DVD/CD-ROM drive not working. Help!

The Raven.

There may already be a thread about this but, as I haven't been reading this section of Boards, I am not aware of any.

Here is my problem:

Firstly, my DVD/CD-ROM tray, out of the blues, wouldn't open and the green light is flashing constantly. I managed to open it by using the pinhole. I closed it again by pushing it back in. I went to try the button to see if it worked, but very tired, late at night, I pressed the wrong button by mistake and closed the computer down instead :rolleyes:!

I started up the computer again and impatiently pressed the tray button, which, to my surprise worked. However, the computer stalled and had to be rebooted. Everything worked fine after that, and I managed to save a mountain of files to the DVD. So far, so good.

I took the DVD out, using the button, and put it back in to check if all my saved files were on it, and to add more. No such luck! Back to square one :mad:!!

I have tried the trouble-shooter on the 'device manager', to no avail. The message says that it is working, but it's not and it's still winking at me !

I would be eternally grateful if someone could please tell me how to fix this problem.

Biggins

How old is the actual machine?
If the drive is proving to be faulty and it needs to be replaced, take comfort in the fact that they are fairly cheap now to be replaced.

Without further detail known yet, I'd hazard a guess and say that it does indeed to be replaced.

bonzodog2

^^ +1
Indeed, I beleive you can get a DVDRW for less than 20 euro these days. If you just want a DVDROM drive and are anywhere near Galway, I've a load of them and CDROM, you're welcome to one !

PM if you want 1.

The Raven.

Biggins wrote: »

How old is the actual machine?
If the drive is proving to be faulty and it needs to be replaced, take comfort in the fact that they are fairly cheap now to be replaced.

Without further detail known yet, I'd hazard a guess and say that it does indeed to be replaced.

Biggins, Thanks for your reply, and I'm sorry for not getting back to this sooner as I have been up to my eyes with a host of other things.

To answer your question, the drive is now 5 years old, and should be replaced. It is Plextor - DVDR PX-504A, Firmware version 1.02.

The fault is intermittent, which is frustrating, as I don't know why this is. I have gone into the Software and tried to unlock and eject, but it just freezes and I subsequently cannot close down the PC without unplugging it.

Firstly, is there any hope of overcoming this problem for the time being until I have more time to get a new one?

Secondly, I would appreciate your advice on what to replace it with, and what you think of Plextor. It seemed to be of good quality, but there are probably much better options now at cheaper prices.

I don't use memory sticks, and don't know anything about them. Would they be an option in terms of quality of recording?

My problem is that I create very large files for high-resolution artwork, which is one of my fields. My other field is musical composition, which also needs good quality recording. All of these files are building up on my computer and I need to be able to do a massive cleanup, by saving these valuable files to removable discs or whatever.

bonzodog2 wrote: »

^^ +1
Indeed, I beleive you can get a DVDRW for less than 20 euro these days. If you just want a DVDROM drive and are anywhere near Galway, I've a load of them and CDROM, you're welcome to one !

PM if you want 1.

Bonzodog, you are very kind, and I would love to take you up on your offer. The problem is that I don't live anywhere Galway. I wish I did! I absolutely love the place, but it would be difficult to make it over there at present.

However, when I have established what I actually need, if you have one, I might take you up on your generous offer. I might be making a mountain out of a molehill, and there may be a very simple solution. I have a reasonably good working knowledge of computers by normal standards, but I'm no expert and there is a hell of a lot of things I don't know. In addition to this, I have fallen behind as regards upgrading, due to workload etc.

Once again, thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond, and sorry for not replying sooner.

Regards,

The Raven.

bonzodog2

Just to be clear, its a DVDROM not DVDRW I was offering.
USB sticks can be good, but I've had problems with data loss on cheap ones.
When you have self-created material (pics/video/music/whatever) it is important to have a backup strategy. I'd suggest you get an external disk drive, they are very cheap these days, and just connect it to do the backups, rather than leave it on all the time. Disks do fail more often these days. DVD-R/+R discs are also an option, but sometimes fail too. A backup is only any good if the data can be restored from it !

The Raven.

I'm getting confused now. Do you mean the DVD/CDROM drive that takes DVD+Rs, DVD-Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs, and CDRs and CDRWs? That is what I have, with the stuck tray and flashing light.

I hope I'm not getting my terminology mixed up !

Actually, an external disk drive is a much better idea. Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. It reminds me of the days I used to use a ZIP drive. I just wonder if there is any space left on my PC to plug in an external disk drive, there are so many things plugged into it. Is it not OK to leave it on all the time?

bonzodog2

Well its OK to leave it on, but the longer its on, the more chance of failure IMHO.
You can get a USB hub in the 2euro shop. But generally 2.5" disk enclosures use a Y cable that plugs into 2 USB ports to get the required power. The 2 euro hub wouldn't do that for you, but might free up other stuff.

bonzodog2

[post didn't seem to work the first time]

The Raven.

Thanks for the advice. Just one more question: can the external drive be unplugged at the device itself?

I have just remembered why I didn't bother with a memory stick. It would require pulling out my big heavy PC from under the desk every time I wanted to use it. I did this last night to check if any cables were loose, moved it back in again and discovered that I had disconnected my keyboard.

The Raven.

I have just had a look at those cables and it looks like they can be disconnected from the external drive. That would save a lot of trouble.

bonzodog2

The Raven. wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. Just one more question: can the external drive be unplugged at the device itself?

I have just remembered why I didn't bother with a memory stick. It would require pulling out my big heavy PC from under the desk every time I wanted to use it. I did this last night to check if any cables were loose, moved it back in again and discovered that I had disconnected my keyboard.

Get a USB extension cable or a 2euro hub then