Dell Optiarc Slot Load DVD - Strange Noise

I was browsing the web when my Optiarc DVD drive on my 1536 made a very loud screeching noise.

It sounded similar to someone scraping a knife on a plate really hard, repeatedly, then followed by a softer scraping and then it stopped. There was nothing in the tray and it still sounds like it can eject (whenever the Fn+F10 works thanks to my media panel dying). Should I try running a disk, or just step away slowly and call in the bomb squad?

 

LMFAO, maybe since your computer is overheating its making that strange noise. Does the drive work, read disc?

 

Uhh....I am actually a little too scared to try...I will see when I get home.

And it is Idleing at a safe ~75*c

 

Lol thats not a safe temp for ideling.

 

Lol, this is not a "safe" laptop...especially not for a "lap"

 

If I were you, I would just avoid using that thing as much as possible until you get your replacement.

 

Lol i hope the thing blows up.

Out of curiousity i would put in disk. Whats the worst that can happen^^

 

I mainly use the laptop as a steam chatting PC/torrenting off of neighbors (no matter how unethical and moraly incorrect that is....when I am at home.

I will find out Wednesday if I can box it up and when my new one is coming...

 

Dell would think I did it and would demand me to return the replacement....

Though I really hope that it blows up in their depot!

 

Lmfao that would be so funny if as soon as they turn it on it just blows up.

 

Or it blows up as soon as they open the box!

 

Was there a disk in at the time? I don't know how the drive could be just sitting there and suddenly make a screeching noise if there was no disk. CD/DVD drives don't spin unless there's a disk in them (or you told windows to check the drive for some reason).

Maybe it was your hard drive and not your DVD drive. Hard drives are always spinning and a screeching noise is exactly what it sounds like when the head crashes. Computer's usually dead after a head crash, though.

 

Trust me, it was not the HDD and it was the Disk Drive. I am sure of this, also it does not read disks anymore which is one big friggin surprise *sarcasm*.

 

The slot-loading drive has mechanisms for swallowing and ejecting disks, and they can make quite a bit of noise.

 

I wouldn't imagine they'd make noise unless a disk is being ejected or inserted. In any case, the loading mechanism sounds fine, the issue is either with the laser assembly or the drive motor.

I just can't figure out why an empty drive would try a spin-up, much less eat itself.

 

I am wondering why it would spin up or try to eject the disk by its self too. It has gotten pretty annoying now....