Absolute Beginners Guide to Upgrading and Fixing Your PC

Your hard disk isn't the only problematic drive on your system. Your CD-ROM or DVD drive can also be a source of problems mostly mechanical in nature.

Problem: Your CD/DVD Drive Doesn't Work Nothing Happens

First, have you inserted a CD-ROM or DVD disc into your drive? Do you have the disc inserted properly (label side up)? If you're using an external drive, is it plugged in and powered on? Have you accessed the disc properly?

If you think you're doing everything right, you probably have some sort of power problem with your CD-ROM/DVD drive. (This is especially so if you can't open a motorized CD/DVD drive; if the drawer won't open, you're definitely not getting power.) If you're using an internal drive, you should check all the connections inside your system unit; not only should the drive be plugged into a drive controller, but it should also be plugged into your computer's power supply. If you're using an external drive, make sure all the connections are solid and that the drive actually has power (make sure the power light is on).

Problem: Your CD/DVD Drive Doesn't Work The Drive Spins, But You Can't Access the Disc

Let's assume that you have power to your drive and have a CD-ROM or DVD inserted properly (right side up). Have you accidentally inserted a DVD disc into a CD-ROM drive? Most DVD drives will read CD-ROM discs, but not vice-versa.

If you still can't access the disc, you probably don't have the correct driver loaded into system memory. Open the Control Panel and launch the System utility; when the System Properties dialog box appears, select the Hardware tab and then click the Device Manager button. Select the entry for your CD-ROM or DVD drive, and then select Action, Update Driver. Follow the onscreen instructions to find and install the latest version of the driver software. (You can also download the latest driver from the manufacturer's Web site.)

Problem: Your CD/DVD Drive Doesn't Always Read Data Accurately

Inaccurate data can result from several problems, most likely a scratched or dirty disc. You can buy commercial CD/DVD cleaners that will remove surface dirt and debris; scratches are less easily fixed if at all.

It's also possible that the laser beam inside your CD-ROM/DVD drive is dirty or out of alignment. You can try to "blow" the dirt out of the drive with compressed air, or in some cases wipe the laser lens with a cotton swab. However, your best bet is to see a repair person ASAP to get this puppy fixed.

Problem: Your CD/DVD Drive Can't Read a Rewritable CD

First, are you trying to read a CD-RW disc in a CD-ROM drive? If so, you can't do it; CD-RW discs use a special data format that can only be read by CD-RW drives.

If you're having trouble reading a CD-R disc in a CD-ROM drive, you could have a simple incompatibility problem. Generally, this is more of a problem with playing CD-R discs on older, slower CD-ROM drives, or with discs recorded on older CD-R drives. If you encounter this kind of incompatibility, there's not much you can do about it, save for trying the disc in another machine or upgrading to a newer CD-ROM drive.

Problem: You Can't Play Music CDs on Your CD/DVD Drive

To get audio from your CD-ROM or DVD drive, an audio cable must be connected between your drive and your sound card. If you haven't connected this cable, you won't hear audio from any CD or DVD discs you play!

Also, and this might seem blatantly obvious, make sure that you actually have the volume turned up on your PC and the speakers plugged in and turned on. And make sure the volume isn't muted, either.

Problem: Your CD-R/RW Drive Won't Burn a CD

First, look to see that you have the right type of disc (recordable or rewriteable) in the drive, and that the disc is blank. Second, make sure you have a spare 1GB or so on your hard disk, as Windows writes the files to your hard disk before it burns them to CD; if you don't have enough free space, you can't copy files from one CD to another.

If you have trouble with skips and dropouts on CDs you burn (or if the burn fails altogether), there are two things to check. First, you might need to reduce the recording speed; recording faster than your drive can handle will result in write errors. Second, try burning the disc again, but this time close all your other applications including your Internet connection. If your computer has to multitask during the burning process, it can cause your drive to stutter, with resultant skips and gaps. (The technical name for this problem is a buffer underrun, and you might even see an error message referring to this; some newer drives include technologies that prevent this underrun problem.) A good rule is to not use your computer at all when you're burning a disc; let the burner have all the resources it needs to make a clean recording.

Problem: Your Newly Installed CD/DVD Drive Doesn't Work Right

Post-installation problems are typically caused by improper or missing device drivers.

The first thing to check is if your CD/DVD drive shows up in the Device Manager. Look for an entry for CD-ROM or DVD; if no such entry exists, your system doesn't know that it has a CD-ROM or DVD drive attached. Use the Add Hardware Wizard to properly install the drivers for your drive.

What if there is a CD-ROM or DVD entry in the Device Manager? Then you'll want to delete the entry and reinstall the drive from scratch. Highlight the drive entry and click the Uninstall button, and then return to the Control Panel to run the Add Hardware Wizard.

You should also check for conflicts between your new CD-ROM/DVD drive and some older peripheral. This is easy to do; just open the Windows Help utility and launch the Hardware Troubleshooter (called the Hardware Conflict Troubleshooter in older versions of Windows). All you have to do is follow the Troubleshooter's onscreen instructions to find and resolve any conflicts you're having. In the end, if you have a conflict, you'll need to change the DMA or port assignment for one of the conflicted devices.

If you still can't fix the problem, you'll probably need to call in a technician to help you track down the apparent DMA or port conflict.