What do you do if a DVD/cd won't open

What do you do if a DVD/cd won't open. I have had several customers that just don't use their drives, and as a result, they just won't open. I have to use a paper clip and insert it to get them to open. Anyone know of a fix for this. It's probably the belt slipping or getting hardened. It creates a problem if I want to do a re-install or printer setup etc. any solutions?

comment:

Rocco :  

Keep an external dvd drive in your travel kit?

Edit: to expand on this, I have found, especially on laptops, that replacing a dvd drive is costly, and not worth it. Especially if the customer doesn't use it, I wouldn't have them waste money on repairing something that you need for convenience. A lot of the problems on dvd drives not opening, but they are reading is due to age, and unless you want to learn how to take apart components and repair every type of drive out there, it just needs to be replaced. So that is why I would recommend just carrying one with you. I keep one in my car in my secondary tool kit. I think I paid $50 for it. Have used it on ~5 computers now. Certainly worth the investment.

That is already being done, need a fix so customer can use it...

In your op, you state that they never use it. If they need it, then chances are it just needs to be replaced. In a desktop computer, nice and cheap.

lan101  

Join Date: Aug 2009

Posts: 696

I just show them how to open it up with a paper clip. If it still reads, nobody wants to replace it. Unless of course they use it all the time which nowadays hardly anyone does.

mikeroq   

Join Date: Nov 2011

Location: Ponca City, OK

Posts: 509

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocco  I have found, especially on laptops, that replacing a dvd drive is costly, and not worth it.

How is it not worth it? The only laptop optical drive I can't replace in less then two minutes is a slot load drive. They don't cost much more then a desktop optical drive. One screw usually, pop the drive out, take the plate off, take the back bracket off, put bracket on new drive, pop on face plate, pop back in, rescrew and done. Though usually it is the desktop drives that stop opening.