DVD optical drive of EliteBook 8540w does not recongnize any CD or DVD

[PereC]

I have an EliteBook 8540w with DVD RW AD-7586h.

Ten days ago my DVD drive worked fine, at least I could play music CD and burn one CD. Yesterday I could play some music CD and read some commercial CD of data, but it did not recognize blank CD-R, blank DVD-R or blank DVD+RW and most CD and DVD with data. Today it does not recognize any CD or DVD.

When problems began I reinstalled the driver. I have also restored my system to a previous point (the day after I burn last CD).

It seems to me that this is a hardware problem. Do you agree? If you do, is there a way to clean the driver or should I replace it?

[mdklassen]

> It seems to me that this is a hardware problem. Do you agree?

Yes.

> If you do, is there a way to clean the driver

I tend to avoid those "CD Cleaning Kits" (special disk with some cleaning fluid).

> or should I replace it?

Yes.  Maybe, consider an external CD/DVD unit, with a USB interface.

This avoid paying a technician to disassemble your computer, and to swap-out the "dead" device.

Probably less cost to buy an external than to buy a "genuine HP" replacement device, too.

Is the unit still under warranty?

Access:  http://support.hp.com

Click "check warranty", by entering the product-ID and the serial-number.

Did you buy the unit using a "premium" credit-card?  Some of them "double" the warranty on all your purchases.

[REO51ST]

@PereC

First thing is to remove the CD drive and reinsert it.

Only one screw to remove.

HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation - Remove/Replace videos

http://h20464.www2.hp.com/results.htm?SID=4096175&MEID=4C2A2E32-416A-4266-9B3A-831247FBF544

Click on Optical Drive

REO

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

> First thing is to remove the CD drive and reinsert it.

Good catch, but the FIRST thing to do is to power-off the computer.

The SECOND thing to do is to remove the battery.

The THIRD thing to do is what you have recommended.

Given that this model of computer makes it so easy to remove the device,

it should not be difficult to remove the "face-plate" from the device,

and to remove any "adapter" on the opposite end,

connect those two parts to a "generic" replacement drive,

and reinsert the device.

[REO51ST]

@mdklassen  and   @PereC

If you look at the video it explains all of that.

REO

[PereC]

Thanks REO51ST and mdklassen for your help. I have removed and reinserted the device twice without any success, and o I think I will have to buy a new optical drive.

[PereC]

In a workshop they have verified that my DVD drive was damaged. Instead of buying a new one to Hewlett Packard (about 140 euros!) they have installed a used drive for 27 euros and it works fine now.

Thanks again for you help.