toshiba laptop ignores my cd's help please

happyhero

Hi I have a Toshiba laptop with a CD writer/DVD reader drive on it but when I put any kind of disk in it the disk never starts up. I know not all disks will auto start so I try clicking on the icon for the drive and sometimes you hear it whizzing to look at the disk with a little flashing cd icon by the mouse curser flickering but it never actually does anything, so basically I cannot read disks.

Any ideas or can anybody help please? Not being able to read disks means I cannot install anything which is really awkward.

Any help appreciated.

Torby

more info required, how old is it, have you burned many cds?, unfortunately it sounds like the laser is going....but more info would help....it is possible I suppose that the CD drivers have been corrupted....but it doesn't sound like it

happyhero

Torby wrote:

more info required, how old is it, have you burned many cds?, unfortunately it sounds like the laser is going....but more info would help....it is possible I suppose that the CD drivers have been corrupted....but it doesn't sound like it

Hi Torby

It is about 5 years old and I got it second hand refurbished in perfect condition and garanteed but it was working fine in the beginning for at least a year as I used the drive to watch DVD's and install stuff, but then the drive rarely got used. So although the laptop got used nearly every day, the drive hardly got any use and about 6 months (or more) ago it started to struggle to read a disk. Now it will never load a disk even if I try ejecting and putting it in several times. You just get that tiny cd icon by the mouse curser as it tries.

It is a P15-S409 Toshiba Satillite and I think it was one of the few you could buy in widescreen at the time.

Also when you go to "my computer", whereas normally when you put a disk in the icon will change to what ever the disk is, it stays the same as normal instead displaying DVD-RAM Drive (D)

If I double click on the DVD icon to try to get it to open the cd it brings up a window - Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close and the option to send an error report which I do and the the PC icons dissapear for a second as it seems to clear the problem and then its back to normal, all working fine without the DVD drive working..

What else would you need to know?

ollyk

well before condeming the drive make sure the problem isn't somthing as simple as cleaning the pickup - one poorly placed piece of dust will scatter the laser and render the pickup useless!
When you open the draw can you see the pickup? if so dab some isopropyl alcohol on the lens with a lint free cloth (ok, an ear stick or tissue will just about do!) making sure the lens is nice and shiny with no deposits on if the pickup remains inside try blowing quickly into the compartment. Otherwise, you will have to use a cleaning cd.

happyhero

ollyk wrote:

well before condeming the drive make sure the problem isn't somthing as simple as cleaning the pickup - one poorly placed piece of dust will scatter the laser and render the pickup useless!
When you open the draw can you see the pickup? if so dab some isopropyl alcohol on the lens with a lint free cloth (ok, an ear stick or tissue will just about do!) making sure the lens is nice and shiny with no deposits on if the pickup remains inside try blowing quickly into the compartment. Otherwise, you will have to use a cleaning cd.

Cheers ollyk, but which bit is the pickup? I have opened the draw and there is the center spindle and next to it there is what looks like a sliding carriage. On this carriage there is what looks like a greenish crystal is that it?

I have looked all round these parts and cannot see any obvious dust at the moment.

ollyk

The pickup is the greenish crystal on the carriage you are talking about. Actually just a lens have a look from different angles if it is shiny then it probably won't benefit too much from a clean but worth trying anyway.
Be carefull when cleaning, it will bob up/down side/side a little this is perfectly normal.

happyhero

I have just got hold of a lens cleaner cd and put it in but it has made me aware that the problem maybe different to what I thought.

When I put it in it has writing on it which says to put it in with the arrow pointing this way etc (dont know why that matters), anyway I have noticed now that the writing comes out in virtually the same place each time, so it would appear the drive is not turning I think now. If this is the case what can be done? Does it have a little elastic band that could be broken like the old tape drives or is it done differently?

I am pretty good with taking stuff apart and repairing things so would this be the way to go with this drive, or should I stay clear?

ollyk

ok mate the disk will only start spinning if the pickup detects a refelctive surface. Unless the lens is quite dirty it is starting to sound like the laser might be dead.
You can usually 'tweak' the supply to the laser to get a bit more life out of it but I think yours might have gone beyond this.
Saying that, I would almost certain not recomend a cd cleaner disk if you have direct access to the pickup give it a good blow, breath on it and rub with something very soft that doesn't leave bits or scratch the lens.
If all else fails get a then get a new drive!

happyhero

ollyk wrote:

ok mate the disk will only start spinning if the pickup detects a refelctive surface. Unless the lens is quite dirty it is starting to sound like the laser might be dead.
You can usually 'tweak' the supply to the laser to get a bit more life out of it but I think yours might have gone beyond this.
Saying that, I would almost certain not recomend a cd cleaner disk if you have direct access to the pickup give it a good blow, breath on it and rub with something very soft that doesn't leave bits or scratch the lens.
If all else fails get a then get a new drive!

I have now tried to clean the lens with no changes to the problem.

It doesn't seem that obvious how to remove it if I have to change it, any tips? It seems to fit in as perfect as the battery without the release button. I have looked all around it and cant believe you have to dissmantle the whole laptop, there must be a trick to it somewhere. It looks like it would slide out like the battery if you could find the release.

ollyk

I am not sure with newer laptops mine has a release button underneath that you slide but it is quite probable you will have to pull the whole machine apart!