Boot the machine with a live Linux USB (Linux Mint for example) and see if the DVD drive can still read.
Muadib
Lifer
- May 30, 2000
- 18,103
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Have you tried VLC?
So what I found with my Lenovo laptop was that it is the CD/DVD drive that's the issue !
Had SATA 12+mm thick drive that I pulled from an old Dell lappy - different manufacturer - swapped it in to the Lenovo notebook & it works phenomenally.
Actually recently had a similar issue with a Fujitsu lappy (Model T 732) that I sort of have retired.
Based on what has happened, I'm pretty sure that you need to replace your CD/DVD drive.
Some advice though. You dont have to replace it with the exact same make/model/vintage.
In fact, that probably is not wise as that particular make/model & vintage (production line) may have had a manufacturing defect/problem (including even a firmware issue) & that's why they go bad (early).
If you're gonna replace it, then try for a newer version (ie, newer manufacturing date) and also that shows an updated firmware version. In this way, the expectation is that any production bugs reported on the earlier versions would have been corrected in subsequent releases (due to consumer complaints).
Also, dont hesitate to use a different drive manufacturer (but use drive with same or better capabilities). The form factor for drives in a class (eg, 9+mm or 12+mm ) is effectively standardized.
Good Luck !!!
Addendum:
Looks like (based on my experience) that optical drive problems can be really weird, intermittent and hard to pin down. If you can, see if you can just pull a drive from a lappy (as many have removable drives ) and temporarily plug it in to the SATA port of your problematic DVD/CD enclosure so that you can then just test the "system" to see if your issue(s) go away.
Had SATA 12+mm thick drive that I pulled from an old Dell lappy - different manufacturer - swapped it in to the Lenovo notebook & it works phenomenally.
Actually recently had a similar issue with a Fujitsu lappy (Model T 732) that I sort of have retired.
Based on what has happened, I'm pretty sure that you need to replace your CD/DVD drive.
Some advice though. You dont have to replace it with the exact same make/model/vintage.
In fact, that probably is not wise as that particular make/model & vintage (production line) may have had a manufacturing defect/problem (including even a firmware issue) & that's why they go bad (early).
If you're gonna replace it, then try for a newer version (ie, newer manufacturing date) and also that shows an updated firmware version. In this way, the expectation is that any production bugs reported on the earlier versions would have been corrected in subsequent releases (due to consumer complaints).
Also, dont hesitate to use a different drive manufacturer (but use drive with same or better capabilities). The form factor for drives in a class (eg, 9+mm or 12+mm ) is effectively standardized.
Good Luck !!!
Addendum:
Looks like (based on my experience) that optical drive problems can be really weird, intermittent and hard to pin down. If you can, see if you can just pull a drive from a lappy (as many have removable drives ) and temporarily plug it in to the SATA port of your problematic DVD/CD enclosure so that you can then just test the "system" to see if your issue(s) go away.
The drive doesn't even appear in Explorer to try playing the DVD.Have you tried VLC?
re: The laptop is new so there isn't an internal drive. I went ahead and ordered another external drive assuming there must be something wrong with the drive. I'm sure I'm dealing with Chinese quality control here.
What I am suggesting is to open up the external drive & pull out the DVD/CD drive from the internal controller. (It should be a standard SATA interface - all my external drives - and I got a bunch of them both for SATA & IDE type drives and for size drives 3 1/2" to 2 1/2" .)
If you can get your hands on another DvD/CD drive then it may allow you to do a test to verify that it is the drive in the external enclosure that is bad, which now Im betting it is.
(For such test, you dont have to reassemble the enclosure. The whole mess can just set on a table with the circuit card with SATA controller plugged into a SATA DvD/CD drive. I do stuff like this all the time.)
If it turns out to be the drive (which Im also betting it is), then you can just buy a suitable replacement part off eBay to substitute into your existing enclosure. (You can pick up used to new drives on eBay for a song; eg, as low as $6 to $15.)
I do this all the time. (The bezels come off & are swappable as typically the CD/DvD drives are made to a standardized form factor including screw holes. Im actually in the process of doing this now for my current situation.)
You'll get it working again.
You'll be okay.
What I am suggesting is to open up the external drive & pull out the DVD/CD drive from the internal controller. (It should be a standard SATA interface - all my external drives - and I got a bunch of them both for SATA & IDE type drives and for size drives 3 1/2" to 2 1/2" .)
If you can get your hands on another DvD/CD drive then it may allow you to do a test to verify that it is the drive in the external enclosure that is bad, which now Im betting it is.
(For such test, you dont have to reassemble the enclosure. The whole mess can just set on a table with the circuit card with SATA controller plugged into a SATA DvD/CD drive. I do stuff like this all the time.)
If it turns out to be the drive (which Im also betting it is), then you can just buy a suitable replacement part off eBay to substitute into your existing enclosure. (You can pick up used to new drives on eBay for a song; eg, as low as $6 to $15.)
I do this all the time. (The bezels come off & are swappable as typically the CD/DvD drives are made to a standardized form factor including screw holes. Im actually in the process of doing this now for my current situation.)
You'll get it working again.
You'll be okay.
Muadib
Lifer
- May 30, 2000
- 18,103
- 904
- 126
Muadib
Lifer
- May 30, 2000
- 18,103
- 904
- 126
mikeymikec
Lifer
- May 19, 2011
- 20,057
- 14,461
- 136
Which drive letter do you propose pointing VLC at when it doesn't show up in File Explorer?
Muadib
Lifer
- May 30, 2000
- 18,103
- 904
- 126
You may be right, but I had the same issue as the OP, and VLC found my drive. That was with Windows Vista though.
Last edited:
WilliamM2
Platinum Member
- Jun 14, 2012
- 2,843
- 803
- 136
D
Does it show in disk management? You may just need to assign a new drive letter.
Brainonska511
Lifer
- Dec 10, 2005
- 27,629
- 12,037
- 136
I had this kind of thing happen in my Haswell -era HTPC previously - where it would work, and then suddenly stop working and the drive would be absent from File Explorer. The only fix was to do a restart of the system (not a shutdown and turn back on). Ultimately, I never figured out the cause, and I haven't seen the same issue popup since the drive was moved to a newer (Skylake) system.
I would check the connections, particularly if the drive is in a modular bay. Also, take a look in the BIOS - see if it shows up there.
I would check the connections, particularly if the drive is in a modular bay. Also, take a look in the BIOS - see if it shows up there.
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