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CD isn't recognized, Driver OK, DVDs play fine.

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8 replies

by amolmd

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Hi, Im having a bit of trouble with my new (two months since I bought it) HP DV5T-1000 Laptop, with Windows Vista x64 as the operating system. For first 2 weeks, I was able to insert CDs and DVDs and then run them without difficulty. However, now I can play the DVDs in the machine, but the laptop doesn't recognise that a CD is in, and apparently the drivers are all working properly. I tried industry made Audio/Video CDs [new & old] as well as a burnt CD. The drive spins the CD but then gives up after a while & shows as empty drive.

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers, it didn't change anything. Can anyone help me?

The laptop is using following DVD/CD-ROM Drive: Optiarc DVD RW AD-7561S ATA Device)

8 replies

by oh smeg

Restart this NB and make sure that the Boot Order in BIOS is set to boot from the Optical Drive before the HDD.

If the system boots off the CD you have a software problem and need to repair Windows.

If it doesn't boot off the CD in the drive you have a Hardware issue and the Optical Drive needs replacing.

For a Boot CD if you you don't have one you can use the Ultimate Boot CD available from here

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

Or a Live Linux which you can buy from your Newsagent as a Cover Disc on a Linux Mag or download and make one from here

http://www.livecdlist.com/

You will however need another computer to burn a CD and test it on before you can test this one however. :)

You [b]Can Not[/b] burn to a DVD as CD and DVDs use a different Wavelength Laser to read and if your DVD Burner has lost the CD LED it will not work here. Hence the ability to read DVDs but not CD's. Also you shouldn't leave Disc's in the Optical Drive when they are not required as the drive is running generating Heat and using the Laser to suit the Disc that you have in. By leaving a Disc in the Drive with the NB turned on it not only shortens the Battery Life drastically it causes the Optical Drive to fail much sooner that it would otherwise would.

Col

by willcomp

A DVD drive has two lasers of different wavelengths, one for DVDs and another for CDs.

The CD laser in your drive has probably failed.

You can try cleaning the lens which is quite easy in a laptop drive since the laser is exposed when tray is open. Use a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol to clean the lens.

by skdtech

An actual DVD lens cleaner kit. Isopropyl alcohol can leave a fine film that may shorten the life of the laser lens.

Also I might check for an update to the drive's firmware.

by eereeric

I have the same dvd/cd-rom drive, though on an HP laptop running windows vista x64. Did you find a solution to this problem?

by oh smeg

If it does then you have a Windows Issue that is preventing the CD being used and if it doesn't the most likely cause is that the person who owns this NB leaves CD's int he drive a lot of the time and the LED that provides the Laser Beams has lost intensity and either stopped working or fallen below the threshold to actually read a CD.

Remember that the DVD's use a Different LED to generate the Laser Beams to a CD so it is perfectly possible that one Disc type works and not another.

Also what type of CD's are you using here? It is possible that this drive can not read that type of CD. Like CDRW. ;)

Col

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