Laptop DVD drive problem

[rustygecko]

Hi,

My laptop (an HP Pavilion dv6700 running Vista) won't play DVD videos. I can't say if this is a new or an old problem, as I don't recall having tried to play one before. I routinely play other kinds of DVD on my laptop, which say 'DVD ROM' rather than 'DVD VIDEO' on them, and contain video and other files.

When I insert the DVD the computer makes a 'doing something' noise for a while, but the DVD doesn't show up in 'Computer', or in any media-playing program I've tried.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Will

 

[raybay]

How old is the HP. How frequently has the optical drive been used.
Replacement drives can be found for $30 to $55 depending on where you go... and skill with a couple of tools can enable you are a technically minded friend remove the old one and replace it.
Optical drives in laptops simply don't last very long if you use them to make copies of music or photos too frequently. Parts are available from HP, and on eBay... or good tech stores such as Directron, NewEgg, Frys, CDW, Kroys, TechDepot, and many others

 

[rustygecko]

How old is the HP. How frequently has the optical drive been used.

3 and a bit years. Many times over the life of the computer, but I would guess not as frequently as many people use them. I should have mentioned that I can also play games on DVDs.

Thanks for the suggestions about places to buy a new one, but, given that it still plays other kinds of DVD, is it clear that it's broken?

 

[Cerf]

This can very well be a HP software issue in Windows. You should go to HP site and download all the latest drivers and software that can be related to the DVD drive. It can be that the HP software thinks the DVD drive isn't in use, and simply turns it off, and when it's actually turned on, the windows doesn't understand it, so, update the HP stuff, and you should be good to go. DVD firmware update if available, would not hurt either.

 

[raybay]

With any use at all, they rarely last longer than a year. You likely need a new Optical drive. The optical drive is the most frequently replaced item in a laptop, and not far behind in a desktop computers

That is conditional on how frequent their use...