Laptop DVD Drive not working....Advice Needed.

[ddasey]

I am completely useless when it comes to the computer so I am asking for all your learned advice.

I have a Toshiba M70 laptop computer. It is about 4 years old.

Up until about a month ago the CD/DVD drive has been working fine. Now whenever I try and get it to read anything from a CD/DVD all I get is D:/ is not accessible. :smt093

The DVD drive is a Matshita DVD Ram UJ-84IS if that makes any sense.

Is there anything I may have inadvertantly done to cause this and more importantly is there anything I can do to rectify the problem.

Thanks in advance for the advice :wink:

[markTHEblake]

No, nothing you could have done - its broken.

Buy a replacement dvd drive, should be able to get a replacement for around $50 off ebay. am pretty sure its a generic component., which Matsushita is one of the common brands

or just buy a portable usb one, nearly $100. or $50 for a external one (normal PC sized one in a case that needs external power)

[Fishman Dan]

Not worth replacing, or finding a replacement part to put inside. You could check with a Toshiba repair centre, but they would charge a fortune. The USB external DVD drive is your best option, unless you need to use it on the go.

[ddasey]

Mark & Dan - Thanks for the replys.

I actually just sat down with the kids DVD's and it plays all the DVD's OK. It seems to be a problem when trying to read data from a CD e.g installing software off a Cd or trying to look at photo's burnt to disk.

Any ideas, this is killing me as I have no idea and I have stuff the kids have bought home from school on disk and can't view it.

Thanks again.

[markTHEblake]

surely you have two computers? and some sort of home network happening

share the cdrom drive on another computer. bobs your uncle.

[Fishman Dan]

Does that happen with all DVD's with data/photo's? If it's playing movies/shows OK, then chances are that your data was burnt onto a dodgy CD or DVD. Not common, but can happen.

Alternatively, can the CD/DVD with photo's etc be viewed on a different PC?

[ddasey]

surely you have two computers? and some sort of home network happening

share the cdrom drive on another computer. bobs your uncle.

Thanks Mark, this now done and seems to be OK. Cheers.


Does that happen with all DVD's with data/photo's? If it's playing movies/shows OK, then chances are that your data was burnt onto a dodgy CD or DVD. Not common, but can happen.

Alternatively, can the CD/DVD with photo's etc be viewed on a different PC?

Yep happens with all CD/DVD except for movie DVD. They play ok through WINDVD.

They can be viewed on the other PC but this is going soon and the laptop will be it for a while.

Thanks for the advice.