| Visually inspect the drive
if the drive is external and if the drive is internal, 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 boot up. 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
Windows TuneUp to repair your registry.
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.
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.
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