If you are an active computer user, then you have probably come across the question: "why the drive does not read disks". Everything seems to be working properly, but for some reason the problem arises. There is good news for you - you can fix possible problems yourself. And our guide will help with this.

So put off buying a new CD / DVD drive and read to the end.

Main problems

If there was a need to classify problems with reading disks, then only two points could be highlighted:

• Hardware problems
• Software problems or incompatibilities

CD / DVD drive, like any device, can fail. But don't be alarmed, most hardware problems can be fixed locally.

As for software problems, they are very easy to diagnose. Let's say you've been setting up or installing new software. And after restarting the computer, the drive refused to read all or some of the disks. Here, the first thing you can think about is software incompatibility.

Now that we know the main types of problems, let's see how to deal with them.

Hardware problems

If the drive does not read discs due to technical problems, the connecting wires should be replaced first. It can be a Sata cable, or an IDE cable through which data is transferred. Ide is used in older computers - the technology is outdated. They look like this:

You need to disassemble your computer. De-energize it, disconnect all wires. Take care of grounding. Then use a tool to remove the housing cover. Now you should visually identify which cables are used to connect the DVD drive to the motherboard. And then replace them. You probably won't find the parts you need at hand, so get ready to head to a computer store.

After the new cables are installed, assemble the PC in reverse order, start up and try to check the reading of the disks. If it works, great. If not, proceed to the next step.

We carry out cleaning

When the computer is running, a large amount of dust collects in its case. It accumulates on all hardware components, including the CD / DVD drive. This can cause problems. Especially often this problem arises among owners of stationary computers. The system unit is located on the floor in a poorly ventilated place. Laptops are less prone to contamination, but they also need to be cleaned periodically.

You probably already guessed that now we will be cleaning the drive from dust. This helps to restore his working capacity.

The reading laser that the drive is equipped with is responsible for reading the data. And if he is polluted, then he will fulfill his direct duty every other time, or he will refuse to work altogether.

Disassemble the computer again, this time removing the drive. The easiest way is to blow it out. If you have weak lungs, you will need to buy a can of compressed air in advance. They are sold in the same computer stores, and are used to remove dust from equipment.

For more experienced users, we recommend a major cleanup. Disassemble the drive, and wipe the laser head by hand. When doing this, use soft cotton wool, ear sticks or a suitable cloth, pre-moistened with water or refined gasoline.

What else can you use? There are special cleaning discs. Special brushes are installed on their surface, which clean the laser head while the disc is scrolling. It is enough to put them in the drive and wait a couple of minutes.

Solving software problems

If you suspect that your drive has stopped seeing or reading disks due to software problems, think about what software you have installed recently. Most often, the problem lies in programs that allow you to create virtual drives:

• Daemon tools
• Nero burning room
• Alcohol 120%

With their help, you can work with disk images and connect them to virtual drives. But at the same time, these programs can conflict with an existing CD / DVD drive, preventing it from working normally.

Removing these programs, followed by cleaning the system registry, will help to solve the problem. Search the net - there are quite a few garbage disposal utilities.

Driver problems

A drive to read discs, like any device, needs a properly installed driver. Accordingly, an error in the drivers can cause your disks to stop reading.

How can we solve this problem? First, go to the device manager:

Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager.

If programs for working with virtual drives left their traces here, they should be removed. We remove all virtual drives. It is also necessary to remove the "STPD" driver. To find it, go to the View menu and click Show hidden devices"After completing these steps, restart your computer and check the result.

Checking the parameters of the drive

We just have to check the correctness of the parameters of our DVD drive. It must be configured correctly to read discs.

Go back to the device manager again. This time we are interested in the item " IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers". Expand the drop-down list, and we see several items. Among them we need to find the one that belongs to the CD / DVD drive. To do this, we open each of them one by one, and go to the tab" Extra options". If we see the inscription" Atapi cd drive", so we found the right one. Please note, just below there will be an item" Engage DMA". You should try both with DMA on and off. If your drive cannot read disks in windows 7, working with the DMA option will often solve the problem.

Video for the article:

Conclusion

Computer hardware has a lifespan. If problems arise, you can try to carry out self-diagnostics and repairs. In the event that this does not help, you will have to purchase new components.

Helps you transfer information between programs.

Why look for information on other sites if everything is collected from us?

What if my DVD-ROM won't read discs, why is this happening, and how do I fix the problem?

This question is asked by some users when they find that the media inserted into the drive is not detected by the operating system.

Then, before fixing the problem, you need to establish how it appeared?

Content:

Signs

The malfunction is nonspecific and it can be detected in a very diverse way.

Make sure they are plugged in securely (firmly seated in ports, free of dust and debris, etc.).

If the cables are connected properly, the problem is with the drive. Fixing it is harder than buying a new device.

It is much easier to purchase a floppy drive - the price of such a component is about 1000 rubles.

In the case of, and at all, you should not try to fix anything on your own. Since the drive connection system is connected there with many components.

You could accidentally damage the entire device.

The way out in the case of laptops is to use a USB drive.

With the installed drivers and the correct software, such a device works properly and stably.

In principle, disassembling the drive is often sufficient for repairing. And then wipe the lens with a cotton swab.

It's just very difficult to do this, since these devices are selected without taking into account the fact that they will be disassembled (although in principle this can be done, there are no general algorithms).

Disassembly and cleaning optical sd dvd drive PC if it does not work well

If your computer drive does not read, does not see, freezes, reads CD DVD RW discs for a long time, or simply does not work.

Software reasons

Sometimes a driver malfunction or a system problem can cause the device to stop working properly.

This cause of the problem can be easily eliminated and does not require additional fees. So, before disassembling the drive, make sure the software is not the problem.

Signs of a software problem

How do you diagnose software problems in your system? By what criteria are they determined?

Such a malfunction can be assumed if the following factors are present:

1. The device stopped functioning normally after it was carried out, or after its update;
2. Malfunctions began after manual or even (which happens quite rarely, but still happens);
3. Discs written specifically by a particular program, a disc of a certain format or with a certain type of data cannot be read (this can equally be a sign of a hardware or software problem);
4. Difficulties appeared immediately after installing a particular program (especially often such problems are caused by programs for working with media - Nero, Alcohol 120%, Daemon Tools).

It is quite simple to diagnose the cause of the problem in this way:

1. Turn off your computer;
2. Install a bootable disk into the drive;
3. Turn on your computer;
4. Try booting from disk.

Accordingly, if the loading has occurred normally, then the drive is working properly (at least with this type of disks).

Eliminating the problem

If there is a program or update that is causing the problem, uninstall that program.

And you need to do this through Control Panel and also delete all its files from system folders.

Sometimes it is advised as well, but more often it is not required.

If you do not know exactly which program caused the problem, you can roll back the system to the point at which the drive was still working.

Quite often, this is enough, and the discs begin to be read properly.

<Рис. 4 Диспетчер устройств>

If problems arose after updating the drivers, then you can do this:

1. Hold Win + R on the keyboard to invoke the command line, users can simply click on the start menu and write Command line manually;
2. A small command line window will open with an input field, write the devmgmt.msc command in it;
3. Will start Device Manager, in which you need to find the Disk drives section;
4. Expand this section and find the drive you are having trouble with in the list;
5. Click on it with the right mouse button and in the drop-down menu click on the Delete section;
6. Now select the Action button in the menu at the top and find the item Update hardware configuration;
7. After clicking on it, the operating system will find the drive again and install the necessary driver on it.

Sometimes there are some sections in a section. It is also advisable to remove them, as they may be the cause of the problem.

Then restart your computer to fix the problem.

Features of Windows 7

Some specifics of the problem are observed on computers with. Try this:

1. Open the Task Manager in the way described above;
2. Go to the IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers section;
3. Items like ATA Channel 0, ATA Channel 1 should open;
4. In the right block of the menu, click on these items with the right mouse button and alternately go to the section Properties

   DVD Drive Repair

   DVD player with a problem in the drive, it did not go out. Repairs were made and everything worked.

Consider today the problem when the drive stopped reading discs, although it saw and read everything 5-10 minutes ago, and now it refuses to work. There may be several reasons why the drive does not see the disk, mostly at the software level. This may be due to an outdated drive, driver failure or incorrect operation of some programs.

In order to deal with the problem, you should first check the disc, inspect it for any scratches. If the drive is ok, then proceed to check the drive. To do this, use various CDs, DVDs, miniCDs.

It is advisable to use licensed discs to check the drive, if you do not have such, then use new burned discs.

If the problem is not in the disks, then remember your last actions at the computer. Remember if everything was okay, what you did, perhaps you installed new programs or uninstalled programs. If you did uninstall something, then you need to reinstall the floppy driver.

If you installed new programs after which the drive stopped working, then you need to remove these programs.

Often the drive stops seeing discs because of the programs installed for them or software designed for recording. If you have such programs, then remove them one by one and clean the registry.

If the problem has not been resolved, and the drive still does not read dvd discs (cd discs), then you should use one of the useful and free programs. For example, it might be MicrosoftFixit.dvd.Run, which is developed and owned by Microsoft Corporation. You can download it from our website.

Open the program and wait for it to finish loading. Then a window will appear in which you can learn about the program and familiarize yourself with the terms of the Microsoft license agreement. Click accept to continue using the program.

The next window will display the Microsoft Fix it Tools installation, wait for the installation to complete. In the next window, select the required mode of operation of the programs, it is better to select "Find problems and offer to select fixes to install" - this is the second item.

Then the program will scan the system to find the drive and eventually show you the result, click on it.

Then wait for the program to scan the drive itself. Then choose which problem you want to solve. Wait until the program checks the drive and then click next.

Now a window should appear in which the program will ask you to insert a disc in the drive and the drive should automatically open. Insert a disc, preferably a licensed or as much as possible new burned disc and click next.

At the same time, the autorun disk window should start, if your disk does not start on its own, then try opening it through the My Computer tab.

A window will appear in which you should select "The problem is fixed" and click on. In the next window, click the "Close" button to close the program.

Otherwise, you need to reinstall the driver. If the unreadable disc is a video disc, the problem might be with the DVD region. In this case, the correct region must be selected in the properties of the drive. IMPORTANT! It should be borne in mind that only 5 changes in the region are possible. Moreover, the counter cannot be reset either by reinstalling the system, or by moving the drive to another PC.

If the DVD cannot be read most likely, there is an incompatibility of the drive with this disc. This refers, as a rule, to cheap discs of dubious quality.

Hardware reasons due to which the drive does not read disks on a laptop or PC

• Hardware issues include failure of a drive or disk... First of all, if it is impossible to read the disc, you should make sure that there are no scratches or cracks on its surface. It is worth noting that with such damage, full or partial data recovery is possible using specialized software.
• One of the possible reasons may be contamination of the laser drive head... It is best to use special cleaning discs to clean it. The best cleaning liquid is the one that comes with the disc. The use of other liquids such as acetone or alcohol may permanently damage the laser head.
• A fairly probable cause of a drive failure could be damage to loops, both supplying and transmitting data. To eliminate this problem, it is worth replacing the cables with others. This must be done with the computer turned off so that the voltage surge resulting from the switching does not damage the motherboard or the PC power supply.

A video on how you can fix software problems with a floppy drive:

If you are an active computer user, then you have probably come across the question: "why the drive does not read disks". Everything seems to be working properly, but for some reason the problem arises. There is good news for you - you can fix possible problems yourself. And our guide will help with this.

So put off buying a new CD / DVD drive and read to the end.

Main problems

If there was a need to classify problems with reading disks, then only two points could be highlighted:

• Hardware problems
• Software problems or incompatibilities

CD / DVD drive, like any device, can fail. But don't be alarmed, most hardware problems can be fixed locally.

As for software problems, they are very easy to diagnose. Let's say you've been setting up or installing new software. And after restarting the computer, the drive refused to read all or some of the disks. Here, the first thing you can think about is software incompatibility.

Now that we know the main types of problems, let's see how to deal with them.

Hardware problems

If the drive does not read discs due to technical problems, the connecting wires should be replaced first. It can be a Sata cable, or an IDE cable through which data is transferred. Ide is used in older computers - the technology is outdated. They look like this:

You need to disassemble your computer. De-energize it, disconnect all wires. Take care of grounding. Then use a tool to remove the housing cover. Now you should visually identify which cables are used to connect the DVD drive to the motherboard. And then replace them. You probably won't find the parts you need at hand, so get ready to head to a computer store.

After the new cables are installed, assemble the PC in reverse order, start up and try to check the reading of the disks. If it works, great. If not, proceed to the next step.

We carry out cleaning

When the computer is running, a large amount of dust collects in its case. It accumulates on all hardware components, including the CD / DVD drive. This can cause problems. Especially often this problem arises among owners of stationary computers. The system unit is located on the floor in a poorly ventilated place. Laptops are less prone to contamination, but they also need to be cleaned periodically.

You probably already guessed that now we will be cleaning the drive from dust. This helps to restore his working capacity.

The reading laser that the drive is equipped with is responsible for reading the data. And if he is polluted, then he will fulfill his direct duty every other time, or he will refuse to work altogether.

Disassemble the computer again, this time removing the drive. The easiest way is to blow it out. If you have weak lungs, you will need to buy a can of compressed air in advance. They are sold in the same computer stores, and are used to remove dust from equipment.

For more experienced users, we recommend a major cleanup. Disassemble the drive, and wipe the laser head by hand. When doing this, use soft cotton wool, ear sticks or a suitable cloth, pre-moistened with water or refined gasoline.

What else can you use? There are special cleaning discs. Special brushes are installed on their surface, which clean the laser head while the disc is scrolling. It is enough to put them in the drive and wait a couple of minutes.

Solving software problems

If you suspect that your drive has stopped seeing or reading disks due to software problems, think about what software you have installed recently. Most often, the problem lies in programs that allow you to create virtual drives:

• Daemon tools
• Nero burning room
• Alcohol 120%

With their help, you can work with disk images and connect them to virtual drives. But at the same time, these programs can conflict with an existing CD / DVD drive, preventing it from working normally.

Removing these programs, followed by cleaning the system registry, will help to solve the problem. Search the net - there are quite a few garbage disposal utilities.

Driver problems

A drive to read discs, like any device, needs a properly installed driver. Accordingly, an error in the drivers can cause your disks to stop reading.

How can we solve this problem? First, go to the device manager:

Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager.

If programs for working with virtual drives left their traces here, they should be removed. We remove all virtual drives. It is also necessary to remove the "STPD" driver. To find it, go to the View menu and click Show hidden devices"After completing these steps, restart your computer and check the result.

Checking the parameters of the drive

We just have to check the correctness of the parameters of our DVD drive. It must be configured correctly to read discs.

Go back to the device manager again. This time we are interested in the item " IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers". Expand the drop-down list, and we see several items. Among them we need to find the one that belongs to the CD / DVD drive. To do this, we open each of them one by one, and go to the tab" ". If we see the inscription" Atapi cd drive", so we found the right one. Please note, just below there will be an item" Engage DMA". You should try both with DMA on and off. If your drive cannot read disks in windows 7, working with the DMA option will often solve the problem.

Video for the article:

Conclusion

Computer hardware has a lifespan. If problems arise, you can try to carry out self-diagnostics and repairs. In the event that this does not help, you will have to purchase new components.

Helps you transfer information between programs.

Why look for information on other sites if everything is collected from us?

What if my DVD-ROM won't read discs, why is this happening, and how do I fix the problem?

This question is asked by some users when they find that the media inserted into the drive is not detected by the operating system.

Then, before fixing the problem, you need to establish how it appeared?

Content:

Signs

The malfunction is nonspecific and it can be detected in a very diverse way. It is possible to understand that it does not read disks by one general characteristic - you installed the medium in the drive, but it did not appear in the system. The physical varieties of this phenomenon are as follows:

• Only media of a certain format cannot be read, for example, CDs are readable, but DVDs are not. Or vice versa;
• Only media with a certain file type are not readable (it happens quite rarely, but it does occur);
• Only media with certain technical characteristics (capacity, recording type, etc.) are not readable;
• Only discs (of any or any particular format) are not readable, however, media recorded in an industrial environment work properly;
• After installation in the drive, you can hear that it is working, you can hear that the disk is spinning for a long time. But despite this, it is not determined by the system;
• Only movies cannot be played, regardless of the recording method and other files on them. Although most often we are talking about specialized discs with films bought in a store.

All types of reasons why this happens can be divided into two large groups. Hardware problems arise from the hardware side, due to its malfunction, incorrect operation, etc. Such problems are quite difficult to eliminate, especially for a beginner.

Often in this case, replacement of some components of the computer is required. To do this, especially for a beginner who does not have special skills, is not worth it yourself. It is recommended to seek professional help.

The second common reason is software. That is, when the drive does not function due to the fact that it cannot communicate with the computer, due to, etc. Such problems can be eliminated quite easily, and you can do it yourself.

Both the built-in and the plug-in drive may not work. Regardless of the type of device, the methods described below can help. It is worth mentioning that with plug-in drives this problem is often associated with the software, and much less often with the hardware.

Signs of a hardware problem

The device can fail for various reasons. Sometimes it is operational wear of heads or other components of the hardware, dust and other reasons. However, in these situations, it is typical to stop reading media of any type, if only one type has ceased to be read, then the matter is probably in another (with rare exceptions).

Playback side

How to diagnose the problem and roughly determine what actually happened? There are several characteristic features:

1. If the VD opens, but the CD does not start, or vice versa, then the problem is most likely in a broken or just starting to change the functionality of the laser;
2. Placing a medium into the drive, the user hears how it makes noise, the spinning speed either increases or falls, in some cases a grinding is also heard - the lens is damaged (worn out, dusty, etc.);
3. If the problem described above only occurs with one particular medium, then it is itself a malfunction, and the drive is probably fine;
4. Licensed discs are detected quite correctly, but unlicensed discs are not detected at all.

These are signs that can appear from the side of reading discs. They are not the only ones. But these are the ones that are most common.

From the recording side

A separate option is the symptoms of a drive malfunction, which are determined when writing to a storage medium. From the side of the recording, problems manifest themselves as follows:

1. The disc is not burned at all;
2. Data is written at the beginning, but then the process is interrupted;
3. The data seems to have been written, the system shows that the process is completed (sometimes too quickly), but such a medium then does not open on any other device;
4. The recording has occurred or was interrupted, but the resulting disk can no longer be formatted, cleaned, used again.

Those who often use the recording function note that in case of a hardware malfunction, problems with recording appear earlier than with playback. That is, the discs stop being written, but are still readable. This allows you to do the repairs on time.

Fixing a hardware problem

A dusty lens and a broken laser are the most common causes of this. But there is often another reason. These are incorrectly or poorly connected cables for power and data transfer SATA or IDE.

This parameter should be checked first. To do this, open the system unit and find the wires that go from the drive to and. Make sure they are plugged in securely (firmly seated in ports, free of dust and debris, etc.).

If the cables are connected properly, the problem is with the drive. Fixing it is harder than buying a new device. It is much easier to purchase a floppy drive - the price of such a component is about 1000 rubles.

In the case of, and at all, you should not try to fix anything on your own. Since the drive connection system is connected there with many components. You could accidentally damage the entire device.

The way out in the case of laptops is to use a USB drive. With the installed drivers and the correct software, such a device works properly and stably.

In principle, disassembling the drive is often sufficient for repairing. And then wipe the lens with a cotton swab. It's just very difficult to do this, since these devices are selected without taking into account the fact that they will be disassembled (although in principle this can be done, there are no general algorithms).

Disassembly and cleaning optical sd dvd drive PC if it does not work well

If your computer drive does not read, does not see, freezes, reads CD DVD RW discs for a long time, or simply does not work.

Software reasons

Sometimes a driver malfunction or a system problem can cause the device to stop working properly. This cause of the problem can be easily eliminated and does not require additional fees. So, before disassembling the drive, make sure the software is not the problem.

Signs of a software problem

How do you diagnose software problems in your system? By what criteria are they determined? Such a malfunction can be assumed if the following factors are present:

1. The device stopped functioning normally after it was carried out, or after its update;
2. Malfunctions began after manual or even (which happens quite rarely, but still happens);
3. Discs written specifically by a particular program, a disc of a certain format or with a certain type of data cannot be read (this can equally be a sign of a hardware or software problem);
4. Difficulties appeared immediately after installing a particular program (especially often such problems are caused by programs for working with media - Nero, Alcohol 120%, Daemon Tools).

It is quite simple to diagnose the cause of the problem in this way:

1. Turn off your computer;
2. Install a bootable disk into the drive;
3. Turn on your computer;
4. Try booting from disk.

Accordingly, if the loading has occurred normally, then the drive is working properly (at least with this type of disks). If the download did not occur, then the problem is definitely in the hardware.

Eliminating the problem

If there is a program or update that is causing the problem, uninstall that program. And you need to do this through Control Panel and also delete all its files from system folders. Sometimes it is advised as well, but more often it is not required.

If you do not know exactly which program caused the problem, you can roll back the system to the point at which the drive was still working. Quite often, this is enough, and the discs begin to be read properly.

If problems arose after updating the drivers, then you can do this:

1. Hold Win + R on the keyboard to invoke the command line, users can simply click on the start menu and write Command line manually;
2. A small command line window will open with an input field, write the devmgmt.msc command in it;
3. Will start Device Manager, in which you need to find the Disk drives section;
4. Expand this section and find the drive you are having trouble with in the list;
5. Click on it with the right mouse button and in the drop-down menu click on the Delete section;
6. Now select the Action button in the menu at the top and find the item Update hardware configuration;
7. After clicking on it, the operating system will find the drive again and install the necessary driver on it.

Sometimes there are some sections in a section. It is also advisable to remove them, as they may be the cause of the problem. Then restart your computer to fix the problem.

Features of Windows 7

Some specifics of the problem are observed on computers with. Try this:

1. Open the Task Manager in the way described above;
2. Go to the IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers section;
3. Items like ATA Channel 0, ATA Channel 1 should open;
4. In the right block of the menu, right-click on these items and one by one go to the Properties section;
5. In this window, go to the tab Extra options;
6. In the Device type field, set Engage DMA;
7. Click Apply;
8. Reboot your computer.

The problem should now be fixed.

DVD Drive Repair

DVD player with a problem in the drive, it did not go out. Repairs were made and everything worked.

Very often the computer does not have enough memory to store all the accumulated information. As the hard disk becomes full, it becomes necessary to transfer data to other media. Flash drives are expensive, but disks, in comparison, cost a penny.

But even here problems may arise, disks may suddenly stop being read by your drive. This article will tell you about the possible causes of the breakdown and help you solve the problem.

Why did the drive stop reading discs?

There can be many reasons for this, ranging from disk problems to complete failure of the drive. However, all causes can be categorized into two categories, hardware and software problems.

Hardware problems are related to hardware problems. The following problems can be classified in this category:

1. The reason may be the disc itself, its deterioration is so strong that no drive can read it.
2. The disc drive may become unresponsive to discs due to contamination. During the entire operation, a large amount of dust accumulates inside the computer, which can get into the drive and settle on the reading head.
3. Loose connecting wires will also affect the performance of the device.

These are the most common hardware problems, it is possible to determine which of this led to a failure only "surgically", that is, you need to get into the system unit.

Diagnosing software problems is much easier. If problems appeared after installing any software, then we can talk about software incompatibility.

Solutions for hardware problems of reading disks.

Is your drive not reading discs? Do not rush to throw it away and run to buy a new one. First, check the condition of the disc inserted into the drive, if it is in poor condition, then the reason may lie precisely in the damaged disc, and not the drive. Remove the disc from the drive and inspect it for scratches and abrasions.

If everything is in order with the disk, then move on. It is worth testing the drive on other different types of discs: CDs, DVDs and small miniCDs. It is recommended to use the latest discs for the test.

Do not forget about other hardware problems, open the lid of the system unit and carefully check the connection between the floppy drive and the motherboard with connecting cables. If there is no obvious damage, still try to connect the drive using other available loops. And for prevention, clean the drive from dust and dirt. This can be done using special disks.

There is another way to clean the readhead, but this option is for more experienced and confident users. This method involves disassembling the drive and cleaning the laser with water or good quality gasoline. Never use cologne or other alcohol-containing liquids or acetone to clean the laser. Their use will lead to disastrous results.

Have you cleaned the drive, checked its performance on other disks and tried to make it work with the help of other loops, but it still refuses to read the disks? Don't be upset. You can move on to solving possible software problems, and consider all the above actions as preparatory.

Solutions to software problems of reading disks.

If you find that the problem is not due to hardware reasons, remember what you did with your computer before, what you installed, what changed and removed. Because you may have accidentally deleted or changed files necessary for the drive to function.

To fix it, you will need to reinstall the device drivers required for the device to function normally and correctly on the system. A driver mismatch or error can cause the drive to fail to read discs.

In addition, you can disconnect the drive using the operating system and then reconnect. For Windows, this is done in the system properties.

My Computer window

In the window that appears, click on the Device Manager item.

System Properties window

The manager searches for your drive and then deletes it.

Removing a device

After removing the device, you must reboot the computer so that the system can again detect the drive and automatically install the appropriate software for it, that is, drivers.

Often times, third-party software installed to emulate virtual drives is causing the drive to malfunction. These programs include: DAEMON-Tools, Alcohol 120%, etc. All these programs can cause your drive to malfunction. If you have these programs on your computer, uninstall them one by one, and after each uninstallation test the drive.

To uninstall, you can use the CCleaner program, it not only removes programs from the computer, but also cleans the system from unnecessary files and system records left after removing the software. The process of cleaning up system records is called cleaning the registry.

In practice, there have been cases in which the solution to the problem was in the flashing of the device. But this action can lead to complete failure of the drive. So before proceeding with these measures, it is highly recommended that you read the next paragraph.

Solving the problem by means of the MicrosoftFixit program

Sometimes, after the next reinstallation of the Windows operating system, the drive stops opening only DVD discs, while CD discs still open normally.

This also does not mean that the drive "died", because before reinstallation it functioned properly. The most important thing is that this issue is solved with the help of the free and effective program MicrosoftFixit.dvd.Run. You can download the program from the link:

Troubleshooting Results Window

After that, the media content window will open, or a dialog box containing several available options for operating with the disk will launch. If none of the above happened, then open the disk manually using the My Computer shortcut. Thus, Microsoft Fixit easily solves the problem of DVD or CD reading failure.

And if this did not help, then you can already think about buying a new drive. For a better understanding and optimal selection of a new drive, it is recommended to consult with specialists.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you will have the opportunity to try to fix problems in the drive on your own, one by one, excluding possible hardware causes, and then software ones. Using the methods provided in this article. It must be remembered that self-correction may end with bad results, therefore, you should not neglect the help of qualified specialists.

CD or DVD disks and floppy drives are now less common - they have been replaced by USB flash drives. The advantage of the disk was its compact size and a large amount of stored information, while its disadvantage was its fragility. Information could be easily lost with just a few scratches on the work surface. If your drive does not read discs, this article will help you find out why, and what you need to do to fix the situation.

The drive won't read discs - why and what to do. Is it possible to fix it yourself

It is clear that the above problem occurs for two reasons:

• The device itself is defective;
• Defective disk;

And if you can assess the condition of the disk yourself, then what to do with the drive? Let's analyze all the possible options.

The drive does not read discs - let's diagnose it

Failure of a disk drive is not so uncommon, especially if it is already many years old. Basically, the reasons for a drive failure are as follows:

• Dust contaminating the lens through which the laser beam passes. You can carefully disassemble the drive and wipe it with, for example, a DRY cotton swab. Do not use solvents - the lens may tarnish and the drive will stop reading.
• The material from which the lens is made. Low-quality plastic lenses quickly become cloudy and stop transmitting the beam in the volume necessary for work. You can replace the lens only at a service center, you cannot do it yourself.
• Reducing laser power - its power will not be enough to write or read discs. For example, the drive will read CDs fine, but not respond to DVDs. Or, reading disks will proceed as usual, and errors will start to occur during writing - this is a clear sign of a decrease in power. On the Internet you can find information on how to make the adjustment, but remember this can lead to a complete failure of the drive.

Discs cannot be read - what to do with them

In general, rough handling can break or scratch the work surface. Contamination is also an enemy of the disc, but it can be removed carefully without the use of solvents. Cracks and scratches, unfortunately, speak of its complete uselessness. Replace the disc with a new one and try to handle it more carefully.

The disc drive does not read discs - why and what to do - video tutorial