The laptop drive does not read discs. Understand the specifics of the problem

Many users encounter a problem when The drive does not read discs installed in it. Don't immediately throw away the drive and run to the store to buy a new one. After all, there are many reasons for this and many of them can be eliminated on your own without replacing the drive.

The main reasons why discs cannot be read

Problems of this nature can be divided into hardware and software.

Software problems with the drive

Software problems can result from bugs operating system or conflict with other programs. Conflict situations can arise, as a rule, after installation in the system virtual drives. If the drive stops working after installing programs such as Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools, then the error is most likely in the conflict software.

To solve this problem, you should uninstall the program and perform a system rollback using a restore point. How to perform a system rollback on Windows in the video below:

If the recovery system was not enabled, then you should pay attention to the presence of any virtual drives in the device manager. If any are found, they must be removed.

In addition to conflicts, the problem may be due to a failed or incorrectly configured driver. You can check this in the device manager mentioned above. The DVD and CD Drives section should contain the drive installed on the system. In the “Device Status” window of the drive properties there should be a line “The device is working normally.” And now the same thing in pictures, only using the example of a hard drive:

If it's not readable DVD disc , most likely, the drive is incompatible with this blank. This usually applies to cheap blanks of dubious quality.

Hardware reasons why the drive does not read discs on a laptop or PC

• Hardware problems include failure of the drive or disk. First of all, if the disc cannot be read, you should make sure that there are no scratches or cracks on its surface. It is worth noting that in case of such damage, complete or partial data recovery is possible using specialized software.
• One of possible reasons may become contamination of the laser drive head. To clean it, it is best to use special cleaning discs. It is best to use the cleaning liquid that comes with this disc. The use of other liquids, such as acetone or alcohol, may lead to permanent failure of the laser head.
• Enough probable cause drive failure may be cable damage, both supplying and transmitting data. To eliminate this problem, it is worth replacing the cables with others. This must be done with the computer turned off, so that the voltage surge resulting from switching does not damage the motherboard or power supply of the PC.

Video on how to fix software problems with a disk drive:

And what should you do if the drive does not read discs on Windows 8:

Question from a user

Hello.

Help with one problem. My drive doesn't recognize the DVD (at all). When I insert a disk, it starts to make noise, crunches a little, the computer freezes, and that’s all. After a couple of minutes, everything ends if you don’t try again to see what’s on the disk.

The disc itself was recorded on another drive, and it can be read on it...

Arkady.

Good day!

Oh, 10 years ago this problem was much more popular... I agree with many users that CD/DVD drives are lately are used less and less often (and have probably become obsolete). However, sometimes there is an urgent need for them, for example, when you need to read a disk with old documents (which cannot be found on the Internet), run a game with licensed disk with protection, install Windows when USB ports They can’t see the flash drive, etc.

To be honest, I myself have not transferred my collection of DVDs to external HDD(although I’ve been trying to do this for a long time). In this article I will look at what can be done to solve this problem of "invisibility"...

What can you do if the drive does not see CD/DVD discs?

Understand the specifics of the problem

Before that, I recommend taking several discs: CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, etc. (both recorded yourself and purchased in stores). Then insert them one by one into the DVD drive and try to read the information from them.

If you have a writeable drive, also try writing information to a couple of discs.

The essence of this action : find out the nature of the problem, determine whether the problem is related to one specific drive, or to a certain type disks (let's say the drive can see CDs, but not DVDs). I think that before spending money on a new drive (which will not always solve the problem), it is much wiser to spend half an hour on a “debriefing”...

For visibility problems with many discs

As I said above, the drive may either not see DVDs, or CDs, or none at all. All reasons for disk invisibility can be divided into two types (this makes it easier to deal with them):

1. or the drive itself (the laser in it) has become unusable, the cable has come loose, the socket is loose, etc. That is. the problem is related to the hardware component;
2. or the problem is software related.

How to determine if there is a hardware problem:

If the problem is hardware

2) Most often, the problem lies in dirt and dust that has gotten onto the laser and now it cannot read information from the disk. To clean it, you can try various special cleaning discs and liquids.

For example, there are disks with brushes; when such a disk spins in the drive, the brush brushes away dust, which has a beneficial effect on the operation of the drive.

3) You can also clean the drive if you manually disassemble it and blow it out, for example, using a can of compressed air. However, not every drive can be disassembled, and it’s not that easy.

You can try to simply open the tray and blow the drive through it with a spray can. Very rare, but it helps.

4) What about repairs - now, as far as I know, no one repairs such drives (unprofitable). If they break down, they are simply replaced with new ones. If you don’t know how to replace the drive (or which one to buy instead), pay attention to external devices- they can be connected to regular USB port

5) By the way, there are very cheap ones on sale now external DVD drives(both writers and readers). They can be a great help when you suddenly need to work with the CD/DVD format.

External USB 3.0 DVD-RW drive

If the problem is software

1) Removing (disabling) programs that interfere with operation

To begin with, I recommend remembering (paying attention to) when the problem appeared, after installing which program. Most often, the problem is associated with programs for emulating CD/DVD drives (these are programs such as Alcohol 120%, Daemon Tools, Nero, Ultra ISO, Clone CD, etc.).

Sometimes, some antiviruses can block reading disks, suggesting that there are threats there (and until the disk is completely scanned, you will not be allowed to read it!). For example, Panda Titanium used to be famous for this when setting the maximum level of protection.

Advice: while testing the DVD drive, remove the software that creates the virtual drive. In addition, disable (or uninstall) your antivirus.

2) Try to roll back the system (if there are restore points)

3) Try updating/replacing drivers

Often the problem is related to drivers. To reinstall current driver, go to device Manager (press the Win+Pause button combination, you will see a link to the manager in the menu on the left) , and expand the "DVD drives..." tab. Find your device in this tab and remove it.

As a rule, this simple method allows you to restore normal work drive.

By the way, pay attention to the “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers” tab: there are several ATA Chanels in it. Open properties each ATA Chanel and check if it is enabled everywhere DMA. If not somewhere, check the box and save the settings.

4) Reinstall Windows OS

It also happens that no amount of tricks allows you to restore Windows operation: some may be damaged system files, something was deleted, infected, etc. In some cases, rather than finding the reasons and solution for what’s wrong with the system, it’s much faster to reinstall it...

When a specific disk is invisible

As a rule, these are not readable disks Already pretty scratched. When inserting them, it is not uncommon for the computer to freeze while trying to read the information from them. An example of one such disk is shown in the photo below.

1) Try using a different CD/DVD drive

If you really need information from the media, the first thing I recommend is to use another drive (preferably DVD-RW, since record drives are more sensitive to reading information). It is not uncommon for one drive not to see the disk, but the other is able to read all the data from it.

If the disc is readable on an excellent drive, immediately make a copy from this disc. Because It may happen that next time you won’t read it...

2) Try to gently wipe the disc (there are special products for sale for this). Thanks to this rubbing, you can “smooth out” some of the scratches and the readability of the disc will increase somewhat.

3) Take advantage special programs for reading bad disks (for example, Bad Copy or Unstoppable Copier). They will try several times to count the non-responsive area (sector), and in the worst case, they will simply “fill” it with zero (and not freeze, like Windows).

If we are dealing with video, music, pictures, then most likely you will simply have a “silent” second in the video or part of the picture will be lost. Not as bad as losing all your information. If there are archives of programs and games on the disk, then the consequences are the saddest, such areas “filled” with zeros will not allow you to install these applications (i.e., in fact, they will be damaged!).

Last tip...

Well, the last thing I would like to note is that now you can find on the Internet the vast majority of files (be they old games or movies, some programs, etc.) that you may want to read from an “invisible” disk.

And if we are not talking about something unique and specific, perhaps it is worth spending a few minutes searching for information on the Internet rather than repairing and “dancing” around the DVD drive? Most likely, you will be able to find files in even better quality!

I have everything.

All the best!

Over time, the disk drive of a computer or laptop simply refuses to read discs. Sometimes it only concerns separate disks or media types (for example, the drive reads all discs except DVD-R or CD-RW), and sometimes absolutely all discs remain unread - the drive simply does not want to work with them. There may be several reasons for such a drive “strike”. Below are the most common problems, why and solutions.

First, you need to decide whether the drive has stopped working on a particular disk or is not reading everything you offer it. If it stubbornly refuses to read only one disc out of all those offered, check it for scratches, abrasions, etc. mechanical damage- perhaps the reason lies in the disk itself, and not the drive.

If the drive served you faithfully for several years and only then stopped working correctly, it may simply need cleaning of the optical lens, which is responsible for reading information from the media. In order to clean it, you can use it, but it is advisable to contact a specialist who will not only clean the lens by disassembling the drive, but also rid it of dust and other contaminants that have gotten inside the device during its operation.

However, sometimes it happens that a new or almost new drive refuses to work. Why doesn't the drive read discs in this case? Disk drive problems can occur for a variety of reasons. First you need to check whether the cable connecting the drive to the drive is damaged. motherboard. If damaged, this cable may become main reason problems. If visible damage not detected, you can still try connecting the drive to motherboard using another cable.

If the drive refuses to respond to user commands at all, you can try removing the device from the system and installing it again. To do this, go to “System Properties”, select “Hardware” and, having found required device, delete it. After this, you need to restart the computer so that the system can again detect the drive and install everything on it necessary drivers. Most often, after this manipulation, the drive starts working. But there are other answers to the question why the drive does not read discs.

Sometimes the reason why a drive fails to function normally is the appearance in the system of so-called virtual drives using programs that help the system read disk images stored on the computer. If the drive stops working after installing one of these programs (for example, Virtual CD or Alcohol 120%), you can try completely removing it and see if it works after that.

Sometimes searching for an answer to the question of why the drive does not read discs can lead to a sad result - it turns out that the drive board has simply burned out. Therefore, even before purchasing of this device It is advisable to find out for yourself which drive is the best of all those offered on the market. To do this, you can consult with specialists or read specialized forums on the Internet.

In some cases for further work If the drive doesn't read, it's enough to reflash it. Detailed description This procedure, like the firmware itself, can also be found on the Internet. The main thing to remember is that after unsuccessful firmware the drive can simply be thrown away, so you should approach this process with all seriousness.

These are just the main points why the drive won't read discs. If your problem does not fit any of the points described above, it is best to seek help from a specialist.

If you are active user computer, then you've probably had to deal with the question: "why doesn't the drive read discs?" Everything seems to be fine, but for some reason a problem arises. There is one for you good news- you can fix it yourself possible problems. And our guide will help with this.

Therefore, put off buying a new CD/DVD drive and read to the end.

Main problems

If there was a need to classify problems with reading disks, then only two points could be highlighted:

• Hardware problems
• Software problems or incompatibilities

A CD/DVD drive, like any device, can fail. But don’t be afraid, most hardware problems can be solved on the spot.

Regarding software problems- they are very easy to diagnose. Let's say you were setting up or installing new software. And after rebooting the computer, the drive refused to read all or some disks. Here, the first thing you can think about is software incompatibility.

Now that we know the main types of problems, let's look at how to deal with them.

Hardware problems

If the drive does not read discs due to technical problems, first of all you should replace connecting wires. This could be a Sata cable or an IDE cable through which data is transferred. Ides are used in old computers - the technology is already outdated. They look like this:

You need to disassemble the computer. Turn off the power and disconnect all wires. Take care of grounding. Then use a tool to remove the housing cover. Now you should visually determine which cables connect the DVD drive to the motherboard. And then replace them. You probably won't have the parts you need on hand, so be prepared to make a trip to the computer store.

Once the new cables are installed, reassemble the PC negative sequence, run it and try to check disk reading. If it works, great. If not, move on to the next step.

We carry out cleaning

While the computer is running, it collects in its case. large number dust. It accumulates on all hardware components, including the CD/DVD drive. This may cause problems. This problem occurs especially often among owners desktop computers. System unit located on the floor, in a poorly ventilated place. Laptops are less susceptible to contamination, but they also need to be cleaned periodically.

You probably already guessed that now we will clean the drive from dust. This helps restore his functionality.

The reading laser that the drive is equipped with is responsible for reading the data. And if it is contaminated, then it will perform its direct duty every other time, or will refuse to work at all.

We disassemble the computer again, this time removing the disk drive. The easiest way is to blow it out. If you have weak lungs, you will have to buy a can of compressed air in advance. They are sold in the same computer stores and are used to clean dust from equipment.

For more experienced users We will recommend a thorough cleaning. Disassemble the drive and manually wipe the laser head. In this case, use soft cotton wool, ear sticks or a suitable cloth, first moistened with water or purified gasoline.

What else can you use? There are special wheels cleaning. Special brushes are installed on their surface, which clean the laser head while the disk is scrolling. Just place them in the drive and wait a couple of minutes.

Solving software problems

If you suspect that your drive has stopped seeing or reading discs due to problems with programs, think about what software you have installed recently. Most often, the problem lies in programs that allow you to create virtual drives:

• Daemon Tools
• Nero burning room
• Alcohol 120%

With their help, you can work with disk images and connect them to virtual drives. But at the same time, these programs may conflict with an existing CD/DVD drive, preventing it from working normally.

Removing these programs and then cleaning them will help solve the problem. system registry. Search the Internet - there are quite a lot of utilities for garbage removal.

Driver problems

The drive for reading discs, like any device, needs to be properly installed driver. Accordingly, a driver error may cause your disks to become unreadable.

How can we solve this problem? First, go to the device manager:

Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager.

If programs for working with virtual drives have left their traces here, they should be removed. We remove all virtual drives. You also need to remove the "STPD" driver. To find it, go to the "View" menu and click " Show hidden devices ". After completing these steps, restart your computer and check the result.

Checking the drive parameters

All we have to do is check that the parameters of our DVD drive are correct. It must be configured correctly to read discs.

We return to the device manager again. This time we are interested in the item " IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers". We expand the drop-down list and see several items. Among them we need to find the one that relates to the CD/DVD drive. To do this, we open each of them one by one and go to the tab " Additional options "If we see the inscription" Atapi CD drive", then we have found the one you need. Please note that just below there will be an item " Enable DMA". You should try both options, both with DMA enabled and disabled. If the drive does not read disks in Windows 7, working with the DMA option can often solve the problem.

Video for the article:

Conclusion

Computer hardware has a lifespan. If problems arise, you can try self-diagnosis and repairs. If this does not help, you will have to purchase new components.

Helps you transfer information between programs.

Why look for information on other sites if everything is collected here?

Drive for modern user is an integral device in both a computer and a laptop. Disks, or blanks, continue to be common storage media and will not lose their relevance any time soon. We record our favorite music on them, and install films from them. And when a disk drive for some reason stops reading discs, this is very sad. Firstly, the user is deprived of one of the storage media, and secondly, reinstalling the system becomes doubly difficult. But even when DVD Rom completely refuses to work, this does not mean that it is time for him to go to the dump! There are several reasons why it may refuse to read blanks, but in almost all cases it can be restored to functionality. Let's figure out why the drive doesn't work and how to get it to read discs again, as before.

The disk drive in the computer refuses to work: common reasons

Often in situations where a DVD-Rom stopped working, the reasons turned out to be trivial. Let's look at the most basic of them first.

1. Physical shutdown. In most cases, the device is simply not connected to the motherboard. Moreover, the user could accidentally pull out the plug from the connector while cleaning the computer from dust. This reason is not surprising for Sata interface, because such connectors quickly become loose. It happens that the plug itself can fall out of the connector. All you have to do is move the computer.
2. Problems with the cable or connector. It's also quite common problem. If the device does not work, and everything is connected correctly, there is no need to rush to write it off as scrap metal. Try switching the cable to another socket. If that doesn't help, replace the wire itself.
3. No matter how funny it may be, some users classify the device as non-working as soon as it fails to read one disk. One should not rush to such conclusions. Check the disk itself for damage. If the blank is scratched, which often happens, then that is the problem. Feed the device another disk and check how it is read. If everything is in order, it means that you sinned in vain on the drive.
4. The laser is clogged. Also a very common problem. But it is relevant for drives that either operate very long time, or are used extremely often. To revive the drive, you don’t need to take it to the service center and you don’t need to download specialized software either. Everything can be managed by going to the nearest store, which sells discs with music, games and films. You need a cleaning disc. This is a common item, so you can buy it anywhere. Suppose you bought such a blank. It comes complete with instructions and a special liquid for cleaning laser lenses. What do we do next? We carefully read the instructions, we understand that the cleaning liquid is a very dangerous thing and if it comes into contact with fire, it can lead to dire consequences. So, after reading the instructions, apply liquid to the disk brushes and carefully insert it into the drive. After the device eats the blank, a program for cleaning the laser will be loaded. She herself will tell us what to do. And yes, we read the instructions. We carry out the necessary actions and wait for the cleaning to complete. We remove the disk and rejoice at the live drive again!

Disk drive failure due to emulator installation

If all of the above did not help you, then remember which program you installed last.

If you installed programs to emulate virtual drives Alcohol 120%, Ultra ISO and others, the cause of the drive failure may be related to them.

Such programs often cause conflict between virtual device and physical. How to solve this problem? Here are a few options that will help you successfully solve the problem.

(banner_123_privod)

1. The most the best way To fix such a problem is to roll back the system. During installation, each program creates a restore point to which you can return. The main thing is that the system restore function is active. So, to rollback, follow these steps:

• Open "control Panel". Next point "recovery". After this you need to click "running system restore" and select a rollback point. In our case, it is necessary to restore the computer to the state before installing the emulator. Accordingly, we select the point created by this program. Click next. After the recovery process, the computer will restart and the system will report that it has returned to its original state. early state. Next we turn to the drive and voila! It works! The screenshot below shows an example of how this will look.

1. If for one reason or another the recovery of the operating system was disabled or the rollback point before installing the emulator was deleted, do not lose heart! You can fix the problem manually. To do this we do the following:

• First, we remove the emulator itself. So much so that not even a breath remains of him! We clean absolutely everything: and Program folder Files, and application folders data.
• Let's go to device Manager, we find the virtual drive. We send it to the same address where we sent its creator.
• Then, without leaving the device manager, open the menu, view and select the item show hidden devices. Below we see an impressive list strange devices and drivers. Don’t be alarmed, we only need one item from them - SPTD Driver. We find one and also delete it.
• After all this, remove the drive itself, reboot the system and enjoy a working device again.

If none of the methods helped, then there is only one conclusion left, and not the most comforting one: the drive is still dead. In this case, you can try to repair it, but the cost of this service is comparable to a new device.

What to do if the disk drive in your laptop does not work

When a drive installed in a beech machine refuses to work, the reasons remain the same as in the case of a computer. Let us repeat them again and briefly describe them. possible solutions problems.

1. There is no cable in the beech, but the connector is still there. Only, unfortunately, he is alone. To check if the drive is OK, connect it to another laptop or computer. This is quite possible.
2. Again, damaged disks. Don't be so quick to blame the drive. Check if it may not read one or 2 disks that are damaged.
3. Lens clogged. A cleaning disc can also help here.
4. Installing a virtual drive emulator. As before, the solution to the problem is either to roll back the operating system or to correctly remove the culprit of the problem and all its components.
5. Device failure. Here, as was written above, nothing will help. You'll have to buy a new device.

(banner_123_privod)

DVD-Rom does not work after purchase

Not all the products we buy in stores are of high quality. No matter how hard manufacturers try, out of 10 devices one turns out to be defective. This is not the law of meanness, but a human or equipment error. What to do in such a case?

• Don't panic. This is not a situation where you need to show your emotions. Try connecting the device to different sockets on the computer. Check the cable, replace it.
• If all else fails and the drive does not work, do not try to figure out the problem yourself.

If you open the device, the warranty will be void.

• Contact the store or service where you purchased the DVD-Rom. According to the law on consumer protection, you have the right to demand from the seller of a defective product the full cost, or a replacement for a working device. But they won’t give you a new drive right away. The returned device will be tested by the seller before your eyes. If the problem is confirmed, you will be apologized and the store will offer a replacement product or refund your money. When I encountered a similar situation, the drive was tested long and hard for three computers. But he didn’t make money on any of them. As a result, I paid a little extra and bought a normal working drive.
• If the seller refuses to replace the DVD-Rom, citing one reason or another, there is no need to create scandals and run into trouble. Take your non-working device and go to court with confidence. If the equipment is truly faulty, the examination will determine this. The main thing is not to open the drive. Then you can sue the store for the cost of the goods and even demand compensation moral damage. Consumer protection law will be on your side. If a fault really exists, you will win the case anyway.

Is it always possible to return the drive to functionality?

When the drive fails, and not just the cable coming off or any of the above reasons, you can try to repair it. In some cases, this will cost you less than buying a new device. But, unfortunately, repair is not always possible. In what cases is it worth repairing the device, and in what cases is it better to think about buying a new one?

1. When the laser fails. If it is still possible to change the laser lens, then the laser will be very expensive. In addition, each disk drive manufacturer uses different lasers, which may not exist in our country. It will, of course, be ordered, but how long you will have to wait is unknown.
2. When the electric drive fails. This happens extremely rarely, but it does happen. This part is also not cheap at all, and again, it is not known how long you will have to wait until it is delivered.
3. Damage to the board, as well as damage to chips or capacitors. This drive part is also quite rare, because each manufacturer uses its own design. Accordingly, you will have to order the board directly from the factory. It's time again. Resoldering capacitors or chips is a painstaking task and not every service will undertake it. And this service will not cost much less than a new device.

(banner_123_privod)

Finally, a few tips that will extend the life of your drive and save you from unnecessary worries.

• Do not insert damaged or scratched discs into the drive. This significantly reduces the service life of the device;
• Do not leave DVD-Rom open. This allows dust to accumulate and clog the laser lenses. In the future, it goes without saying, this will not lead to anything good;
• Don't force the drive long work. He gets tired too. Allow the device to rest at least every half hour if you have to frequently work with disks;
• If the drive is actively used, do not neglect periodic cleaning of the laser lenses. But you don’t need to do this too often, since there is a risk of scratching the lenses;
• If possible, avoid using virtual drive emulators. In cases where they are very necessary, be sure to check whether system recovery is enabled and whether a rollback point has been created.
• If you are a laptop owner, all the recommendations are the same. But I’ll also draw your attentionthat you should not touch the disk drive itself, much less the laser, with your fingers.