Troubleshooting The DVD Drive

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This issue: Troubleshooting The DVD Drive

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by Otis Cooper
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Contact The Author
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Otis F. Cooper
allaboutpc@juno.com
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature Article
=> The Classifieds
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information

TO BE MAILED 15 MAY 2004

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FEATURE ARTICLE - Troubleshoot The DVD Drive
by Otis F. Cooper
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You really enjoy those dvd movies and games and the
last thing you need or want is to experience problems
with your dvd drive.

To prepare for the possibility of having your dvd drive
leaving you out in the cold one morning,we will dicuss
problems that may cause dvd failure as well as the
procedures you should take to correct these problems.

As with all drives,be sure to double check the failure.
If the dvd drive will not read the dvd,try running another
dvd in the drive.Make sure the dvd has no scratches
and is clean.

Visually inspect the drive if the drive is external and if the
drive is enternal,check the computer.Check to see if the
computer has good ventilation to help keep it cool.Here
are the common dvd problems with their solutions.

DVD DRIVE HAS NO POWER

First..For external drives that have no power,first check to see
if anything or anyone has caused the power cord to become
unplugged.Rule out the wall outlet by plugging in another
device such as a radio and see if it plays.

Second...If you've proven the wall outlet to be good,but you
still don't have power,check the surge protector for any signs
of damage.If the surge protector is good,check the cord.

Third..If you're certain the surge protector or wall outlet is
providing power,double check the cord by plugging it in
a few times.If no power is present,you will have to replace
the cord or the drive itself.

Internal dvd drives receive their power from the connector
from the power supply.Try another connector to the drive.
if the internal dvd drive still does not receive power after
using another connector,the drive is faulty.

DRIVE HAS POWER BUT TRAY WON'T OPEN

You may experience the tray failing to open.Should this
happen,press the button a couple times to see if it will
open.If the tray fail to open,reboot your computer and
try to open the tray.

When rebooting the system,notice the monitor to see
if the drive is recognized by the computer.Some systems
will not display installed hardware during bootup.If this is
the case,you will have to access your BIOS to check if the
dvd drive is being registered.

You can also try the manual eject button on the drive to
get it to open.Use something very small but firm to press
in the pinhole in front of the drive to open the tray.

Shut the computer off and unplug it.Use something like
a long paperclip to insert in the pinhole to open the tray.
The tray may open a couple inches and you can grab
it with your fingers to open it completely.

DRIVE IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY WINDOWS

Be sure the operating system is recognizing the drive
by clicking on My Computer.Windows XP will show
"drives with removable storage".If your drive is present,
highlight the drive,right click and select properties.Click
on properties and you should see "this drive is working
properly".

If you see another message such as "this drive is not
working properly",you may be able to update the device
driver.If the drive is not present in My computer,reboot
the computer and access the cmos setup.

In the cmos setup,the dvd drive should be present.The
drive may not be properly installed or one of the cables
have become disconnected if the drive is missing

If you check the drive cables and are certain they are
connected correctly,it may be that the data cable is
faulty and the drive controller may be at fault.And we
can't overlook the fact that the drive itself may be bad.

DRIVE HAS POWER BUT WILL NOT READ DVD

First..try another dvd since a dirty or scratched dvd may
not play.If the new dvd fail to play as well,check to see if
the operating system is recognizing the drive

Click on My Computer and highlight the dvd drive.Right
click and select properties.The statement "This device
is working properly" should be present.If not or you see
another message,try to update the device driver.

In the My Computer screen,highlight the dvd drive,and
select the Properties screen,select Drivers,and then
select update device driver.

Another cause may be the Windows Registry is corrupt.
You can use software utilities such as PC Bug Doctor to
repair your registry. Download this free repair utility at
http://www.pcbugdoctor.com/download.html.

To make a backup of your registry with Windows 98, just
go to Start, select Run, enter scanregw and click OK.
This will run Scanregw.exe.

Restore your registry in Windows 98 by typing scanreg /
restore at the Dos Prompt.You can also use.Winrescue
XP at http://www.superwin.com/index.htm is a neat little
utility for backup and restore of Windows XP.

The dvd drive or writer is an awesome storage and data
backup drive.Use it to the fullest to enjoy music,video,
audio,and more.Understand everything about this drive
before something goes wrong.

Should your audio die on you,check the dvd to be sure
it is not dirty or damaged.Look at the audio cable for
signs of looseness.Inspect this cable to be sure it is
inserted in the connector completely and that is indeed
inserted in the correct connector.

If you have a dvd drive,take the time to visit the support
web site and download the latest device drivers or patches
to keep your drive running at peak performance.

---------------------------------
THE CLASSIFIEDS
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Article by: Otis F. Cooper
Learn how to save your computer
visit our site today!
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/
allaboutpc@juno.com
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You may reprint this article if
the author box is kept intact
Copyright 2002 Otis F. Cooper
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Otis F. Cooper
Softsale Software
5550 Pickering Ct.
Colorado Springs,Co 80911
allaboutpc@juno.com
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/
719-390-6935