Asus G73-JHB1 Not reading DVD/CDs

I've tried to run a few driver CDs (printers and such) and it doesn't seem to register with my laptop.

BDDrive is still there on My Computer, except it reads as empty and asks me to put in a disk.

Now I can hear the disk spinning and being read and all that. Weird thing is that it used to work fine and there has been no hardware/driver changes since I bought it.

A quick google search yielded little, but it seems like some people have a problem where the D: drive does not show up at all.



Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

Hello, my name is Scott with the Asus Customer Loyalty team.

Assuming these discs all work in another computer, then it would sound like you have an RMA issue.

However, just on the outside chance, and because it will only take a minute or two, I would suggest you check to see if it is an upper/lowerfilter issue. So if you open the device manager (press the Windows key + r and type in (without quotes) "devmgmt.msc" -- this should work on XP, Vista, and 7) do you see any yellow exclamation marks on the CD/DVD Drives section? If yes, then follow the instructions for the link I provide, otherwise you probably want to get started on the RMA process.

How To Delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters Registry Values

If you have any difficulties with the RMA process, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] and I will help as best I can.

 

Check out @black-bean's post: slimtype bd e ds4e1s WILL NOT READ ANY MEDIA - Page 2.

He tried a number of different things, but came upon a rather unique solution...

 

Welcome Scott,

I fear you may face some slight negativity on this forum as your loyalty team are about 3 years and 90000 RMA's too late but its good to see Asus customers finally getting some official help on this forum

RE: the OP's issue surely he can replace the drive himself as it only consists of removing 3 screws and sliding the drive out? For him to send it off for a full RMA and having to wait any matter of time before he can use his computer again is not only wasting his time but yours as well? Dell would just send out a replacement drive once it is diagnosed as faulty I highly recommend Asus considering taking this stance.

P.s Could we have Chastity back please, thanks.

 

I had a look at dstrakele's link and it seems to suggest disassembling the thing and cleaning it. This does sound like a good solution as I rarely use the drive and it probably could use a clean. But it seems like the problem they had is when the drive isn't being read at all, as in the disk just sits there and doesn't spin or anything.

I'll give it a shot when I have the time I suppose.

It is a little intimidating that I have to go through all of this. Been really busy recently and I use this computer for both work and University right now. So RMA is out of the question.

 

I do not have the BR drive, so I can't say for sure, but usually
the optics head is visible, when the drive tray is ejected, on slim
models. It is possible the laser optics got dirty. You can gently
dust the head assembly with canned air, or clean the lens with
alcohol and a Q-tip. Be very gentle, you do not want to knock the
assembly out of alignment. If all else fails, it is easy to swap out
the drive, as Yiddo mentioned.

Good luck,

Sir Robin

 

I'll definitely try that when I get home. Do you think the lens cleaner fluid I use for my glasses would work? Also is it safe to use an air canister to blow around in there?

Thanks for the help.

 

Yeah, I would think lens cleaner would work, as long
as it evaporates without leaving a residue. Microfiber polishing
cloths will also work well. Canned air is fine, but spray from about
6 inches back, so you do not put too much force on the assembly.
Also, you might want to tip your laptop, so you can spray the assembly,
while the can is essentially upright. Most canned air will dispense
propellent, if they are tipped too much. You can also use the canned
air, to blow dust out of the tray well, while it is in the ejected position.

Good luck,

Sir Robin

 

Cleaned it a bit using Sir Robin's advice. Turned on the laptop and popped in a DVD (data).

And it worked. Data was accessible and everything.

But knowing this laptop I tried not to be too optimistic and tried a CD-ROM, and it doesn't read. So I popped back in the same DVD that read the first time and it stopped working again.

This is very distressing.



EDIT:

Well I googled around a little more and found out ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/666469-arma-ii-disc-wont-read.html) that a firmware update might work. So I opened up device manager and I see this:



Now the link to the Firmware updates is here: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download Optical Disk Drive Firmware

And for the life of me I can't find the one that matches mine. I could very well just be stupid though and is probably missing it entirely.

 

Not even sure if bumps are allowed. But here I go.

 

They are after 24 hours, no idea on your problem though, sry.

 

That device sounds suspiciously like an emulated
drive. I would try removing the driver, and switching
to the standard Microsoft driver. That driver may have
been installed by Roxio or Daemon Tools. The actual model
number of your drive can be had, by removing the drive, from
the system, and checking the label. The label might also
list the manufacturer. If you can post a photo, I can probably
help you figure out which firmware to use. Alternately, you may be
able to get the drive info, from the BIOS setup screen (see SATA
ports section), and/or a detailed device info tool, like CPUz or HWinfo.
It is also possible that your drive has a hardware problem, that get's
worse, when it warms up (could also be firmware related). To check this,
you can try entering the bios setup, when the unit is cold, and when it
has been on for a while. See if the drive is listed in the menus, in each
case. If the drive "disappears" you know something other than OS drivers
is at work.

Good luck,

Sir Robin

 

try seeing if you can boot a disk via the bios or if the drive shows up in the boot options. if not, the drive may have died for some reason. you could try unplugging and plugging the drive back in also.also, check the bios to make sure you did not lock (disable) the drive in the bios options.

 

Seconded. On that note, where did she go anyway? She just sorta dropped out of sight.