DVD or CD Drive Repair

Is your CD or DVD drive faulty? You may be able to fix it. Repairing a computer part, however, does not always make economic sense. This is because a repaired part is more likely to go bad again. Also, it may not function as well as a new part and at this point, you have already spent money on the computer repair shop to fix the computer part. Usually, the best advice is to buy a new computer part instead of fixing it. However, in some special circumstances, your only option is to fix the computer part. Let us jump into the repair tips right away.

A faulty DVD drive, most often, should be replaced with a new one. DVD drives are usually pretty inexpensive and it just makes sense to replace a bad drive with a new one due to this. This does not have to be the case all the time. For example, I had two faulty DVD drives. One was having a mechanical problem and the second one was having an electronic problem. Therefore, I took the good mechanical part from the first one and used it on the other DVD drive and viola. That was how I made do without buying a new DVD drive.

Before you replace or fix your faulty CD or DVD drive, make sure you observe all safety precautions:

The workspace must not be a carpet floor
The workspace must be as free of dust as possible
Always wear an electrostatic wrist band
Important: Before you open the computer, disconnect the machine from the electric supply.
Always use the right tools

Replacing a DVD or CD Drive

Step 1 - Disconnect all Cables from the back of the computer so you can work with the tower.

Step 2 - Open up the computer case.

Step 3 - Disconnect the DVD/CD power supply and data cable. To disconnect the drive's cable, work it back and forth until it comes loose. If your hand is not small enough to pull out the cables; gently pull out the drives until the cables are sufficiently exposed.

Step 4 - Remove the DVD/CD drive and carefully replace it with the new one.

Step 5 – Plug the data and power cable back into the DVD/CD drive and recover your computer.

Step 6 – Reconnect all cables and start the computer up.

As a first-timer, it is best to take note of how the cables are connected. Take heed as some cables that have been attached to the computer for a long time might be difficult to unplug. Some connectors come with guides to let you match the connector and the drive easily. Make sure you don't mix up the cable connections.

On the back of your drive, there is what is referred to as jumper pins. The jumper pins are small brass pins. In addition, you will notice small plastic covers hovering above some of the pins. There should be a diagram in the drive's manual to show what these pins do, and that area is called the drive selection. There is a slave, master, and cable drive selection. If you have only one DVD/CD drive, you shouldn't have to do anything with these jumpers.

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-By Dominic

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