PC sometimes not reading disc

catford

Hi everyone-My sons pc sometimes won't read a disc.He puts it in and it spins up a bit but then he gets "insert disc in drive".
Booting up with the disc in the drive causes the drive to spin up intermittently
but not run.
It will run on 2 other pc's--and all other discs will run on his pc ok.;)
Any help will be appreciated:D

superscaper

Drive? Disc?

foreversomeday

Assuming it's a CD, try this:

http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Scratched-CD

Some computer CD/DVD drives are more sensitive to scratches than others. The link deals specifically with audio CDs so skip out step 3. Some of the things suggested though could damage it more so if it would be worse not to have it play in any computer, skip those steps too.

superscaper

Some drives also have a bit of a problem with certain disc types/manufacturers and you should look at getting the latest firmware for it.

catford

superscaper wrote: »

Drive? Disc?

No--the disc will work on other pc's and other discs will run in that drive.
I cant understand why the pc wont read that disc, it has exactly the same o/s-xp.----my son is busting a gut to play the game--I thought about the graphics card--would that stop the disc from showing up??
Are there any system settings I can check?:D

superscaper

catford wrote: »

No--the disc will work on other pc's and other discs will run in that drive.
I cant understand why the pc wont read that disc, it has exactly the same o/s-xp.----my son is busting a gut to play the game--I thought about the graphics card--would that stop the disc from showing up??
Are there any system settings I can check?:D

I meant which drive and which disc? If there is a known problem with the specific drive and/or disc we wouldn't know that without knowing which they are. E.g. don't know what firmware you should have if we don't know the drive make/model.

espresso

Sometimes using a lens cleaner will work as different CD's can reflect a different amount of light to the sensor.

catford

espresso wrote: »

Sometimes using a lens cleaner will work as different CD's can reflect a different amount of light to the sensor.

Thanks--I lashed out and got a cleaner,but it made no difference

catford

superscaper wrote: »

I meant which drive and which disc? If there is a known problem with the specific drive and/or disc we wouldn't know that without knowing which they are. E.g. don't know what firmware you should have if we don't know the drive make/model.

Sorry-totally misunderstood you--:D I haven't got the info to hand but it's an older Dell optiplex GX240.;)