DVD-ROM going crazy?

[winterwolf1223]

Hey guys,

I have this old computer and its DVD ROM is kind of acting weird. When the computer is on, it just keeps opening and closing non-stop. I just stick a block of wood on the disk tray to stop it from closing, because the opening and closing sound is making me crazy! When I put in a DVD, it keeps blinking and doesn't read the DVD. Is the DVD drive broken? or is something wrong with the computer? Will buying and installing a new DVD ROM fix this?

Thanks!!!

 

[mike1959]

You could go into 'Device manager', then the entry for 'Disk drives'. Right-click and choose 'uninstall'. Re-start the pc and Windows will detect the drive again and install it. That may be enough to fix it. If still the same, try the same steps, but instead of 'uninstall', choose the option, 'update driver'. If still the same after that, if you can find the maker's name and the model number of the drive, you can possibly get a 'firmware' upgrade from their website.

 

[mailpup]

IMO, I think you'll have to replace the drive. Something internal has failed and since optical drives are relatively inexpensive, it would be better to replace it. Since it is likely an IDE drive make sure you set the jumper on the back of it to the same position (master, slave or cable select) as the old one.

 

[winterwolf1223]

Thanks to the both of you!! =D
I will try to find a cheap DVD ROM on ebay or something and see if that will fix the issue. But before that I will try the trouble shooting.