Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Laptop CD drive won't read discs

Jan 17, 2015 3:09PM PST

Hi all

My laptop (Asus M51V running Vista) has recently decided it doesn't want to read discs of any kind: CD, DVD, blank, or games.

The drive is a TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L633A and nothing I have found whilst searching for a solution has worked: uninstalling driver and rebooting, Windows' own disc drive repair program, and diagnosing faults with the disc drive doesn't find anything and tells me"this device is working properly." Is there anything else I can try that could work so that I may be able to avoid having to take it to a shop and pay what will probably be a large and perhaps unnecessary bill?

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Maybe
Jan 17, 2015 11:00PM PST

If you have something bootable on a disc....like windows.
Put the disc in the reader and set the bios to boot from disc.

Boot the machine.
If that fails then look into a lens cleaning kit.
If after using the kit and it still won't boot from the disc then I suspect your looking at a trip to the pc repair shop.

- Collapse -
Answer
DVD/RW drive
Jan 17, 2015 11:09PM PST

Drives are quite inexpensive and are really not that difficult to swap out. There are tutorials online that will instruct you on how to do a retrofit. If you are at all mechanical it really isn't that hard to do. It sounds to me as though the laser has gone South, not that rare, I seriously doubt that cleaning will help. You can get a drive online, Amazon.com, Newegg, etc., for around 25.00. If you took it to a shop..it isn't a huge job, 15 to 20 minutes max but as I said, if you are at all mechanical, do it yourself.

- Collapse -
Answer
Had a similar problem with a Dell laptop CD/DVD writer that
Jan 18, 2015 12:59AM PST

wouldn't recognize any optical media.

Bottom line....after realizing how easy it was to remove the CD/DVD drive, I looked and looked and ultimately went to eBay where I found the exact CD/DVD model number (TS-U633) and series (YP311) and so far its worked perfectly. Some vendors sell new, refurbed, tested pulls etc., but most provided some warranty.

Let us know how it turns out.

VAPCMD

- Collapse -
Answer
What I added to my collection.
Jan 18, 2015 1:39AM PST

Some folk don't want to replace the drive. I see the lens cleaner noted but on a laptop you just need the usual and very gentle touch. Here's a YouTube after I share what I bought.

-> USB DVDRW <- These run 30 or less bucks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl1v3NEGiTk is very good as he really gets into the area that can build up some dust. +1 for repeatedly warning about being gentle.
Bob

- Collapse -
Answer
In a nutshell...
Jan 18, 2015 2:17AM PST

has been explained too many times, this problem of a failing CD drive. the mire fact that it was a Vista based PC, suggests it has been around for some time. It may have bought the farm and now belly-up. Too often, users tend to try to rescue the CD drive but more often than not, its a "bad broken drive", replace it. being a laptop, replace with similar model or exact same drive or get your hands on an ext. USB drive. One of the these will do the trick, pick one. Play all you want otherwise, until then.

tada -----Willy Happy

- Collapse -
Answer
Laptop CD drive won't read discs
Jan 18, 2015 1:21PM PST

Boot onto BIOS. Setup your BIOS. Restart the Laptop. For BIOS setting consult manufacture.