CD drive does nothing

[segelkatt]

When I put a CD into the drive nothing happens, maybe it's turned off in which case I need to know how to turn it back on, I am not techie and do not understand technical language

[AmpLighter]

1st: it would benefit others if you created a full detailed list of your PC. Saying its a P6 isn't enough.

2nd: Its not that difficult to remove the side cover, (while the system is off & unplugged) check the wires leading to and from the CD Rom drive.

3rd: Depending on the age of the system, is it still under warranty?. If not and the wire inspection dosnt pan out.. you may need to purchase a new CD rom.

4th: If the CD has become jammed in the system, there is a hole in the front of the drive, unless your system has a fold down tray. But Ideally one would take a paperclip and place into the hole as to allow the tray to open or reset.

5th: If in fact the CD Rom needs replacing,, while the system is still unplugged, disconnect the wire harness from the back of the CD Rom. From here you may need to remove the front cover also, as there are 4 Allen set/straight edge screws that hold the CD Rom in place. These need to be remove so you can slid the CD Rom out of the computer housing.

6th: The reason you're removing the CD Rom, is to access the data/serial numbers to use in order to verify that your next CD ROm purchase is compatible.

[segelkatt]

this is a HP Pavillion p6 series, model # p6-2011, serial #[removed per Rules Of Participation], product #QU158AA#ABA, running Windows 7

whenever I put any cd or dvd into the drawer nothing happens, did I turn something off, perhaps on the control panel? when I push the button to open the drawer it does that, so nothing is jammed

everything else works

I would never think of messing with the insides of any computer, I am 75 years old and scared I would mess up something although I am quite capable of moving the computer from one residence to another and not needing any help to disconnect and connect it again. 

[mdklassen]

> whenever I put any cd or dvd into the drawer nothing happens,

> when I push the button to open the drawer it does that, so nothing is jammed

That is "something".  It indicates that electrical power is reaching the device.

> did I turn something off, perhaps on the control panel?

Maybe you turned-off "autoplay".

So, place a disk into the open tray.

Close the tray.

Hold down the "Windows" key (bottom-left of your keyboard), and press the 'E' key. Release both keys.

This should open "File Explorer".

Do you see an icon for the CD drive? If you do, then the "data" cable between the device and the motherboard is OK.

If you "double-click" on that icon, what happens?

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[mdklassen]

> Got notice from mdklassen (Dean) re CD drive does nothing, followed directions. It opened "Hard drive drivers (3)" .

> There is no icon for the cd drive.

> The icons are OS (C), HP recovery (D), Microsoft Office Click To Run (Q) and Removable disk (F).

> Now what?

When you press the button on the face-plate, does the tray open/close? If not, the device is not getting electrical power.

Put a disk into the tray, noting the orientation of the labelling on the surface.

Close the tray. Do you hear the disk spinning?  Feel any vibration as the disk spins?

Open the tray.  Is the orientation of the labelling the same?

If so, then the motor is not spinning the disk -- something is mechanically wrong with the device.

Close the tray.

Hold-down the Windows key, and touch the 'E' key, to open Windows File Explorer.

If there is no icon for the CD/DVD drive, then something is electronically wrong with the device.

If you double-click that 'F:' icon, what happens?  Does it cause the disk to spin inside the device?

[segelkatt]

The drawer opens when I push the button, I put in a CD , close the drawer  but there is no sound, vibration, spinning, nothing. When I double click the "F" icon it says to "Please insert a disk" and then the bar at the top starts to fill in like it was trying to read something but never stops even when it is at the end, I let it run for several hours and it was still going. I've opend the drawer , took out the CD, closed the drawer and opened it again and reinserted the disk but still nothing happens.

[mdklassen]

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@segelkatt wrote:

The drawer opens when I push the button, I put in a CD , close the drawer  but there is no sound, vibration, spinning, nothing. When I double click the "F" icon it says to "Please insert a disk" and then the bar at the top starts to fill in like it was trying to read something but never stops even when it is at the end, I let it run for several hours and it was still going. I've opened the drawer , took out the CD, closed the drawer and opened it again and reinserted the disk but still nothing happens.

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>>> Open the tray.  Is the orientation of the labelling the same?

>>> If so, then the motor is not spinning the disk -- something is mechanically wrong with the device.

If you get no noise, no vibration, and the disk has not turned, then you really do have a mechanical problem.

The only solution is to replace the CD/DVD drive -- under $40 US, unless you get charged for "installation".

But, any "computerphile" will be able to open the case, disconnect the device, slide it out, slide in the replacement, connect it, and close the case. Done.

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[segelkatt]

I put in a CD and took note which way it was situated. When I opened the drawer the label had moved a little. I tried this several times and each time it had moved, sometime all the way to the other side. I never heard anything, even put my finger on the outside of the drawer to feel for vibrations but felt nothing. Pulled out a cheap stethoscope and put that on the outside and just above the drawer: heard a low rumble like some kind of motor and a few indistinct noises not quite like a click. Pulled the cd out, closed the drawer and listened again with the stethoscope:  the low rumble was gone but still heard other faint noises. 

Was at Best Buy today about a different issue (iPhone) and inquired there, they said to bring in the tower, they'll check it out as customer service, no charge. So I will do that on Wednesday. But thank you. Will let you know what came of this.

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

If it does "rotate" the media, then the motor probably is OK.

This leaves the laser mechanism itself as the source of the problem.

If the laser is not sending light onto the media, that is a problem.

If the reflection of the light, off the media, is not being detected by a light-sensor, that is the problem.

Spending $40 US to replace the device is much cheaper than trying to find/pay a technician to attempt to repair it.

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