OK, I don't know what's going on with my burner. I've never had problems with it before. Now I can't play or burn a movie or play or burn a cd on it. I checked it using the Device Manager and it says my burner is working properly. Well, it's obviously not! I put a blank cd-r or a blank dvd+r and the little green light comes on and stays that way for appx. 30sec and then nothing. The various software I use, reads drive empty and Windows Explorer reads the same. I get the same results when trying to play a movie or cd. Nothing that I can see has changed other than the obvious. Please help me get my burner running properly. Thanks in advance for any assistance! Check my sig for possible needed info.
Some possible answers to your problem: - The laser is dirty: In this case, get a disc cleaner (disc w/ micro brushes) and let it whirl - Current firmware cannot read your discs properly : Update firmware here, if needed: http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_firmware.php?download_id=1793 - If you have the latest firmware and still have problems, then your burner is no longer updated and will most likely have problems reading newer discs, unless you can get your hands on a hacked firmware...could be risky... - The quality of the discs you are using may be low in quality and some older burners may be picky or have problems reading them My old Iomega DVDRW4216IND-A (rebadged NEC ND-1300A) went berserk whenever I used low quality media, such as CMC.... Anyways, you could check to see if your cables for the burner are securely connected... Let us know if anything improves...
My NEC DVD+RW ND-2100AD burner also has a similar problem. With a DVD movie inside the drive, the little green light comes on and stays that way for approximately 30 seconds and then nothing happens. However, it does not eject the disc (anymore) as if the drive is dead. When I try to eject the disc, the LED light responds, but not the drive. Also, the computer does not show or cannot read the movie too as if the drive is empty though the DVD disc is inside. I tried to restart the computer but the drive still does not eject the disc and does not read the DVD movie. Only the green or LED light works. Please advise!
explore1: What firmware version does your burner use currently? Check the cables for your burner to see if they are connected securely... If the laser is dirty, get a disc cleaner to clean the laser... If nothing works, I would hate to say it: Your burner may be dying...
Thanks for the info, thugs121. Where can I locate the firmware version of my burner? I tried to look into its properties but cannot find it. It came with the computer when I bought it about two years ago and I am not sure if It automatically updates itself online. But I will try checking the burner to see if it is still properly connected to the computer and will let you know the status. I cannot use a disc cleaner since the eject function does not work. Hopefully it is not damaged by any virus or bugs or long use.
explore1: Here are 2 tools you can use to help detect what firmware your burner uses: Flashman's firmware detector: http://flashman.rpc1.org/Firmware/DVD-CD_firmware_detect.exe or Nero Info Tool: http://www.cdspeed2000.com/files/NeroInfoTool_403.zip Either tool is fine, since both do not require installation. If you choose Nero Info Tool, it will provide you with additional info about your drive (more than Flashman's detector) and you'll need to extract it from the zipped folder. Run the tool and copy and paste the results with your next response. Then we can proceed further and hopefully come up with a solution... Have you tried using the emergency eject function? Try and locate a small pinhole near your the burner's tray. You can insert a pin into this small hole and it can eject the tray manually. Try that when the computer is shut off, since I don't think it's wise to do this while the computer is on...
Well, it appears my thoughts regarding updating the firmware were unfounded. I updated and tried to burn a cd and everything was fine. Go figure! I really thought my burner had taken a dump. Thanks to all who gave suggestions.
thugs121: Using Flashman's firmware detector, the firmware version of my burner is 1.26. Perhaps updating to the latest firmware may enable my dvd drive to read the disc better, but I do not think it has to do with the disc being stuck inside the drive. Thanks for your tip on inserting a pin into the small hole of the burner's tray. Does that work for an internal dvd burner or are you referring only to an external dvd burner? I have not checked the connection of the dvd drive inside the computer yet, but maybe once I check it, I will be able to see the small pinhole on the tray.
Each cd/dvd burner or rom (external and internal) should have that little hole that allows you to manually eject the tray...
thugs121: Thanks for your help. My dvd burner is good to go! Actually, it is more than just dirt that has kept my drive from running the dvd movie; check this out - there's a rubber band stuck inside the wheels of the dvd drive! After opening the computer case and cleaning some of the dirt and inserting a pin into the small hole on the burner, it manually ejected the tray, and lo and behold there's a green rubber band tied up to the wheels preventing the drive from reading the dvd movie and automatically ejecting it. Only one thought came to mind - my 3 and 2 yr. old sons must have been messing with it while I was sound asleep.... I must say the case of the HP computer I bought is kind of stupid since it covers the small pin-hole for the dvd/cd drives. I shouldn't have to open the computer case just to insert a pin in the burner to use the emergency/manual eject function. Anyways, thanks again for your assistance.... explore1
