Best Way to Fix DVD Drive Errors

If your DVD drive suddenly stops working and you hope to fix DVD drive errors, you may find yourself struggling in figuring out why the DVD drive stopped working and how approach the situation.

Actually, there are plenty of different causes of the problem all with certain ways to fix DVD drive errors. To avoid too much confusing, the trick to fixing these nasty errors is by identifying the cause first so you can filter your options.

Initial Signs

Before you panic or tackle things head on, restart the computer and observe the behavior of the DVD drive. Does the light blink? Is the drive making any funny noise? Does the button to open the tray work?

Does the drive show up in the BIOS? Check these initial signs first so you can figure out if the problem is hardware related or software/driver related. This saves a lot of time in trying the different solutions.

Hardware Approach

If you noticed some physical problems while checking the initial signs, you can possibly them by checking all the connections including the power and data cables. Make sure they are tightened in both ends and see if the device is listed in the BIOS. If not, test the cables on another device and see if it works.

The problem lies on the cables if that test fails so replacing them should solve the problem. Otherwise, the jumper settings could be incorrect or the drive may need a replacement.

To make sure, test the drive on another unit and see how it performs. These solutions may cause the device to show up on the BIOS, but may not be considered fixed. The lens may be damaged as well and could be the reason why discs won't read.

The best way to test that it is not a software problem is by creating a boot CD which you should find online and try booting with the disc. If it doesn't work, then the drive needs a replacement. Don't forget to try different discs as well and give cleaning kits a try.

Software Approach

Once the device is listed in the BIOS and boots fine, but still fails on the Windows side, then you know it is a software related problem.

The first thing you should try is uninstalling the DVD driver in the "Device Manager" found on the system control panel and restart the computer to see if the drivers get it right.

If the problem still persists, it could be an error in the registry. You can cross check with that by installing a free registry scanner located at http://www.registry2aid.com/Free-Registry-Scan.html

Keep an eye on driver related errors and buy a registry cleaner if you find one. A good list of registry cleaners can be found on the Registry2Aid website as well.

It is safe to buy one also if you have over 600 errors detected. Solving these problems may put your DVD drive back to normal and fix a good number of other system issues.

Doing these approaches should fully cover all the possibilities to fix DVD drive errors. If nothing turns up, the last method would be buying a new drive and treating it with proper care.

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