There are two lasers in the drive. One reads DVDs and the other CDs. Your CD laser appears to have failed. Verify this by running the Dell Diagnostics to test the drive. Run the Custom Test for the drive and have a data CD (not music CD ) in the drive for the read test. Use a data CD such as an installation CD, not a CD-R disc.
Hello. Thanks for the answer! Have tried to run the Dell Diagnostics to test the drive. But unfortunately I have not had success. Can someone look over the previous posts to tell me if I choose the right choice after pressing F12? Has now subsequently tried twice to run the Dell Diagnostics, once with Dell original DVD that came with the purchase of computer and once with Dell orignal CD that came with the purchase of the computer.
Every time I tried the computer is turned off after x number of minutes. The test does not finish with the memory test before the computer shuts down. Can not find the option to select Custom Test. And every time the computer spits out the CD disc from Dell, just like when I try to read CD-R disks.
Does the drive appear in My Computer? Does the drive appear in the Device Manager? If it is in the Device Manager, right-click it and select Properties. Is there an error code (number)?
Does the drive appear in My Computer? Does the drive appear in the Device Manager? If it is in the Device Manager, right-click it and select Properties. Is there an error code (number)?
Hello again. The drive appears in My Computer. But do not register that a disc has been inserted when it comes to CD-R, the original software disk from Dell and original music CD.The drive appears in Device Manager. When I choose to see properties in Device Manager, there is no error message on the screen. Device Status: This device is working properly. Thus, no error code (number). But can anyone tell me what the blue bubble above the image of the drive tells me?
As stated earlier, there are two lasers in the drive and it appears the CD laser has failed while the DVD laser still functions. When you run the Diagnostics on the drive, it should fail to accept a CD because the laser is failed, thus the diagnostics fails to read the CD. This indicates the drive is bad due to a failed CD laser. From your first post, it appears the drive functions properly with DVD media, but you indicate the diagnostics turns your system OFF during the test. This I find puzzling.
When you access the Diagnostics, it will run a Pre-boot diagnostics on the system. This takes a few minutes. I skip it. Then when the 32-bit Dell Diagnostics run, it should present a Grapical User Interface from which you can choose Test System. You will have 4 choices:
Express Test
Extended Test
Custom Test
Symptom Tree
Choose Custom Test. You will then see a list of hardware in your system. Expand the CDROM/DVD and you will see individual tests for the drive. You could run them all but the Read Test is what you are interested in. Have a data CD or data DVD in the drive for that test. I suspect it will refuse to see the CD (failed laser) but it should read the data DVD.
If you cannot find this via F12, you can also boot your system using the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc.
As stated earlier, there are two lasers in the drive and it appears the CD laser has failed while the DVD laser still functions. When you run the Diagnostics on the drive, it should fail to accept a CD because the laser is failed, thus the diagnostics fails to read the CD. This indicates the drive is bad due to a failed CD laser. From your first post, it appears the drive functions properly with DVD media, but you indicate the diagnostics turns your system OFF during the test. This I find puzzling.
When you access the Diagnostics, it will run a Pre-boot diagnostics on the system. This takes a few minutes. I skip it. Then when the 32-bit Dell Diagnostics run, it should present a Grapical User Interface from which you can choose Test System. You will have 4 choices:
Express Test
Extended Test
Custom Test
Symptom Tree
Choose Custom Test. You will then see a list of hardware in your system. Expand the CDROM/DVD and you will see individual tests for the drive. You could run them all but the Read Test is what you are interested in. Have a data CD or data DVD in the drive for that test. I suspect it will refuse to see the CD (failed laser) but it should read the data DVD.
If you cannot find this via F12, you can also boot your system using the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc.
Hello. Thanks for all your help! Did finally get to the menu where I can choose to test the system and then select the custom test and Thereafter follow the other guidelines you gave me. This was when I did as you suggested to select the option to run the boot using the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc.
Have now tested all possible tests under the CD / DVD-drive area. Some several times. As you thought it was not possible to run tests with the original CD disc, just the DVD disc was accepted. If I insert an original CD disc I was told that I had to insert a disc to make the test, and they were like before spitting out after approx. 20 seconds. All the tests I did with the DVD disc gave the message that everything was ok. No error messages.
Should I conclude that the error is the laser that reads CD discs? Need I buy a new CD / DVD drive if I want to be able to read CD discs and burn CD discs? Or should I try to repair the one I have?
Skybird
10.9K Posts
1
January 25th, 2012 16:00
The Diagnostics verifies that your drive has failed. The CD laser is bad. You need to replace the drive.
Skybird
10.9K Posts
0
January 21st, 2012 17:00
There are two lasers in the drive. One reads DVDs and the other CDs. Your CD laser appears to have failed. Verify this by running the Dell Diagnostics to test the drive. Run the Custom Test for the drive and have a data CD (not music CD ) in the drive for the read test. Use a data CD such as an installation CD, not a CD-R disc.
ourkid
5 Posts
0
January 22nd, 2012 13:00
Hello. Thanks for the answer! Have tried to run the Dell Diagnostics to test the drive. But unfortunately I have not had success. Can someone look over the previous posts to tell me if I choose the right choice after pressing F12? Has now subsequently tried twice to run the Dell Diagnostics, once with Dell original DVD that came with the purchase of computer and once with Dell orignal CD that came with the purchase of the computer.
Every time I tried the computer is turned off after x number of minutes. The test does not finish with the memory test before the computer shuts down. Can not find the option to select Custom Test. And every time the computer spits out the CD disc from Dell, just like when I try to read CD-R disks.
Have any suggestions what I do next?
Skybird
10.9K Posts
0
January 22nd, 2012 20:00
Does the drive appear in My Computer? Does the drive appear in the Device Manager? If it is in the Device Manager, right-click it and select Properties. Is there an error code (number)?
ourkid
5 Posts
0
January 23rd, 2012 14:00
Hello again. The drive appears in My Computer. But do not register that a disc has been inserted when it comes to CD-R, the original software disk from Dell and original music CD.The drive appears in Device Manager. When I choose to see properties in Device Manager, there is no error message on the screen. Device Status: This device is working properly. Thus, no error code (number). But can anyone tell me what the blue bubble above the image of the drive tells me?
Skybird
10.9K Posts
0
January 23rd, 2012 15:00
As stated earlier, there are two lasers in the drive and it appears the CD laser has failed while the DVD laser still functions. When you run the Diagnostics on the drive, it should fail to accept a CD because the laser is failed, thus the diagnostics fails to read the CD. This indicates the drive is bad due to a failed CD laser. From your first post, it appears the drive functions properly with DVD media, but you indicate the diagnostics turns your system OFF during the test. This I find puzzling.
When you access the Diagnostics, it will run a Pre-boot diagnostics on the system. This takes a few minutes. I skip it. Then when the 32-bit Dell Diagnostics run, it should present a Grapical User Interface from which you can choose Test System. You will have 4 choices:
Express Test
Extended Test
Custom Test
Symptom Tree
Choose Custom Test. You will then see a list of hardware in your system. Expand the CDROM/DVD and you will see individual tests for the drive. You could run them all but the Read Test is what you are interested in. Have a data CD or data DVD in the drive for that test. I suspect it will refuse to see the CD (failed laser) but it should read the data DVD.
If you cannot find this via F12, you can also boot your system using the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc.
ourkid
5 Posts
0
January 25th, 2012 16:00
Hello. Thanks for all your help! Did finally get to the menu where I can choose to test the system and then select the custom test and Thereafter follow the other guidelines you gave me. This was when I did as you suggested to select the option to run the boot using the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc.
Have now tested all possible tests under the CD / DVD-drive area. Some several times. As you thought it was not possible to run tests with the original CD disc, just the DVD disc was accepted. If I insert an original CD disc I was told that I had to insert a disc to make the test, and they were like before spitting out after approx. 20 seconds. All the tests I did with the DVD disc gave the message that everything was ok. No error messages.
Should I conclude that the error is the laser that reads CD discs? Need I buy a new CD / DVD drive if I want to be able to read CD discs and burn CD discs? Or should I try to repair the one I have?
ourkid
5 Posts
0
January 27th, 2012 10:00
OK. Thank you for taking the time to help me skybird!