DVD Drive help for a friend

[Cable Modem Tech]

I am posting this for a friend..... i am stumped...... let me know what you all think Thanks CMT :


have a DVD player in my PC and up to about a year ago it was working it fine. Then, one day it didn't want to play any DVDs for me at all. But, it played music CDs and CD-ROMs perfectly, just not DVDs. Whenever I inserted a DVD it just went "Click CLick Click" on me and said either nothing or no disc to read or readable.

So, I pretty much gave up on it since I had just gotten a DVD player. Anyway, I decided to give it another try (especially since I want to capture some screens and the sort now...) and tried it again, still nothing and just "Clicky" for me. I then decided to reinstall all the drivers for it and all the progs associated with it (These included such like Motion JPEG Viewer and etc...). I suddenly, after doing so, got it to work. So, tested some DVDs, it worked and I then had to run off to work.

That was yesterday. Felt like watching a DVD on my PC and inserted one of my discs.. and... huh? What's that sound I hear?? Could it be!? "Click Click Click" .... -_- It returned, my jaw dropped, I needed to change my underwear...

I took the disc out, popped in another one and that one played. Huh? Took that one out, popped in the other one, no joy, wouldn't play. Tried another DVD, it didn't play. Hmmm... Tried yet another one, that one played, then another, that one played, then a differen tone, that didn't. WTH!?

There's no pattern to it, it they're all Region 1 DVDs, nothing wrong with them and not bootlegs. It plays some and doesn't play some too. My warranty for the PC went bye bye about a year and a half ago (and when I called when it first happened, they said they can't do it anything, time passed already...).

I asked this question on other sforums and they're stumped. I already had to reformat my HDD (not because of this, other problem), so, that didn't help. I may flash my RAM of it to a new firmware, but dangers in that.

Any help? Thanks!
)

[Garak]

Thats unusual, but not impossible - there was a post about this a few months back (can't remember the details though). Firstly, I would say, try a lense cleaner, check the IDE cable, check other devices on the IDE chain. Other than that, im out..

[Drone2903]

Sorry to say this, but PC DVD are made of the cheapest stuff available on the market. And they will eventually die.

- Try cleaning the lens ( with appropriate cleaner)
- clean the head mecanisim (dust is often enough to alter the motion and "freeze" the disk.

- DVD is a harder beast to read and convert than CD. so misalignment, dust, etc. have a bigger impact.

Other than that and the obvious facts about config and drivers, it may be time to get yourself a xmast present.

good luck.