Optical Drive Not Working Properly

[Margo1]

Hi. I have a PC with the HP Super Multi DVD Writer (optical drive). For some time, the optical drive has been doing the following after placing a DVD in the drive:

*Makes a noise before the DVD menu comes up.

*After pausing the DVD and then clicking play, the DVD hesitates and then takes me back to the VLC Media Player page with the cone symbol. Then when I click the play button and the menu comes up and I click on the desired episode on the DVD, the episode does not come up. 

*Sometimes the DVD takes a minute or two before it comes after placing it in the drive.

I tried different DVD player software, but I seem to have problems with all of them.  Within the last couple of months, I used Arsvita CD Laser Lens Cleaner Disc Cleaning Set for CD/VCD/DVD Player to clean the optical drive, but I can't remember when I started having problems with the DVD player. I also uninstalled and reinstalled the player through the Device Manager. I checked the driver and it is up to date.

I think the problem is with my optical drive. What could be the problem and what can I do about it? 

Thank you.

[itsmyname · Accepted solution]

@Margo1 --  I think the problem is with my optical drive.

I agree.

What could be the problem and what can I do about it? 

Given the symptoms that you have so well described, I agree that you have a "hardware" problem.

For a "desktop" computer, like yours, not an All-In-One nor a notebook system, it is relatively easy to:

1. power-off the computer
2. disconnect the power-cord
3. press the on/off button for a few seconds, to "drain" any residual power
4. remove a side panel, to expose the motherboard, and the "back" of the CD/DVD device
5. disconnect both the "power" and "data" cables from that device
6. remove the front-panel. Usually there are a few "fingers" that need to be simultaneously lifted, to "un-anchor" the front-panel from the computer's case. Be careful -- there may be some wires that will be attached to the front panel.
7. look at the side of the CD/DVD device. There may be 1 or 2 or 4 screws holding it into the drive-bay. Remove the screws, and save them.
8. Slide the CD/DVD out of the "front".
9. Take it to any local owner/operator computer store, and purchase a replacement with the same connectors on its "back".
10. Slide the replacement CD/DVD into the drive-bay.
11. Reconnect the screws.
12. Reconnect the front panel.
13. Reconnect the "data" and "power" cables.
14. Reconnect the side panel.
15. Reconnect the power-cord.
16. Done!

You may want to search on YouTube for the word "disassembly"  and "replace DVD", to see some "how-to" videos, to see if you can emulate what you see in those videos. If it looks too "daunting", then take your computer to that local owner/operator computer store. They will probably do all of the above, for $20 to $30, plus the cost of the new device.

[Margo1]

Thank you for your response. I will replace the bad optical drive in my PC tower.

Instead of going to a computer store, I would like to purchase the new optical drive from Amazon or HP but I cannot find it. It is a HP Super Multi DVD Writer, Model # GUD1N. Do you have any ideas on how I can find this online?

Thank you.

[itsmyname]

@Margo1 -- Instead of going to a computer store, I would like to purchase the new optical drive from Amazon or HP but I cannot find it. It is a HP Super Multi DVD Writer, Model # GUD1N. Do you have any ideas on how I can find this online?

I am sure that any local "owner/operator" computer store will really appreciate your business, and will have a "generic" device on their shelf -- no waiting for Amazon to fulfill your order, and no harmful environmental effects from having a large delivery-truck spewing gasoline/diesel fumes. 

Also, the store will probably offer to take  under 10 minutes to install the replacement.

I did check the HP Warehouse: https://partsurfer.hp.com/partsurfer/?searchtext=570-P035t

All 4 HP computers show "N/A" for the DVD drive, i.e., you cannot purchase a replacement from HP.

I would not trust a purchase made from eBay or a private-seller on Amazon.

If it does not work, it could be quite a hassle to ship it away, to deal with the seller.

But, if you "buy locally", it should be easy to return to the local computer-store.

[Margo1]

Thank you. One more question. When I remove the optical drive from my desktop, will the computer continue to work without it? 

[itsmyname]

@Margo1 -- When I remove the optical drive from my desktop, will the computer continue to work without it? 

Yes.  One "bypass" is to purchase an external CD/DVD device, that connects to a USB port on your computer, if you have some disks that you want to read/write.  This is much easier than disassemble/replace/reassemble to replace an "internal" disk-drive.