OT - Dell Optical Drive Problem

[PamJ]

I apologize for posting this totally-avast-unrelated problem here, but I tried posting this on a Dell forum and didn't get much input. (And you guys are so helpful!!)   I know some people have Dell's here and thought maybe I could get some insight.  I have contacted Dell by e-mail about this (yesterday), and so far the only thing that's happened is---I finally got a real person instead of their automated system, and they still don't seem to understand what my problem is, so I had to detail it again in my email this morning.  Might have to revert to the phone.

My new computer is a Dell Inspiron, slim case.  Bought it the end of November. Almost every CD/DVD I put in the optical drive now makes a horrendously loud noise when the CD/DVD is accessed.  I say "almost every," in that I have found ONE music CD that doesn't do it.  It cycles from very loud, to medium loud, to low, back to very loud, etc.  This is not just when the CD/DVD is first inserted, but the entire time it's in the drive, if it's being accessed.  (If the CD is in there and isn't being accessed [spinning] there is no sound.)  The CD's/DVD's work fine, audio is fine, etc., but there's no way this loud sound can be right.  (It also vibrates my desk at the same time.)  I know this might be an exaggeration, but it sounds like an airplane engine or something.  It was mentioned on their website that an "unbalanced" CD or DVD could cause this type of problem (too much screen printing, labels on one side but not the other, etc), but come on, almost every CD, even the ones that came with the computer that they sent?!?

This case it supposed to sit upright to where the CD/DVD has to go in "weird," I guess you'd say sideways.  But it can also sit flat, and I tried it that way as well---same problem. Even the CD's that were shipped with the computer do it.

I think I'm going to try to record the sound, which might help Dell understand what I'm talking about.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Pam    

[DavidR]

I would say recording the sound would be as good as any image, e.g. better than a thousand words of explanation.

Is this the one, see image.

The only problem that I see is the inconsistency, e.g. one CD works (without the noise) whilst the others don't. Are there any obvious physical differences between these CDs ?

Do any of the CDs that suffer from this noise showing any signs of damage to the playing surface ?

[PamJ]

Hi, DavidR,

Yes, that's my computer!

I really can't see much difference in the CD's. One of them had never been used (it was the Works CD that came with the computer from Dell). I just found another music one that's not too bad at all The music ones seem to not create the problem as badly. The worst ones are a few I've received from clients that were copied onto CD's you can buy at the office supply store, and the worst was the printer driver one I had to use yesterday to reinstall my printer driver (another irritating story, but that problem was easily fixed    )

I'm always scared of messing with stuff like the registry and bios since I'm such an amateur.    Do you see any problems I could cause with these things that Dell said to do:

Please use the link given below to update the system setup of your system.
http://ftp.us.dell.com/bios/530_1016.EXE

Please follow the step given below to clear the filters of the optical drive.
 
1.   Click the Start button, click Run.
2.   In the Open box, type Regedit, and then click OK.
3.   Click the plus sign (+) next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4.    Click the plus sign (+) next to SYSTEM.
5.   Click the plus sign (+) next to CurrentControlSet.
6.   Click the plus sign (+) next to Control.
7.   Click the plus sign (+) next to Class.
8.   Click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. (for floppy it is  {4D36E980-E325 11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318})
9.   On the right side of the window, click UpperFilters.
10.   Click Edit on the menu bar.
11.   Click Delete, and then click OK.
12.   On the right side of the window, click LowerFilters.
13.   Click Edit on the menu bar.
14.   Click Delete, and then click OK.
15.   Click File, and then click Exit.

Funny, but this first item on their list of things for me to do gave me an error message!! [Please use the link given below to update the drivers for the optical drive. http://ftp.us.dell.com/rmsd/B110.exe.]

Oh well, I guess computer stuff is rarely easy!

Thanks!

Pam 

[PamJ]

Dell just sent another e-mail.  I had complained about them asking me to do that, as I was a chicken (well, didn't use those words exactly), and told them the first item returned an error message. Now they're saying they understand it may be difficult for me to do and not to worry, the optical drive can be replaced as it's still under warranty.  Hmmmm.

Pam the

[DavidR]

I highly doubt if a BIOS update (the first link in your post) would do anything to correct this problem.

Whilst the second one relating to the drivers for the Optical Drive is more likely to be helpful, but given the racket you say it is making I suspect this is a hardware not software issue, your CD may be on its way-out and I think you should clearly state that this is what you think it is.

If you aren't clear to them, they will try all sorts of wishy washy ideas to dance around what is probably a faulty optical drive. The problem is that that would require the system to go back for testing and replace and faulty optical drive, etc. The problem being if they can't find a fault then you could get hit with a bill for at least carriage/postage, etc.

[PamJ]

I was thinking the same thing, that doing all this stuff to BIOS, etc., isn't going to help because it's a hardware thing.  The drive WORKS fine---it's just extremely loud and vibrates doing it.

The warranty is this: 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis

I assume what we're doing now is the remote diagnosis part.  So, hopefully, the other really means "in the home," rather than me sending it some place.  I had in-home service with Dell on my last computer, and they did send someone out two different times to replace things, after jumping through a million hoops over the phone first, of course!!   

Thanks, DavidR!

Pam

[CharleyO]

***

Hi Pam -

You are not the only one with Dell Inspiron drive problems. These seem to be mostly Sony drives.

What model number is your Dell Inspiron?

See the below ScanDoo/google search :

http://g.s.scandoo.com/search?hl=en&meta=on&q=Dell+Inspiron+cd%2Fdvd+drive+problem


***

[DavidR]

<snip>
I assume what we're doing now is the remote diagnosis part.  So, hopefully, the other really means "in the home," rather than me sending it some place.  I had in-home service with Dell on my last computer, and they did send someone out two different times to replace things, after jumping through a million hoops over the phone first, of course!!  

I would have thought that the remote diagnosis (isn't what 'we' are doing) but Dell connecting remotely to your system to try and fault find, though I don't really know if that is at all possible for a hardware fault like yours.

[ardvark]

I highly doubt if a BIOS update (the first link in your post) would do anything to correct this problem.

Whilst the second one relating to the drivers for the Optical Drive is more likely to be helpful, but given the racket you say it is making I suspect this is a hardware not software issue, your CD may be on its way-out and I think you should clearly state that this is what you think it is.

Hi Pam...

I concur with David and CharleyO, this is most likely a defective drive that needs replaced....and soon.

May God Bless you!