Noisy CD/DVD drive

I have an asus M5. The CD/DVD drive has recently become extremely noisy when loading a CD. I rarely use CDs, only for installing software, so I don't really know how long the problem has been going on for.

Any ideas of the cause? Is it normally like this? Could it be dusty or something?

How _exactly_ do I go about cleaning dust out with compressed air, if that's the problem? Do I have to taken the laptop apart at all, or just sort of blow the air into the drive and/or other vents? Where precisely do I blow it, and so on - is there any way I can cause any harm?

(I have a noisy fan as well, that's been replaced two or three times so far, and is yet again starting to get quite loud and hot, so any instructions on what to do with the compressed air that might help that as well would be appreciated).

My warranty runs out this month, and so I am debating about whether to send the whole thing off yet again for another fan replacement and CD drive fix, but it's just such a hassle being without it. I know I'd kick myslef though if it gets much worse in the new year and the warranty has expired.

 

Is this ALL the time?

My laptop (in SIG) CD/DVD drive only does this sometimes. Usally when I load cd-rom or data dvd's over a year old. Doesn't slow down the read speed tho.
AND yes, I also experience this more with Software cd's. << Thats normal!! Try using differ kind of Cd's and DVD's more often to see if sound is still loud.


I really don't know about the Fan noise. I only have Loud Fan noise when it get to hot. Which is almost never for me. Try using a app that can control the fan speed.


LAPTOP NOISE IS SCARY!!!

 

Reading and writing will usually be noisy. The m5n has a ultra slim combo drive which should vibrate and make audible noise while reading and writing. While playing dvd on start up it will be noisy but will level out during play

 

Yes it is mostly just during the startup that the noise is really bad - it seriously sounds like something's wrong - but then it quietens down during actual use, so maybe that is just normal.

I'm probably just worrying a bit now because I know the warranty is about to run out.

I'll try it with audio CDs or something as well, or normal DVDs. I haven't written a DVD for a while to see about that, so perhaps will try that tonight. I'll have to back up everything if I'm going to send it away, so might as well do that to see how bad the noise is during writing. It was loading a few software CDs where I really noticed the problem in the last couple of days.

The fan speed seems to be a particular problem with the M5N. I thought when they replaced the fan yet again this last time that it made a difference, but it seems to be getting worse again, so they don't seem to last long. I tried to get them to replace it with an S5 fan, and they even managed to order one in for me, but then insisted that it wouldn't fit because the screws were physically in the wrong place, so I guess the European M5Ns must be slightly different than the American models, as I know that the S5N and M5N fans are compatible there. So all they could do was replace it yet again with the annoying M5N one.

I don't think there's any software that turns off this particular model, and it's not so much that it's running at a particularly high speed or anything, just that it's really noisy when it's running (which is all the time).

It's just such a hassle sending it off, dealing with customer service, being without it for days when I need it for work, having to be at home for collections and delivery, etc. But if I miss out on getting something done under warranty, I'll be annoyed too.

I'm not even sure if it's possible to get things like the CD or fan fixed once it's out of warranty, which worries me as well. When I tried to order the new fan myself, nothing to do with the warranty, to see if I could do the swap myself, they wouldn't. It could only be ordered as part of the warranty repair. So what happens if I need another new one next year?! Or if the CD drive goes completely wrong at some point?? Surely there has to be some way still to get those parts.

 

z33 fans go right in/ They do not need any modding and have got little to no complains. I have an s5 fan in my m5 and it has been in it almost 2 years now or more. No complaints. It is quite and dust free. Never had to clean it or replace it.

 

I think my M5N must be different, though, as it was bought in the UK. They really tried to put an S5N fan in, as I got the exact part number from someone here, and they couldn't make it fit. The location of the screws was wrong.

I'll ask them again about a z33 fan, if I decide to send it in to get the CD drive checked, but I don't think the z33 is available in the UK, so they weren't able to get hold of it before. Perhaps that's changed now. (I asked both using the z33 model number and the M5A model number, and still no luck).

It's frustrating, as it seems that people in the US have been able to do the fan swap with no trouble.

I hope it doesn't keep happening once it's out of warranty, as I might be really stuck then, since nobody will actually sell me a fan directly.

I hope the CD player might be slightly easier to get hold of outside the warranty, as at least I know that it's used in other models. I have a couple of weeks left on warranty, though, so perhaps I'll be able to get it done now, if they agree that there's a problem.

 

You can actually download third party programs that can slow down your CD drive. I know that older notebooks (with older optical drives) start to make a lot of noise initially during the spin up period. Slowing it down may reduce the loading times by fractions of a second, but it may be worth it.

 

You can NOT make the s5 fan and heatsink fit. You can only take the actual fan and rotor out and mod the m5 heatsink with it. A z33 fan and heatsink is a perfect fit. To fit the s5 fan into the m5 you actually have to swap the fan not the whole heatsink which requires some glue and labor

 

That's what they told me that they did, took the actual fan and so out out of the assembly, but of course I wasn't actually there so don't know for sure (they wouldn't send it to me but insisted it could only be ordered for a warranty repair).

I'll ask again about the z33/M5A fan; they couldn't find one last time, but perhaps if I have an exact part number it might help. I thought that the BIOS was different enough on those newer models, though, that using the fan from them caused some kind of problem???

Do you know of anywhere (UK, Europe) that might sell the fans directly to me, if I can't get it sorted in time before the warranty runs out? It's not SO noisy yet, and they might not agree that it's a problem, but I can tell that it's getting worse, the same as it did before (it was only July that it was replaced, so you can understand my frustration!).

Thanks for the tip about the CD, Guatam. I'll see what sort of software I can find. It's 2 years old now, so perhaps that's the problem. It's definitely the initial loading of the CD that is the worst - it's a sort of screeching and rattling sound, really weird and very noticeable to anyone else in the room! But whether it's an actual problem, or just the way optical drives go after a little while, I don't know. Maybe I should just send it in and see what they say. I'm slightly wary of that in case they replace it, but then I find it's even worse, but if the warranty is over, I don't know what they'd do.

I can also hear a series little high pitched beeps from time to time when I use the laptop on battery power; I wonder if that's something to mention if I send it in for repair as well - any ideas??