Dvd drive problem or it could be the PC itself… computer gods help!

juancho

okay, first off, i'm not well-versed in computer technicalities (i'm in the medical field) which means that to some my problem may sound a bit simple and/or stupid.

anyway, here goes nothing.

my problem is that my dvd drive doesn't open/eject anymore. i can still open it by using a thin, sharp object and inserting it into that little hole in the dvd drive (while being turned off). the dvd drive can still read, write, etc. it just won't open anymore when the "eject" button is pressed.

so, i thought the problem was the dvd drive. today, i bought a new dvd writer (samsung) and inserted it in place of the old one. i am still experiencing the same problem.

before i go bring this to the technician (read: spend more money that i don't have), maybe someone here who is good with computers can help me.

maybe there's just something i haven't done or might have overdone when operating on the insides of my computer.

so, what do you think computer gods?

seriously, i need advice for this. thanks in advance.

raphjd

Do you have a spare power cable in your computer to see if the drive is getting power or enough power?

Is your new dvd player the same brand as your old one? If your drivers are messed up, it might affect your new dvd player.

twinkletoes

There are several crucial bits of information you haven't provided:

Is your computer a desktop or laptop?
What is your operating system (e.g. Windows 7, Windows XP, Mac OSX, Linux)
What type of drive is it: IDE or SATA (or even an external USB)?
When you replaced the drive, did you also try replacing the cable (IDE, SATA, USB)?

In any case, you can find a lot of useful tips here:
hXXp://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/cd-dvd-drive-wont-open-eject/

juancho

@raphjd:

Do you have a spare power cable in your computer to see if the drive is getting power or enough power?

by spare power cable, do you mean the big black one that connects the computer to the socket or are you referring to the colorful little ones inside the computer? in any case, i don't have a spare but i could buy them if necessary.

@raphjd:

Is your new dvd player the same brand as your old one? If your drivers are messed up, it might affect your new dvd player.

my old and new dvd drives are different. the first one is highscribe and the new one is samsung.

thanks a lot raphjd for replying.

juancho

@twinkletoes:

There are several crucial bits of information you haven't provided:

Is your computer a desktop or laptop?

this is a desktop computer.

@twinkletoes:

What is your operating system (e.g. Windows 7, Windows XP, Mac OSX, Linux)

i'm using windows xp with sp 3

@twinkletoes:

What type of drive is it: IDE or SATA (or even an external USB)?

the new dvd drive is SATA.

@twinkletoes:

When you replaced the drive, did you also try replacing the cable (IDE, SATA, USB)?

i did not replace the cable. i just used the old one. the new dvd drive didn't come with new cables.

@twinkletoes:

In any case, you can find a lot of useful tips here:
hXXp://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/cd-dvd-drive-wont-open-eject/

thanks twinkletoes. i'll try to check it out.

cumeaternc

I do alot of pc repair and one initial step I will use to try to eliminate the mechanical side of it is I will go to windows explorer, right click on the dvd drive and choose eject. Generally if the drive is sound then it will eject when you do that. Additionally you can try to press the eject button during startup(before XP starts)or from the bios(setup). If it does not work there, then it has to either be a cable issue or sadly a motherboard issue.

Hope this helps.

raphjd

I'm not talking about the big black power cable that plugs into the wall, but the internal power cable that hooks up to the back of player.

Also, your SATA cable may be bad.

juancho

thanks cumeaternc and raphjd…

it doesn't eject when the eject button is pressed or (righ clicked, then) ejected from the computer...

i gave up on this. i'm stressed out over something i don't understand, so, i'll be bringing this to the technician and hope he knows what the problem is.

anyway, thanks a lot to all those who answered my questions here.

trentreviso

^ That drive is dead, juancho.

It needs to be replaced.

It's possible to do it yourself for $25 to $50. But, if you are not comfortable tearing the computer apart, a repair technician is your next stop.

cumeaternc

@trentreviso:

^ That drive is dead, juancho.

It needs to be replaced.

@juancho:

…i thought the problem was the dvd drive. today, i bought a new dvd writer (samsung) and inserted it in place of the old one. i am still experiencing the same problem...

While not impossible, it seems unlikely that he had a bad dvd burner and purchased a bad dvd burner with the same exact problem. ???

trentreviso

^ So, what did the technician say was the problem?