Why my DVD drive is not working?

Question

I bought HP laptop 2 yrs back with Windows XP Home.
Initially, the DVD drive is worked(Read and Write) perfectly, upto 1 yr 6 months. But, from 1 yr 7th month, its not working any more!!
1) Even the DVD drive door is not opening, so, we are opening by inserting a small pin into the small tiny hope, provided just besides to it,
2) So, after opening, keeping the DVD, closing the door........then, we did not see any light(green) is blinking, we did not hear any noice, which comes normally for DVD rotations inside!!
3) Then, we tried explicitly that, we went to My computer, then, double clicked the DVD drive........but. we r getting an error message that, INSERT A CD/DVD......but, we already inserted.....so, sysytem is not recognising!!
4) So, nothing is happening!!
5) So, we searched google and found there is FIX ISSUE button/link(http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cd_dvd_drive_problems) in Micro soft web site, so, we ran that FIX, but, still the issue is NOT resolved!!

So, pls. let us know that, How to fix this issue?

thanq

Answer 1

the blinking green light indicates whether the CD drive is receiving power or not. as u have mentioned that the green light on the CD drive is not blinking, this could be a hardware problem with the CD drive. however, i'd suggest you to remove the CD drive and reconnect it. if this doesnt work, u need to replace the drive.

Answer 2

As advised this is most likely a hardware issue.



How much use has the drive had with being used as a burner/creating cd's/dvd's?

The more a drive is used to burn discs the shorter its life will be, The laser inside of the drive has a limited life.



With the drive not responding at all there is a good chance that the drive or the controller for the drive has been damaged or shorted. On most laptops it is possible to remove the drive by removing a few screws underneath the laptop located near the drive and it should then just slide out.



If you are able to remove the drive i would then suggest you take it to a local computer shop where they are able to test the drive with an external USB adapter.



Are you able to post the exact model of the laptop, This is located underneath the laptop as the one listed on the screen/body is normally the general model but not exact. Example a Pavillion dv6000 could be a dv6010 or so..



Another option to find out if it is windows playing up is to find a bootable cd like the windows xp cd and try to boot from that cd when restarting the computer. You will need to adjust your bios settings to do this. If you are unable to boot from the windows cd then you have a dead or disconnected drive on your computer.



If you dont use your laptop to much as a portable computer then another option is to buy and external USB DVD Drive which will be cheaper then having a computer shop looking at the drive or getting a replacement from HP along with the wait time from them.

Answer 3

Moving mechanism do wear out as your drive gets old. Electronic and optical parts gets weaker with age and usage. Expect this and may be it's time to get a replacement. You can try a cleaning job. Take out the CD/DVD drive and use a clean paint brush and compressed air to blow dust and particles. Put it back and run a lens cleaning disc. If it is still working congratulate yourself. But be prepared to get a replacement soon.

Answer 4

sound like a hardware issue