What's happened to my computer??

[Nucular]

Oh please help.

I've got a computer with a DVD drive and a DVD+/-RW drive (make is difficult to tell). I've been using them fine for months, last wrote a DVD on Xmas Eve.

But now my RW drive has stopped recognising any disks. Windows System claims it's "working correctly", but when I put any disk in it just says it's empty, "please insert disk". I HAVE!!!

What can have happened? In the last three days? It's not like I've used the computer very much these last few days.

If anyone has anything of any help to say, then please say it and I'll be your best mate.

[tkingdoll]

I have the exact same problem. I am also up for best mate duties if a solution is forthcoming.

I've used one of those DVD cleaning discs, to no avail.

[IIRichard]

The first thing I'd try is to make sure the flat connectors are firmly seated in the drive and on the motherboard. The problems I've had with my computers generally resolve to loose connections.

IIRichard

[Nucular]

I have the exact same problem. I am also up for best mate duties if a solution is forthcoming.

I've used one of those DVD cleaning discs, to no avail.
It's so annoying isn't it!! Well if I get it sorted I'll let you know what I did.

[Nucular]

The first thing I'd try is to make sure the flat connectors are firmly seated in the drive and on the motherboard. The problems I've had with my computers generally resolve to loose connections.

IIRichard
Cheers for the suggestion IIRichard - I've wiggled everything that's wigglable, but it all seems to be pretty firm.

It starts to recognise the disk when you first put it in, the light comes on and it makes a noise, and windows says the drive's 'busy', but then it just stops and says the drive's empty again.

Thanks for the thought :)

[jimlintott]

Have you tried blowing into it? That's the first thing I would do. Eject the tray and blow, quite hard, into the unit. Don't spit!

Sometimes they will pick up a bit of fuzz on the sensor and blowing dislodges it. If that doesn't work it's troubleshooting time. Try the unit in another computer.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

I second the idea of a blow j... cleaning.

~~ Paul

[King of the Americas]

...into any computer or gaming system.

Regardless of your attempts, your breath WILL carry moisture, and eventually cause other problems.

Buy a can of air, and spray away, although spraying consitantly WILL cause items to almost freeze, so be careful.

[Genesius]

Could be a corrupted driver as well. I'd try going into device manager and delete the drive, then reboot & let your system detect the drive & install the drivers.

[El Greco]

What happens if you connect the drive to the other IDE controller ?

[jimlintott]

Regardless of your attempts, your breath WILL carry moisture, and eventually cause other problems.

Buy a can of air, and spray away, although spraying consitantly WILL cause items to almost freeze, so be careful.

This is true.

I'd probably still blow into it but I live on the edge. :cool:

[King of the Americas]

...as per the joke above, I am sure your hardware enjoys your blowjobs. :)

[Patricio Elicer]

Could be a corrupted driver as well. I'd try going into device manager and delete the drive, then reboot & let your system detect the drive & install the drivers.You beat me to it. I've had the same problem several times, and the "manouver" has worked fine for me.

[Genesius]

You beat me to it. I've had the same problem several times, and the "manouver" has worked fine for me.

Hey, I haven't spent 10 years in level 2 tech support for nothing, ya know!

:vulcan:

[Nucular]

Thanks all for the advice, you all, without exception, rock.

Still not working though. I've tried deleting the drive in device manager, and Windows reinstalled it, and exactly the same problem persists. I then, against sound and sober KotA advice, gave it a quick blow - exactly the same.

I will try connecting it to the other IDE cable tomorrow, that's what I'll do (I think that's what you mean, El Greco? I wish I was more au fait with this stuff. I installed the drive myself, and was very proud, but plugging it in is the extent of my powers.)

Again, cheers all for the input :o

[ahoneycutt]

One other option is to go into the device manage and remove the whole computer from the list. Reboot windows, clear the ECSD data if you need to, and windows should rebuild everything that's connected. Make sure your have any extra drivers you need before doing this, though.

[El Greco]

I will try connecting it to the other IDE cable tomorrow, that's what I'll do (I think that's what you mean, El Greco?

Yes, and this may mean you will also have to change the jumbers on the back of the CD to fix the master-slave thingie (in case you connect more than one device on the same cable). If you've never dealt with this ask for clarification.

[Zep]

Umm... Nucular, regardless of your DVD drive situation, is the hard disk light on all the time, and the system seems to be slowing down much more than usual? Perhaps your network is awful slow too?

[Vitnir]

Optical units are pretty much the only ones that have consistently broken down after regular use during the years I have had a computer. They arent built to last.

[Nucular]

One other option is to go into the device manage and remove the whole computer from the list. Reboot windows, clear the ECSD data if you need to, and windows should rebuild everything that's connected. Make sure your have any extra drivers you need before doing this, though.
Blimey ahoneycutt, that sounds pretty scary - I'm not sure I wanna try that one, especially as I'm unable to back anything up at the moment!

Yes, and this may mean you will also have to change the jumbers on the back of the CD to fix the master-slave thingie (in case you connect more than one device on the same cable). If you've never dealt with this ask for clarification.
Cheers EG - yep, I swapped the IDE connector, and changed jumper settings accordingly - didn't help I'm afraid. Exactly the same as before. Good plan though, I convinced myself that would work.

Umm... Nucular, regardless of your DVD drive situation, is the hard disk light on all the time, and the system seems to be slowing down much more than usual? Perhaps your network is awful slow too?
Actually, I checked for those things, and no, everything seems to be normal. My computer's a little slow, but that's all the stuff that loads at startup I think (would that affect the DVD drive?). I'm not on a network, but internet seems faster just lately, if anything. HD light isn't always on, and it's not always churning either. What would it mean if I did have these symptoms, Zep? A virus?

Optical units are pretty much the only ones that have consistently broken down after regular use during the years I have had a computer. They arent built to last.
What's an optical drive, Vitnir? If I have to buy a new drive, should I avoid an optical one?


Cheers all for the suggestions! Sadly, it's looking like my drive has just plain broke, right after Xmas when my bank account's at its lowest point of the year. Darn!!

[Ripley Twenty-Nine]

Optical units are pretty much the only ones that have consistently broken down after regular use during the years I have had a computer. They arent built to last.
Agreed.

I've built many systems, and I'm a real 'power user' when it comes to usage. I can't believe how many optical drives I've replaced. I never expect to get more than a few years out of them. Cheap ones, expensive ones, it never fails. Frustrating to say the least!

Nucular: All CD/DVD drives are considered 'optical' due to the way that they read data. If I was to take a guess, I would say that the drive itself has died. The only way to test this for sure is to try it out in another system.

[Nucular]

Ah, right, I get it - all CD/DVD drives are optical.

I only bought this one in July, it was from Amazon. But I don't think I kept any of the documentation! It's probably unreturnable anyway I guess, despite the fact that it's only lasted 5 months.

[El Greco]

Ok, then before you throw it in the bin try RTN's suggestion and see whether it works on another PC.

We now go to the land of paranormal computing, but I had one DVD-Rom which behaved in exactly the same way. It would spin and spin and spin and couldn't read a single byte and so it was useless. This was going on for more than a month. Since I had another drive on that PC I just left it sitting there. After 6 months or so I put accidentally a DVD in it and ...it read it. Not only that, but ever since it's been working perfectly again. I've tinkered a lot with hardware and software in that PC during all those months that the drive was presumed dead, so I can't tell whether it was something I did or it was simply a paranormal phenomenon.

[RayG]

Have you tried multiple DVDs with the same result? Have you switched to a cheaper brand of blank DVDs? Failure rates can be pretty high on the el cheapo brands. Not all DVDs are created equal and the readers can be very picky about what they're being fed.

Also, have you tried flipping over the DVD and recording on the other side? You want to ensure that the DVD wasn't inserted upside down.

RayG

[Stainless_Steel_Rat]

I've had similar issues with DVD+-RW'ers. I'm taking a guess, are you using Windows XP?

Easiest suggestion is to take the drive completely out, reboot, then make sure the drive is completely removed from the hardware list. Download the latest drivers from the manufacturer. Then, using a new IDE cable (because that's sometimes the problem) plug it all back in (maybe reseat the master/slave jumper) and reboot.

When it detects the drive, don't let it automatically install drivers. Instead point it to the new drivers you've downloaded (Unless the came as an .EXE (hopefully not just a self-extracting zip file) that already ran and it asked you to plug in the drive as it's last step)

If this doesn't work, I'd rebuild the system files. This can be done either with a repair installation or by using the "sfc /scannow" command.

If ALL else fails, I'm at least 85% sure that a complete reinstall will solve all your problems :) If it doesn't then you have proof that it's hardware related (though sticking the drive in someone else's machine would tell you that too...)

SSR

[ceptimus]

I add my vote to the blowing idea. If you have access to an airline, or a vacuum cleaner, leaf blower, can of compressed air, camera blower, or other gadget that will blow, use that. A vacuum cleaner on suck sometimes works, if you have an attachment that lets you get the suction close enough to the laser lens.

Dust on the lens is usually the problem. The cleaning discs won't work unless the lens moves to the track with the brushes, and it doesn't do this if the lens is so dirty that it can't even recognise that there is a disk inserted.

I find that blowing, until the unit recognises a disc, and then using a cleaning disc to remove any remaining dust gives the best results.

[LordoftheLeftHand]

The first thing I would do is try it in another box (as other posters have said). If it works there, put it back and continue your trouble shooting; if not throw it away.

LLH

[jman19999]

What's your brand of computer?

Is it still under warrenty? Maybe you could contact the manufactuer for a replacement DVD RW drive. How old is your computer?

If you knew the make and model of the DVD-RW drive, I would try updating the drivers from the company's website. What about your CD/DVD burning software? Have you checked for updates on that?

If the above doesn't work, you'll probably need a new DVD RW drive.

Jeff

[Zep]

Actually, I checked for those things, and no, everything seems to be normal. My computer's a little slow, but that's all the stuff that loads at startup I think (would that affect the DVD drive?). I'm not on a network, but internet seems faster just lately, if anything. HD light isn't always on, and it's not always churning either. What would it mean if I did have these symptoms, Zep? A virus?Adware / malware / spyware / s**t like that. Those are the usual symptoms, but not always. Worth a check - it's fairly prevalent.

[Pennywise]

If you're using windows xp, System Restore is worth a shot. Just roll back to a day when it was working properly and see if the problem is solved.

[Xeriar]

Have you tried blowing into it? That's the first thing I would do. Eject the tray and blow, quite hard, into the unit. Don't spit!

Sometimes they will pick up a bit of fuzz on the sensor and blowing dislodges it. If that doesn't work it's troubleshooting time. Try the unit in another computer.

This will eventually scratch the lens enough so that it can no longer burn.

Do not spray canned air into a CD or DVD burner drive - you will scratch the lens, and will eventually start burning coasters.

You pretty much either have to get a cleaning CD and see if that works, or manually clean the lens yourself with rubbing alcahol and a cotton swab.

----

If that doesn't work, see if there are driver and/or firmware updates for your burner.

[jimlintott]

You pretty much either have to get a cleaning CD and see if that works, or manually clean the lens yourself with rubbing alcahol and a cotton swab.
I'm of the opinion that these 'cleaning discs' are the worst thing you can possibly put into a drive of any sort. They have brushes on them that can physically knock things out of alignment.

I agree that blowing with too much pressure can cause damage and that human breath can hold too much moisture but blowing into a drive once isn't going to hurt. If you have to blow into it everyday then it is probably shot anyway.

I don't get this driver thing. I haven't had to install a driver for an optical drive for at least ten years in any OS. I would recommend trying a Knoppix disc, assuming no Linux partition, as I once had problems with a brand new CD and in Windows it would just lock up but in Linux it would give me actual error messages. When I would 'ls' the disc it would grind away but it would print an 'IDE error device problem' back.

It sounds like it is hooped. Get a new one.

[moopet]

OK, my 2p before you bin it: make sure in the BIOS the first boot device is set to the DVD drive in question. Put a bootable CD in it (like the windows install CD or a system restore CD). Reboot. If it boots from the drive, then there's something corrupt in Windows. If it doesn't, then the IDE controller, IDE cable or DVD drive are faulty. Changing it with the other drive will rule out the cable and controller - you're left with a broken drive. It happens. It happens more with newer drives than older ones, too :(

[El Greco]

On related paranormal news, my drive has recently been burning DVDs only at 2.4x. The same brand of DVDs it used to burn at 8x, from the same cake box. And any other brand for that matter. When speeds greater than 2.4x are selected it fails with "power calibration error". CD burning hasn't been affected. http://www.adslgr.com/forum/images/smilies/what.gif

[moopet]

On related paranormal news, my drive has recently been burning DVDs only at 2.4x. The same brand of DVDs it used to burn at 8x, from the same cake box. And any other brand for that matter. When speeds greater than 2.4x are selected it fails with "power calibration error". CD burning hasn't been affected. http://www.adslgr.com/forum/images/smilies/what.gif

In my experience this means the drive's dead, or at least living on borrowed time.

[Nucular]

Thanks, all, for the continued suggestions! I love the fact that there are so many people on this board who are actually savvy at so many different things. Anybody care to do my thesis for me too?

Ok, then before you throw it in the bin try RTN's suggestion and see whether it works on another PC.

The first thing I would do is try it in another box (as other posters have said). If it works there, put it back and continue your trouble shooting; if not throw it away.

LLH
Thanks, that seems like the next thing to try. Not many people trust me to tinker inside their computers (and I don't really trust myself, though I've installed a few drives etc. before), but I might bully my nephew into letting me try it in his PC.

Have you tried multiple DVDs with the same result? Have you switched to a cheaper brand of blank DVDs? Failure rates can be pretty high on the el cheapo brands. Not all DVDs are created equal and the readers can be very picky about what they're being fed.

Also, have you tried flipping over the DVD and recording on the other side? You want to ensure that the DVD wasn't inserted upside down.

RayG
Yeah I've tried lots, not just DVDs but also CDs, CD-Rs, etc. The disks I'm using are already printed on, so no chance of mistaking which way up they're meant to be. Actually, I've used el-cheapo ones from day one, and only rarely had an error.

I've had similar issues with DVD+-RW'ers. I'm taking a guess, are you using Windows XP?
Yep. I quite like XP - is it buggy in a way I don't know about?

Easiest suggestion is to take the drive completely out, reboot, then make sure the drive is completely removed from the hardware list. Download the latest drivers from the manufacturer. Then, using a new IDE cable (because that's sometimes the problem) plug it all back in (maybe reseat the master/slave jumper) and reboot.

When it detects the drive, don't let it automatically install drivers. Instead point it to the new drivers you've downloaded (Unless the came as an .EXE (hopefully not just a self-extracting zip file) that already ran and it asked you to plug in the drive as it's last step)
Right, if it works in my nephew's PC I'll try that next.

If this doesn't work, I'd rebuild the system files. This can be done either with a repair installation or by using the "sfc /scannow" command.
Quite scared of that! I might have a go later in the list of things to try, it might help me get more savvy with this stuff.

If ALL else fails, I'm at least 85% sure that a complete reinstall will solve all your problems :) If it doesn't then you have proof that it's hardware related (though sticking the drive in someone else's machine would tell you that too...)
Yeah, if it works in my nephew's machine I'll consider a complete reinstall. Backing up will be annoying though, given my lack of DVD capability - I've left it too long since the last big backup, so I'm jumping at any strange noise my computer makes in case it's a hard drive crash :eek:

I add my vote to the blowing idea. If you have access to an airline, or a vacuum cleaner, leaf blower, can of compressed air, camera blower, or other gadget that will blow, use that. A vacuum cleaner on suck sometimes works, if you have an attachment that lets you get the suction close enough to the laser lens.

Dust on the lens is usually the problem. The cleaning discs won't work unless the lens moves to the track with the brushes, and it doesn't do this if the lens is so dirty that it can't even recognise that there is a disk inserted.

I find that blowing, until the unit recognises a disc, and then using a cleaning disc to remove any remaining dust gives the best results.

I'm of the opinion that these 'cleaning discs' are the worst thing you can possibly put into a drive of any sort. They have brushes on them that can physically knock things out of alignment.

I agree that blowing with too much pressure can cause damage and that human breath can hold too much moisture but blowing into a drive once isn't going to hurt. If you have to blow into it everyday then it is probably shot anyway.


This will eventually scratch the lens enough so that it can no longer burn.

Do not spray canned air into a CD or DVD burner drive - you will scratch the lens, and will eventually start burning coasters.

You pretty much either have to get a cleaning CD and see if that works, or manually clean the lens yourself with rubbing alcahol and a cotton swab.
Hmmm, seems to be a controversy re: the virtues of blowing. I did give it a quick blow in line with earlier suggestions, but not very enthusiastically given the earlier cautions. If I decide the drive's just broke, I might take it apart and see if there's any obvious dirt or dust, just for interest's sake.

If that doesn't work, see if there are driver and/or firmware updates for your burner.
Yeah, I couldn't remember the make of the drive till I took it out, but I'll pop it back in maybe and look for updates. Yes, I'll do that after seeing if it works in my nephew's machine.

What's your brand of computer?

Is it still under warrenty? Maybe you could contact the manufactuer for a replacement DVD RW drive. How old is your computer?

If you knew the make and model of the DVD-RW drive, I would try updating the drivers from the company's website. What about your CD/DVD burning software? Have you checked for updates on that?

If the above doesn't work, you'll probably need a new DVD RW drive.

Jeff
I'm running pretty new burning software (which has worked fine for a couple of months); I installed the drive myself, so I can't blame it on my computer manufacturers. I got the DVDRW drive from Amazon, but can't figure out of it might still have any kind of warranty. If it has I've lost the documents anyway :rolleyes:

Adware / malware / spyware / s**t like that. Those are the usual symptoms, but not always. Worth a check - it's fairly prevalent.
Ah I see what you mean. I'm running Norton Internet Security, and a full scan doesn't show anything up. Been meaning to re-run Adaware too. But given that it doesn't really have any of the other symptoms (except common "attacks" Norton claims to have foiled, which are a bit worrying) I wouldn't have thought that was the cause?

If you're using windows xp, System Restore is worth a shot. Just roll back to a day when it was working properly and see if the problem is solved.
I've never used that. Would I lose any files if I rolled back? I'd probably try that after I've established whether it works in my nephew's computer.

OK, my 2p before you bin it: make sure in the BIOS the first boot device is set to the DVD drive in question. Put a bootable CD in it (like the windows install CD or a system restore CD). Reboot. If it boots from the drive, then there's something corrupt in Windows. If it doesn't, then the IDE controller, IDE cable or DVD drive are faulty. Changing it with the other drive will rule out the cable and controller - you're left with a broken drive. It happens. It happens more with newer drives than older ones, too :(
Ah, now that's a good idea. I *think* I've already ruled out cable and controller, cos I've temporarily put in my old CD-R drive in the same slot, which works fine - but if the drive works in my nephew's computer I'll try that one too.

Brilliant, cheers all for trying to save me money! :)

My new plan of action:
1) Try it in someone else's machine
2.a) If it works, goto 3
2.b) If it doesn't work, goto 7
3) Try it again as a boot disk
4.a) If it works, goto 5
4.b) If it doesn't work, goto 7
5) Try driver/firmware updates
6) Try blowing/cleaning/taking apart/shouting/putting in the bath
7) Place it on the floor and jump up and down on it

[kevin]

I usually give up on these things after 4 or 5 hours figuring my time is worth more 8-)

DVD drives have dropped in price recently, MicroCenter offers a Samsung dual-layer burner for $40 now. Not sure on your financial situation, but you might consider the value of your time before screwing around with what seems to be either a dead drive, or an about to be dead drive.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0216074

[Nucular]

Fair point, and cheers for the link :)

I'll continue to tinker with it for a while, cos I'll learn stuff (I've learnt a lot from this thread already), and it'd also be nice to get it working temporarily until I can afford a nice cheap replacement.

[kevin]

Fair point, and cheers for the link :)

I'll continue to tinker with it for a while, cos I'll learn stuff (I've learnt a lot from this thread already), and it'd also be nice to get it working temporarily until I can afford a nice cheap replacement.

i never want to discourage education 8-) Its just that i've screwed around with optical drives so much I usually toss in the towel pretty quickly myself. If it isn't a loose cable, master/slave issue or corrupt drivers I'm done. The only think I'm not sure you've done is to track down the manufacturer drivers and install those (you mention you're not sure the make/model. I'd find that out and get the latest driver from them. And maybe see if they have a firmware update available.)

[Mongrel]

Being from the UK you may want to try a Non-American retailer though ;)

Here's the DVD Writer section from Scan (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Products.asp?CatID=12&Category=DVD+%2F+DVD-RW&ThumbNails=Yes&FilterCategories=34&FilterMinPrice=&FilterMaxPrice=&FilterKeywords=) - a touch over 30 quid and you'll have a shiny new, dual layer drive.

That being said, my point of view is that most optical drive work really well within Windows when it comes to just reading. If you have a bootable CD or DVD (a Windows disc is fine) and it will boot from it - it's probably a faulty drive. Even if it's something that could be fixed, I'd normally ask myself if the amount of time you're now putting into this is worth the effort compared to £30 for a new drive (and I do realise that sometimes the answer is yes).

[Vitnir]

It can't hurt to try to get it replaced, just look up the manufacturer in your country and write to them. There should be a serial number on the drive so they can check for themselves to see how old it is.