issue with DVD/RW drive

I have a Dell Vostro 1500, and I'm having some issues with my DVD drive that I hope someone can help me with.

I don't use my drive for DVDs much, but I've sort of always had problems with it. The drive reads CD ROMs and software CDs fine, and it burns fine the last time I checked. But it has gotten to the point that it won't read DVDs. I put a DVD in, and it clicks and whirs and spins, but after all of that, it doesn't register. I go to my computer, and it's though nothing is in the drive.

It's a Hitachi drive, and that's all I know. I've tried reinstalling firmware with no luck. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance..

 

Unless a careful clean of the lens clears the problem I would wonder if the burner is getting old. The good news is that the notebook optical drives are standard parts. A quick look on ebay should reveal several burners that are specifically for the Vostro 1500 but there will be a bigger choice if you search for the generic specification which, I think, is 12.7mm (1/2") thick (often called "slim") with IDE interface. The one possible obstacle is if the burner shares an IDE channel with another device (Device Manager will reveal this) then you would need one with the correct master / slave setting.

John

 

oh my gosh, john, i only understood about half the words in that paragraph. but it totally helps! i greatly appreciate it. looks like i'll clean the lens, and more likely, shop ebay.

cheers!