CD ROM failure – Symptoms and Troubleshooting

These are some symptoms that may be caused by the CD ROM drive.

Symptom

Remedy

CD ROM drive can	not	•	Check that the power and controller cables are securely
be accessed and the	light		attached to the drive.
does not go on		•	Verify that pin #1 of the controller cable is matched to pin
			#1 on the drive and on the motherboard.
		•	The operating system may not be configured to use or
			"see" the drive.
		•	If it never worked, verify that the jumpers on the drive are
			set correctly.

CD ROM drive	can not	•	The CD may be damaged or unreadable.
be accessed but	the light	•	Try removing and reinserting the disk.
does go on		•	Try cleaning the CD.
		•	Verify that pin #1 of the controller cable is matched to pin
			#1 on the drive and on the motherboard.
		•	If it never worked, verify that the jumpers on the drive are
			set correctly.

The drive	drawer	does	•	Press the button once and wait at least a minute.
not open			•	In Windows, go to "My Computer", right click on the
				CD-ROM drive and choose "Eject" from the menu.
			•	With the computer unplugged, you can open most CD-
				ROM drawers with a unwound paper clip. Poke it, as
				straight as possible, into the hole and push with moderate
				force (the paper clip may bend a little) to force the drawer
				open a half inch. Now pull the drawer the rest of the way
				open.
			•	If the problem persists, check that the power connector
				and controller cable are securely connected to the drive.
			•	A CD may be jammed or broken inside the drive. Access
				may require the removal of the drive's outer case. If this is
				necessary, it is very likely that the drive will have to be
				replaced.

Spinning sound is	heard	•	The CD may be damaged or unreadable.
and then stopping		•	Try removing and reinserting the disk.
repeatedly		•	Try cleaning the CD.
		•	Verify that pin #1 of the controller cable is matched to pin
			#1 on the drive and on the motherboard.
		•	If it never worked, verify that the jumpers on the drive are
			set correctly.

The drive seems to	•	Is the drive on the same controller cable as the primary
transfer data too slowly		hard drive? If so, performance will be slowed because
		only one device can communicate at a time. Move it to
		the second IDE controller.

Replacing a CD ROM Drive

Incase the CD ROM drive needs replacement, The procedure for replacing a CD ROM drive is as follows:

1. Remove the side covers of the PC and remove the defective CD ROM drive as shown in the figure. 
2. Adjust the jumpers on the back of the CD ROM (if necessary)  as shown in the figure.
3. Replace the new CD ROM drive by sliding it in to the bay as shown in the figure
4.  Connect the power supply cable to the CD Rom drive as shown in the figure.
5. Connect the ribbon cable as shown in the figure. 
6. Connect the audio cable (if necessary) to the drive as shown in the figure. Connect the other end of this audio cable to the sound card. 
7. Secure the drive in to the drive bay as shown in the figure and replace the computer cover. 
8. Power up the computer.