the screws they might be tough to loosen because of screw glue, get a firm grip and try not to ruin the screw head, you are screwed if you do ruin it
Use something soft to clean, and maybe some non acid cleaning fluid, i suggest you DO NOT use air in a can, it can be a bad thing.

First video is your specific laptop, pause at 0:11, that screw he is pointing at is the screw that holds the DVD drive in place.

Remove it and you can slide out the drive without to much force, the drive itself might have additional screws to open it, and access the lens, that will be shown in the second video.


Second video is about the DVD drives and various types of DVD drive mounts and how to take them apart, it is more for you to understand what you might be looking at when you have the drive out, watch the whole video if you have 10 min.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

I tried a few dvds, including two that played on it before. I went to the Dell website and updated the driver. I did check the file location and nothing shows up at all. It's like the drive is empty. I also restarted it. I'm at a loss.
Thanks for trying to help. It's much appreciated.

Well, you did all of the right steps. Is it under warranty? I had one do something like this before, but I can't remember what we did. I know the drive didn't get replaced. You might try this - Fix It - and see if that helps at all. I wish I could recall what I did with no old one. One tip I saw online elsewhere suggested uninstalling and reinstalling the drive if you want to look up details on that. If it's reading games, it's likely a software issue.

a reply to: nonspecific

Nope. Maybe need more beer.

a reply to: Mianeye

Thanks! The videos helped a lot. If I have to do that I'll have a friend do it for me. I'm afraid of messing something up.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

Thanks for the comment.
Unfortunately, there is no warranty. I tried the link you posted and ran the diagnostic tool. It said there was no readable material in the drive. It's not reading game cds either now.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

Thanks for the comment.
Unfortunately, there is no warranty. I tried the link you posted and ran the diagnostic tool. It said there was no readable material in the drive. It's not reading game cds either now.

Ouch! It is possible that the drive has died, of course. Best bet, check around local computer repair places, and get estimates on the cost to put in a new one. If you buy it yourself, it could be cheaper. Only other thing I can think of is maybe uninstalling the drive, and reinstalling. There should be directions online for this. I believe you have the system scan for hardware changes, after removing it through the device manager. It's worth a shot, in any case. Likely, though, the drive just gave out.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

I'll try the uninstall and re install thing. I hope it didn't give out but I'm getting the feeling that it did. Thanks.

a reply to: Skid Mark

You are welcome, and sorry to hear it! I don't think that's too expensive a fix, though. Shop around for prices, because all repair shops are NOT equal! Frustrating, to not be able to use a disc!

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

I'll try the uninstall and re install thing. I hope it didn't give out but I'm getting the feeling that it did. Thanks.

It sounds like your drive died.

If you re-isntalled that driver and it's now not playing anything at all, then more than likely it's dead.

The only thing I can think of is to replace the whole drive. You're not looking at a very expensive part either, i'd be surprised if they were 50$ on Ebay.

ETA: Now alternatively, you can download a Virtual Drive Program, like MAGIC ISO, create an ISO file for your games and movies and watch them that way.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Would you not need a way of getting the DVD onto the laptop in order to make a virtual derive iso though?

As far as replacement goes I am not sure about the US but here in the UK loads of people sell second hand spares from laptops with broken screens.

They are cheap as chips here.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Thanks for the suggestion. Yeah, I think it's toast. How does virtual drive work? Does it read discs or do the movies or whatever have to already be on the computer?

a reply to: nonspecific

I hadn't thought of that. It would be nice having spare parts around just in case.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: tothetenthpower

Thanks for the suggestion. Yeah, I think it's toast. How does virtual drive work? Does it read discs or do the movies or whatever have to already be on the computer?

So basically the Virtual Drive fools your system into thinking that there's another DVD Drive there.

It won't read actual hard disk, but it will read .ISO files. You can create them from things already on your PC, like movies or games that you download. Once the ISO is created you 'mount' it with the program I suggested and your computer is basically fooled into thinking that the disk is spinning in the drive.

Therefore giving you access to whatever is on it.

Now that does require you have the media already saved to your PC, and there's 100 ways to do that.

I'm gonna send you a PM shortly with some additional info.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

I'll check my messages then. Thanks a lot for your help.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Some weeks ago I started a thread with sort of the same question... The problem is windows 8... although no tech support from microsoft a permanent solution would be Windows XP. (I despise practically everything after windows xp)

a reply to: zatara

I despise XP, too. My buddy swears by it but you won't catch me using it. What did you end up doing? Did it take switching to fix the problem?