optiarc dvd+-RW AD-7640A problem

Hi all this is my first post about a problem/question about my first dell laptop.
I have a M1530 with optiarc dvd+-RW AD-7640A slot load. It reads dvds ok but it gets really problematic when I try putting in music cd's. It'll not read it at all or one of the few times it reads the music cd's it'll just stop right in the middle of my ripping that cd with itunes. Is the optiarc capable of reading CD's? What are my options? I want to be able to read cd's and burn dvd's.

 

I don't have the slotload version of the AD-7640A, rather I have the trayload version. It seems very strange that you are having so many problems, since my drive never seems to have any problem reading CDs or DVDs of many quality, sizes, and even shapes. If you are still under warranty, I would give Dell a call and ask them to swap out a new drive to see if that works. Don't stop pestering Dell until they get the problem right.

Good luck.

 

first of all welcome to NBR =). and some of your options are:
1) if you still have warranty id call dell and give em a taste of your cake. (chocolate is recommended...kidding )

2)go to ebay and look for a spare part and open the laptop yourself (this is if your not under warranty)

3) or you can buy an external cd/dvd writer and use that instead...but this is like if you cant do any of the first two...i dont like this option either but what other choices do you have =/

Good luck!

 

I reinstalled the firmware from DELL, and now the drive will recognize the music cds. But then when I start using iTunes to import the cd it'll start importing and then knocking sounds would come up and the import process would skip a bunch of songs. Does this sound like a problem I can fix? I have emailed Dell and opened a case. How good is Dell email problem solving?

 

I would use online chat rather than email, unless you want to wait a few days for a solution.

That definitely sounds like a hardware issue with the DVD drive itself.