PLDS DVD+-RW DL-8A4SH: problem when machine vertical

Question

Hello,

I have an Alienware X51, I got a few months ago, and always kept it horizontal: I did not use the DVD much, but never noticed any problem. Now for space reason I had to put it vertical, and I have noticed that sometimes the machine does not read dvds and ejects them after a few seconds (but reads them when horizontal). Moreover, the discs fall on the floor when ejected. Since the machine is theoretically designed (and advertised) to work in both positions, this should not really happen. The DVD drive is a PLDS DVD+-RW DL-8A4SH, which seems to have caused quite a lot of problems to various users. Considering the price of the machine, this problem is really annoying. Is there any way to fix this? It seems like a mechanical problem on the DVD drive. Thank you very much!

DELL-Ravi Ch · Answer

Hi durthuthetreeman,

I would suggest you to run the ‘Fixit’ tool from the link below to check if it fixes the issue with DVD read/write problem.

http://dell.to/1b4M6nM

Also, I would suggest that you run the diagnostics on the computer by following the steps mentioned below and check if there is any issue with the hardware on your system.

Turn on or restart the computer.
Immediately at the Dell logo screen, starting tapping the key once a second until the One Time Boot menu appears (if the computer boots to Windows turn the computer off and try again).
At the One Time Boot menu, press the arrow key to highlight Diagnostics, PSA+ or Enter ePSA, then press to begin the hardware Diagnostics.
Write down any error codes listed. Reply to us with the error codes.

durthuthetreema · Answer

Hi DELL-Ravi Ch,

thank you very much for your reply. However, I just found this post on the Dell webiste:

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&docid=536143

which lists exactly the two problems I am having: would you agree on the fact that it is relevant? I will also run the checks that you suggest anyway, but I expect them to find out nothing wrong.
I'll let you know,

Kind regards.

DELL-Ravi Ch · Answer

Hi durthuthetreeman, Yes please perform both the steps on the link and then steps provided by me in the previous post.

Storage, Drives & Media

PLDS DVD+-RW DL-8A4SH: problem when machine vertical

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