Diagnosing DVD Problems

A DVD-ROM drive reads DVD-ROM discs, CD-ROM disks, CD-R disks, and a range of other disks including the DVD-RAM. A few modern DVD-ROM drives can read Blue-Ray disks. However, your DVD-ROM drive develop faults and cause you to have a bad day. In this article, we shall discuss possible DVD-ROM symptoms and let you know the best way to tackle them.

Problem

Cannot access the drive

Solutions

This could be because the jumpers on the drive where not properly set. It could also be caused by a dirty disk. Remove and clean the disk and then reinsert it and try again. Also, it is possible the disk is badly cracked or it is unreadable. If you have tried multiple disks and still have this problem, it could be that the DVD-ROM was not properly installed. Try reinstalling the drivers to see if this fixes the problem.

Problem

Spins and Stops

Solutions

Remove and reinsert again. If the problem persists, clean the disk. If the above does not resolve the problem, then the disc is bad or it is unreadable.

Problem

Drive would not open

Solutions

The worst-case scenario is that the disk has been jammed and you need to open your system up to remove it. It could also be that you are not patient enough, press the open button once and wait for a while. Lastly, check to see that the power connector is well fastened to the controller cable. It is possible that this came lose and now the drive is not getting power.

Additional Tip
To remove a DVD disk for repair or replacement when the button is not working, click on the start menu -> computer-> right-clicked on the DVD-ROM icon. Follow the drop down menu and click on eject.