any computer genius out there?

[Rookie]

My laptop has decided to stop reading CD's, it will read DVD's but just makes a noise when you put a CD in. Very annoying.

Tried Dell support but that is about much good as a chocolate teapot so thought i would come see the combined might of NSC.

And yes i have turned it off and on again

 

[rospants]

have you tried a cd cleaner in there??, could be dirt on the cd lens

 

[Napper]

prob got bored of them mate. Give him a break and im sure he'll start reading them when he's bored

 

[Rookie]

will give that a go, hope it is that simple

 

[Clothes Peg]

The very same thing happened to my friend's Dell Laptop. Apparently it was rejecting discs as some kind of unauthorised format. He just left it and bought a walkman to listen to CDs. It still plays DVDs.

 

[Rookie]

can't play football manager tho, that is the big problem

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

have you tried switching it off then back on again?

 

[Stinkers Bridge]

Shit in the carburettor?

 

[scooter1]

Does it make a kind of small groan and then nothing?

Sounds like the CD reader laser is f***ed. I had the same problem. reads and records DVD's but not CD's?

I bought an external USB based drive. Fair play its a pain in the arse but its quicker and far more reliable. I was quoted £200+ to replace the laptop's multi drive. £50 for an external

 

[Cian]

Cleaning disc, dead drive as suggested above would be the most likely issues. You can either get yourself a small, computer-powered CD only external drive that'd do fine for FM or playing music or a massive mother of an all-format DVD burner that needs its own power supply. And not much in between...

 

[Rookie]

Does it make a kind of small groan and then nothing?

Sounds like the CD reader laser is f***ed. I had the same problem. reads and records DVD's but not CD's?

I bought an external USB based drive. Fair play its a pain in the arse but its quicker and far more reliable. I was quoted £200+ to replace the laptop's multi drive. £50 for an external

looks like you were right just ran the diagnostic test and it failed the optical drive one, not impressed

 

[tinx]

You could always download a hack for FM so you don't need the CD in the drive. Means you can at least play FM.

 

[Rookie]

the nice people at Dell are sending me a new DVD drive so hopefully won't be without FM for long

 

[BensGrandad]

Help needed.

I havea Compaq with speakers either side of the VDU and one of them hasa a plug socket which I have taken to bea socket for headphones. I tried the head phones from my MP3 player no joy, spare set of headphones no joy. After todays shit game I went to PC World at Hove and bought another set of headphones which they said would work with the PC NO joy. They did say to check bottom right hand corner and click on the volume icon which I have done and it shows as maximum.

I have clicked on control panel audio and headphones but nothing seems to happen what else can I do.

 

[Cian]

1: The socket is broken - no headphones are going to work, at all.
2: Theres a volume control on the side of the speakers

How old is that machine? I've not seen monitor mounted speakers for YEARS.

 

[BensGrandad]

The PC is about 3 years old. Regularly serviced. Speakers are Platinum JBL which came with the PC.

The right hand speaker has a volume control on the front and next to it is the socket, standard headphone socket, to plug in the headphones. The speakers work perfectly but when the headphone plus is inserted they go off.

 

[NMH]

Help needed.

I havea Compaq with speakers either side of the VDU and one of them hasa a plug socket which I have taken to bea socket for headphones. I tried the head phones from my MP3 player no joy, spare set of headphones no joy. After todays shit game I went to PC World at Hove and bought another set of headphones which they said would work with the PC NO joy. They did say to check bottom right hand corner and click on the volume icon which I have done and it shows as maximum.

I have clicked on control panel audio and headphones but nothing seems to happen what else can I do.

Check you haven't got a 'mute' switch that's on.