R51 optical drive reading DVDs but not CDs

[billbennett]

What's going on here?

Stick a DVD in the drive and everything works fine. Stick a CD in and the drive spins away but doesn't open the CD. If I try opening the disc from Windows I get a D:\ is not accessible I/O error message.

I'm running the standard Windows XP Professional edition on a Thnikpad R51.

[rkawakami]

Generally a problem like this is due to a defect in the laser pickup. There's a separate laser beam used for DVDs and CDs since they have different wavelengths. You can try gently cleaning the lens with a lint-free cloth soaked in a little bit of isopropyl alcohol and see if that helps.

[billbennett]

Thanks Ray, I tried this and I can now 'see' the cds, but still can't install software. Do you know of a decent guide for the best way to clean the lens?

[rkawakami]

I don't know of any specific web site or guide that details this cleaning procedure, but all I've done before is dip a small piece of lint-free cloth (Texwipe is one such material that I get from work) in isopropyl alcohol and wipe it across the surface of the lens. In an emergency I've used regular cotton-tipped swabs (Q-Tip) but you have to be careful about not leaving any strands of cotton behind. Don't put too much downward pressure on the laser lens, nor move the lens carriage.

If the drive now recognizes that a disk has been inserted into the drive but does not read fully, then that might be:

- the drive's positioning system is faulty; the lens carriage either does not slide smoothly or does not track the disk correctly
- the disk itself is scratched or dirty

I use a trialware program called DVDInfoPro to diagnose optical drives. It usually does a good job in identifying the supported media of the drive (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R, etc.) and contains a test module which scans an inserted disk for read problems (CRC Read Error Test). Another type of diagnostic program that can check for read erros is PC Doctor for DOS. This is a free program supplied by IBM/Lenovo for their systems. In both cases, you should use a completely full disk (if possible) during the test.

If it's a matter of a dirty CDROM disk, then what I use is Windex (glass cleaner) sprayed on the disk and wiped off using a soft, lint-free cloth (if possible). I would not use paper towels as most are too abrasive and could leave tiny scratches in the plastic surface. Cleaning strokes are from the center of the disk and move outward towards the edge of the disk. Never clean the disk in a circular motion as that tend to cover up a larger portion of the data tracks.

ref:
http://www.dvdinfopro.com/
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-43283 (PC Doctor for DOS - diskettes)
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222 (PC Doctor for DOS - CD image file)