I have a 3 year old laptop with a TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-L532M drive. I just recently stopped reading CDRW disks (Reads DVD-R, DVD+R, CD-R disks fine)! Is this a sign that my DVD drive is about to go bye-bye? If so what do you guys recommend?
when you place in a cdrw disk what happens? is this a blank disk or with info on it? if latter where was it written?
Before call it dying, i would: - Make sure the CDRW is not readable in any other drive. - If the above is true, try with a cleaning CD (it's CD with a small brush on it, that cleans the laser lens as you play it) or blow air with compressed air can into the drive. Sometimes it's dirt.
@Cudni When I place CDRW (any, with info or without info), the drives light goes on like it's reading the disk but it stays on. When I open up Windows Explorer and go to the drive it's empty (even with a cdrw with info on it). I've used cdrw's written by me and my friends and it's still the same result. @Fuzzfas All of the cdrws I've tried work on other machines (blanks and ones with written data). I don't have compressed air or a cd cleaner, I'm guess I need to head off to Best Buy or something to get some. But I've heard that cd cleaners can make things worse, is this true?
HI Zopzop! My cdrw drive did that off and on for about a year-only with cd-rw's at first. (My light stayed on too..that's why I thought it was ok.) The cd cleaner with the disc you put in the drive worked, think that's why it lasted a year. Used it about 4 times, with a few months in between. I think the cleaner adjusted the laser each time too..there's different brands. I used one by Sony for about $14.00. Finally had to get a new drive- By then it wouldn't read anything or burn. Sometimes the brand of cdrw you use just aren't any good, but you said you tried alot of diff ones? Go ahead and try the cleaner first, but, look around for a drive. How do you feel about Microsoft? http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cd_dvd_drive_problems
@quintile Thanks for the M$ link, I didn't even know they provided a service like that! Gonna try it tonight and I'll let you know how it works. So out of the cd cleaners you recommend the Sony one? I'll hit up Best Buy/Staples tomorrow if the Microsoft link does nothing.
More from MS- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321641 Just to make sure- the one I used did NOT have brushes, it was just a disc and it worked on a couple of diff puter drives I used it on. If not sony, then another with a name you recognize. Luck!
How could it be much worse,,,,,its not working now. May as well try the cleaner and if it helps thats fine,,,if it doesn't all you are out is the cost of the cleaner,,,,,but even if it does you probably should be ready to get a new drive. Also, something to think about.......I had a similar problem a number of years back (and the cleaner did not help) and rather than get a new internal drive and put it into an older PC I got an external drive. That way when I upgraded the PC I continued to use the external and did not need to get a new internal drive. I still use the drive with my tablet PC which does not have an internal drive at all, so in effect I saved the cost of 3 internal drives by buying the external (I did not buy an internal to replace the dead one, did not buy an internal when I upgraded the PC about 1.5 years later, and did not buy a drive for the Tablet PC),(my new desktop has an internal blue-ray device but I still use the external for my Tablet).
Per bgoodman's post, that's def something to think about- Here's some reviews, in case you decide to go external! ~ Removed Link. Site Not Recommended By Wilders. ~
I 've used cleaning CDs several times with no ill effects. As bgoodman4 noted, what worse could happen? Just don't buy the cheapest you find. The best are some with a really soft brush, that's not abrasive at all. I 've once got an "el cheapo" that had a sort of almost hard plastic brush. Now that, i threw away. The good thing is that you buy it once and have it for years. So giving a few $ more for a better cleaning CD isn't big deal. The compressed air can is an alternative exactly in case you are absolutely afraid of anything touching the laser emitter. They sell cans with a long "prolongation" (i don't know the word in english). The "red thingie": http://www.bmpt1.com/tutorialimages/IMG_4375b.JPG So you can easily put it in the opening of the drive and give a nice air blast inside. They cost about 4-7 euros here. If the drive still can't read the CD... it could be that the laser is on its way of depleting its power. I wouldn't trust it much in writing either.
Gonna try cleaning it tomorrow if that don't work, I give up. I was hoping it was something minor but if the cleaning doesn't work it means my drive is dying (I guess). I mean I can still record DVDs and CDs so it's not an emergency (and I have a desktop with a DL DVDRW that works fine). Just sorta disappointed its dying on me, it's not like I recorded something with it everyday.
Just a FYI. My DVD Drive I bought would not read burned CD's it died 6 months later as it kept going down hill.
Actually when I said the same thing to the tech guy from the co that made the PC I mentioned above (it was a Sony) he said that could be a part of the problem. If not used regularly things can get gummed up (his words) which could affect the devices performance. Sort of a "use it or lose it" thing. I hope the cleaning works for you, please let us know how things work out.
You may be able to record still, but, if the laser is on its way of depletion, you may be up with marginal burns. See here for example diagrams: http://club.myce.com/f76/interpreting-pi-po-error-scans-80545/ Marginal burns, are DVDs that are readable today, but after 2-5 years, with a bit of the natural deterioration, may result in data loss. This, because the original burn was of very poor quality. A disc can be a very poor quality (high number of errors) burn, but readable. But its weakness, will show up after some years. So, while you *think* that your burns are OK NOW, you may be actually preparing yourself for a big surprise after some years. That's why i said, that i wouldn't trust that drive for writing either.
Purchased the cleaner today and gonna try it tonight. Don't really matter to me though. I don't have anything important on those dvds/cds. The cds I burn are usually bootdisks like UBCD4WIN or BartPE that are used for PC cleanings, they get old so fast I throw them out and make new ones every 6 or so months. The dvds I burn are backups of my movies that I use when my nephews are over, so they don't destroy the originals. Nothing really I even care about to keep for 1 year let alone 2 or more EDIT : This is the brand disc cleaner I got : EDIT 2 : HOLY **** it worked! My drive can read cdrws again! THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Memorex is decent brand. Glad it worked! Dust, heat and humidity are the 3 mortal enemies of computer devices. Happy New Year!
