5 replies to this topic

[TrevorK]

Hi There,  This is my first message so please bear with me:

I have an HP PC which has always worked perfectly.  I am using Sonic Digitalmediaplus V7, which also has worked perfectly in the past.

Recently something seems to be wrong with the CD DVD etc burner/reader

It will read DVDs

It will read some CDs but not others (it sees them and knows they are a CD but thinks they are blank) (I know they are not since they work perfectly on my laptop)

It will burn DVDs but not CDs.  Although the blank CDs are the same ones I have used previously it doesn’t seem to recognise them and comes back with the message (Please insert suitable CD etc)

I have used PC Doctor to “test” the readers ability to read CDs and it says it is working perfectly.

If anyone has any ideas, suggestions etc I would be most grateful.  Perhaps you think it is a hardware fault; or perhaps nothing to do with DigitalMediaPlus

All the Best

Trevor

[Brendon]

Hello Trevor,

DVD drives have two sets of optics and two photodiode arrays, one for CD and one for DVDs. I fear that the CD side of your drive is failing, or that parts of it have failed.

The drive is obviously NOT reading CDs properly if it wrongly reports some as blank, and you said it will not burn CDs.

I don't think the Sonic software has gone faulty since it is Windows which actually reads CDs and delivers the result to the Sonic software. You can check this by trying to burn a CD with Windows' built-in system [providing you have XP or later], or by trying some of the free CD burning software which can be downloaded from the Internet.

Cleaning the drive's lens might help if it's dust fouling the lens, but dirt should disrupt operations with DVDs before it affects CDs since the laser beam for DVDs is so much finer. It doesn't sound like a dirty lens.

I would get the drive tested by a technician or serviceman. You may need a new one, I'm sorry.

Brendon

[TrevorK]

Hi Brendan and many thanks for your advice.  I had a suspicion that it may be a hardware fault.

Before I do anything too drastic (like replacement) I would like to try the cleaning you suggested but have no idea how.

Please help further with suggestions

All the Best, and again thanks

Trevor

[Brendon]

Hi Trevor,

I think lens cleaning by users is a hit-and-miss affair, with usually a low chance of success. It was quite fashionable when drives cost many hundreds of dollars, but you can pick up a replacement now for as little as $20 and get a guaranteed drive. In any event, I don't think dust on the lens is your problem, since DVD operations still work.

Since the lens of a CD/DVD drive is usually facing upward, dust settling on the lens can be a problem. The most frequent suggestion people make is to open the tray of the drive, get a can of compressed air and blow it into the center of the drive in an attempt to blow away any dust which has settled on the lens.

You can sometimes find cleaning discs, which have a little brush that you hope will clean the lens as the disc spins up. Many drive manufacturers recommend against this in the strongest of terms since cleaning discs rarely help, but can damage the delicate mechanism. I would use one only as a last resort before throwing the drive out.

You could do a Google search on "cleaning DVD drive". I think THIS THREAD from the Roxio General forum five years back gives a good indication about using a cleaning disc. The Guru who started the thread still firmly holds the same opinion.

Regards,
Brendon

[TrevorK]

Hi Again Brendon and, once again, many thanks

Your advice has really ben most helpful.

I will let you know what happens

Trevor

[Brendon]

Thank you very much, Trevor.

Brendon