Troubleshoot CD and DVD optical drives.
Optical discs and drives, including CD, DVD and Blu-ray, are prone to some common problems. Oftentimes, determining what the actual problem is makes a large difference in the way it will be resolved. Problems can lie in the physical storage media or the optical-drive hardware. In rare cases, the problem may lie in the software that drives the optical-disc handling.
Instructions
1. Remove any disc from the drive and clean the disc. Use a soft, lint-free cloth similar to the type used to clean eyeglasses. Do not clean using a circular motion on the disc. Instead, wipe from the inside of the disc to the outer edge with a straight motion. Reinsert the disc into the drive. If the disc read still fails, proceed to the next step.
2. Take the disc from the optical drive and inspect the disc surface for any damage. Scratches or cracks on the disc may indicate a problem with the disc. Try a different disc in the drive. If the optical drive is unable to read the new disc, continue to the next step.
3. Try a different optical disc drive to read the disc. This can be either a different drive on the same computer or a drive on a different computer. If the other optical drive is unable to read the disc, the disc type may be incompatible with the drive type. CD drives cannot read DVD discs. Likewise, DVD drives are unable to read Blu-ray discs. If the other drive was able to read the disc, the problem is likely with the optical-drive hardware. Go to the next step if the problem appears to be hardware related.
4. Update the optical drive's system drivers. Download and install the latest hardware drivers from Windows Update. If Windows installed updated drivers, a system reboot may be required. Try the optical drive after the reboot. If the drive does not function, you may have to take it to a professional for repair.
Tags: optical drive, read disc, next step, unable read, disc drive, disc from, drive unable