In case of intensive use, the repair DVD drive in the laptop may be required after 3 years. Today, when optical discs are almost never used, and all the necessary information is easier and faster to download from the Internet, this period is increasing. Many manufacturers have abandoned this component, which has allowed notebooks to be more compact. In this manual, let’s look at the How To Repair Dvd Drive In Laptop? on your own and what is needed for this.
Table of Contents
Why is my laptop DVD drive not reading discs?
Experts admit the most frequent failures of a drive:
- The optical disc cannot be read because the sensor is clogged with dust.
- The drive is not working due to a missing power or data line connection.
- The tray does not slide out due to a breakdown of the drawer mechanism or a jammed disc in the drive.
- The disc does not rotate in the drive due to a broken electric motor or failure of the transmission gears.
Laptop drive repair can be done in any of these cases. However, you will have to disassemble the laptop and remove the optical drive, which not every user can do.
In case you are not sure that you can cope with such a task, it is better to immediately contact the service center for the help of specialists.
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How do I troubleshoot my DVD drive?
These defects can be identified by some signs:
- If the LED on the drive does not light up after you insert the disc, there is no contact or the power cable is damaged.
- If the drive is inserted normally and you hear the sound of a spinning drive, but the computer does not see the contents, there is no contact or the data cable is damaged.
- If the drive barely hums when spinning up the disc or there are no changes, then the electric motor or transmission gears are damaged.
- If the laptop sees the drive, the disk spins up normally, but the data is not readable or is partially read – the laser sensor is damaged or clogged.
If these signs are present, you need to make repairs yourself or contact a service center.
How To Repair Dvd Drive In Laptop?
Most problems can be resolved by cleaning the pickup lens. For this, it is best to use special cleaning discs that can still be found commercially. Such a disc differs from a conventional storage medium by the presence of small brushes that remove dust. It is enough to insert such a tool into the tray and wait until it rotates a little there. After the laptop displays a message that the data could not be read, the disk can be removed.
However, it is not a fact that you will be able to buy such a disc – due to low demand, they may not be available. In this case, you will have to disassemble the drive and clean the desired lens yourself.
The first step is to dismantle the drive:
- Disconnect power and all peripheral devices from the laptop – wireless modem, mouse, gamepad, etc.
- Remove the battery.
- Use a Phillips screwdriver to unscrew all screws on the bottom cover and remove it.
- Remove the screw that secures the drive to the chassis.
- Disconnect power and data cables.
- Remove the drive.
The design may sound flimsy and unreliable, but today a single mounting screw is used to secure an optical drive to the case. Some of the screws that secure the bottom cover can be hidden under a sticker or leg. To get to the fasteners, all unnecessary must be removed.
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Important! Do not remove the seal while your laptop is still under warranty, in which case it will be canceled.
If you turn the drive to face down, you can see the screws that secure the bottom case cover. You also need a regular Phillips screwdriver to unscrew them. Usually there are no more than 4 of these screws. If you unscrew them, the bottom cover can be removed without the slightest effort. By removing it, you will gain access to the back of the mechanical part and the optical sensor.
Before disassembling the drive further, blow it out to remove accumulated dust. To get to the lens, you need to unscrew a couple more screws on the iron plate from the side of the tray. After that, you will have access to both the mechanical part and the lens.
How to properly lubricate parts of DVD drive?
A jammed or braking drive gear is one of the reasons the disc may not rotate at the required speed in the drive. The torque is transmitted from the electric motor to the spindle using a pair of gears. When disassembling, pay attention: if the teeth are worn out, the wheel may slip, and the disc will not rotate.
It is possible to repair such a gear: you can drop it with molten plastic, and then adjust the teeth to the required size using a file. A good option is to print such a gear on a 3D printer. A similar service is provided in large cities – usually in specialized retail outlets, where you can also print photos.
An extreme option is to find the exact same gear. It is unlikely that you will come across a broken floppy drive of the same model, but it is worth looking.
To lubricate moving parts, transmission oil from a car is best suited – it is not too viscous, but will not spread. Litol or Solidol show themselves a little worse. Such formulations are too thick, but in the absence of an alternative, you can use them. Sunflower oil is completely unsuitable – when the parts rotate, it heats up and cokes, as a result of which the gear wheels can jam on the axles.
cD drive not opening on laptop
In this case, you just need to manually try to open the tray that does not open in the laptop when you press a button. To do this, you also need to dismantle the laptop’s optical drive and remove the bottom cover. If the disc is slightly across, then try putting it into working condition with a screwdriver or awl.
One of the reasons you can’t use the optical drive is because the tray won’t open. Unlike a floppy drive from a computer, where a separate electric motor is used to open the tray, the design in a laptop is slightly simpler. When closed, it is held by a special latch, which, when the button is pressed, works like a lever and slightly pushes the tray out of the drive housing.
The most common failure of this component is a weakened spring that no longer has enough force to push the tray out. You can replace it with a similar one or shorten it a little by removing a couple of turns with pliers. It does not work for unclenching, but pulls the tray from the inside.
Another possible problem is a worn retainer tooth. Which no longer keeps the loot closed. In this case, you need to replace the component with the same one – it is extremely difficult to repair it on your own.
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how to clean laptop dvd drive lens?
The focusing lens is a very delicate detail. Even if you scratch it a little, the drive will no longer see the optical discs, since there will be no normal focusing. When disassembling, it is better not to touch this component once again with either tools or hands.
Important! When wiping, it is not recommended to use any cleaning fluids, 90% isopropyl alcohol solution. Any “Dosi” and “Mister Proppers”, as well as vodka or cologne are not suitable – you will only make it worse. Isopropyl alcohol dries quickly without leaving streaks.
If you are unable to get such a liquid, you can gently wipe the lens with a dry hygienic stick – this is enough to remove dust particles that have got here. It should be borne in mind that the reason may not be at all in the contamination of the lens. If the LED laser in the laser sensor is burned out, it is better to completely replace the disk drive – getting a suitable part and calibrating it will be more expensive.
Conclusion
Sometimes, to repair a failed drive, it is enough to connect power and data cables, which could disconnect from the connectors due to a shock. It is also worth noting that in some cases, repairing a broken drive is impractical – it’s easier and cheaper to buy a new component. This is currently one of the cheapest parts for a laptop: even wireless modems are more expensive.
Keep in mind that if a laptop model has been discontinued, it becomes more difficult to find new parts for it. If you have not been able to find the right component, but need to periodically use optical discs, an external USB drive is a good option.
