Trying to FIX a Faulty DVD / Optical / Disc Drive in a Desktop PC 

For me, trouble ejecting is usually almost always the small belt at the front of the drive. I’ve fixed countless disc drives on game consoles, computers etc by popping it off, giving it a clean in warm soapy water and cleaning the wheels with a cotton bud and alcohol while the belt is off. Over time it seems the belt/wheels pick up grease along with aging rubber. Best wishes guys!

It's nice to see you and your brother working together it's nice to have that bonding time with siblings where there's no arguments or fighting lol.

sorry ! i was shouting at the screen before you even took the drive out ! we could see the belt that needed changing thru the tray opening ! :) the belt stretches over time and loses grip. the top magnet clamps together with the drive spindle to hold the disc and stop it moving around as it spins. the reason it wouldnt open is when shut the 2 magnets clamp together and need to be pulled apart to open the tray, but the belt slips. the reason it opens with a disc in is that the disc keeps the magnets slightly apart, so needs less force to pull them apart to open the try. :)

i had this exact same issue with a blueray drive (same diagnostic), i tried to fix it with no success, so i leave now a CD in it all time and it work always, but still frustrating to not have found a more elegant solution. I didn't noticed there was a magnet in this white thing or that the belt/motor could be weak, very interesting, i will definitly test out thoses solutions, thanks for a great video again (love the bro too, good insight and the exchange between the both of you was great)

The "clunk" you hear when it tries to open it, is belt being too loose to break the force of magnet in the top part of drive that holds the DVD while spinning. It has no problem to open with DVD inside because makes magnetic force between top and bottom side of spindle sandwich weaker. And yes, the top part spins with the bottom part together.

As someone who's had these problems over the years, I suspected the drive belt right away. Your diagnostics of the problem, and logically working through every possibility was still fascinating to watch. I've got to give your brother credit for first suggesting the problem at about 39:50 "maybe that belt is slipping". When doing some research on the issue, I came across your suggestion of putting the belt in boiling water. Even ordinary rubber bands are said to work, but with a limited life span.

What a way to start a Sunday morning off!! The set may change, but the fabulous content continues. Cheers!

I've just fixed the same problem with an old DVD drive. Small amount of washing up liquid to clean the belt followed by a soak in some boiling water and it works a treat. Many thanks for the video and to the others for the tip about the small belt. Many thanks, JM-B

How can you make the most uninteresting topic so intriguing and interesting? Loved this video. Thank you so much!

I immediately diagnosed the belt to be loose but I'm glad you guys are not just tossing a working component into a dump even tho a optical drive is only 20 bucks to many things are thrown away even tho there perfectly fine

Your persistence deserves some kind of award, but probably not from DVD manufacturers who've just lost a sale. :D Tried to fix my parents old-school standalone TV DVD player last week, it was so old it used IDE cables inside the box. I donated a new one to them in the end.

Good stuff. I love how you think out loud about what the issue might be and possible solutions.

Great video thank you and can tell it's your brother you both really work together brilliantly

Brill teamwork! Great to see brothers working together! 👍👍

The white plastic with the magnet spins with the disk and keeps the disk in place and does not allow the disk to fly off when spinning. You will see the same configuration on a FAT PS2 Also. Without the white plastic and magnet there is no pressure onto the rubber on the drive spindle to drive the disk around either. The white plastic spins freely when gripping the disk and does not contact the lid when the magnet holds the disk in place.

9/10 it's the belt. Pick up 10 or 20 for £1 off an auction site. 👌

Great Video, yeah as the majority here say it is the drive belt.

Your brother sounds like he is an interesting man, I hope you do more projects with him.

I just realised i've been watching someone repairing a disk drive for the last hour!

Oh, really interesting, I have one with the same exact fault. I didn't actually give it too much importance because I hardly ever use DVD/CD, so whenever I need to use it, I just open it by inserting a paper clip in the small hole under the tray and manually carry out the process. Btw, I do not think inserting a disc changes anything. From what I recall, the drive's laser checks if a disc is inserted everytime the tray is closed. If you pay attention when the device is working, as soon as you close the tray, the laser works shortly (if there is no disc), and then stops. So I don't think there is any sensor or anything too complicated about it. I think it is a mechanical issue, just like people are saying, it might have to do with grease, the belt, the faceplate bezel. For example, the PS1 used to have a common issue where it had problems reading discs, and once you flipped it upside down, it would read them easily, and the fix for it was as simple as cleaning and appliying new grease to the moving parts of the lens. I mean, other than a blown capacitor, a worn out laser, an issue with the motor or a fault with the logic board, I think it is hard for these devices to have more complicated issues. Cool stuff as usual Vince.

DVD drivers always had these problems!! Great job vince!! 👌

Perfect fix! It opened with the disc in because the disc provides some interference with the magnet so it's less pull on the top piece.

I've had the top magnetic disc removed from a CD-ROM before while troubleshooting. The reason for that part is to hold the disk firmly against the spindle so it can spin the disk. Essentially, the disk is 'sandwiched" between the magnet above and the spindle below. So yes, the upper magnet does spin right along with the disk. Logic would dictate that since there is no bearing for the upper magnetic/plastic part in the cover that it shouldn't spin. However I'm pretty sure what happens is that the magnet/plastic part is held at just the right height as it spins that it isn't touching the sheet metal of the top case at any point. This allows it to spin freely right along with the disk. Otherwise, you can imagine the resistance/friction it would create against the spinning disk if it didn't also spin. Great video Vince! Keep 'em coming!

The magnet clamps the disc to the motor spindle so the disc does not slip. It spins along with the drive. but experiences little to no friction as it doesn't touch anything (other than the disc) while running. It is obviously a good design as these drives last many years and rarely if ever fail due to the magnet.

I have that exact same problem on my XBox360 (very first model) DVD Drive. Now I know how to fix it. Thanks to you both! :-)

I love how you work together with your brother. My brother would only shout at me and complain how stupid I am.

Oh boy, it's the belt. it's cool to know how it works.

This would have made an excellent live stream

I have same "clunk" problem with one of my old DOS gaming machines. I just use a paper clip, not so good with working on insides on things! When I was a PC technician 20 years ago, it was a grease issue 99% of the time. I have loads of drives spare from a job lot if you need spares or want another project....some of them might very well work, just too pressed for time to check them all. Let me know if you want them FOC :-) You also mention your brother was working with resin...I could sure do with some help on that front, I'm just making a mess....

I work at a computer repair shop and see this problem all the time

If a belt loses elasticity put them in a bowl of water and microwave it the belt will shrink back to its original size and elasticity

What a coincidence! Just yesterday i fixed my disc drive inspired by your videos haha

The belt is worn that is all. The little extra weight and thickness of the disk helps the laser drop easier, hence it works most times when there's a disk in the drive. This is very common on the xbox 360 drives as someone else said. With the lid off there's no resistance from the magnet so the rubber band has enough friction to open the drive also :)

Sounds like me and my brother troubleshooting things lol

I just watched this video from start to finish. It is very informative, although long. It might also be a good watch for the geeks at Best Buy. I took my wife's HP desktop computer into Best Buy in December to fix some issues & also to try to fix the internal LG Blu-ray optical drive. She had accidentally pushed the drawer shut with her hand & now it wouldn't open. I took the drive out and opened it up, cleaned it out, put it back in, but it still wouldn't open. They had the computer for 2 weeks. Their conclusion was that: 1) We should buy a new computer 2) The Blu-ray drive was trash. I brought the computer back home. I was pissed. This was the 2nd time I'd dealt with the Best Buy geek squad. They don't deserve capitalizing their name. The 1st time was with my computer that would not start. The lights flashed when started but the monitor was dark. Their conclusion was that it was probably the motherboard. It would probably cost a couple grand to find a new board. I probably should buy a new computer. It would be a lot less expensive. The problem is that new computers have phased out internal optical drives & their expansion slots. I would have to have an external optical drive. That I didn't want. I took the computer back home frustrated & upset. However, a couple days later I found my exact same computer on ebay, refurbished for $140. I quickly grabbed it up & installed my old computer's hard drives, ram & optical card. It started up like a charm with all my old files. I did wind up, however, purchasing a $200 Total Protection Plan & also a $100 external hard drive to capture & save all my files. Best Buy must have seen me coming. Then hers became sick & the Blu-ray drive wouldn't open, as mentioned . I decided maybe there was something on RU-vid to help fix the drive issue. Viola, this video! While I watched the video, I took apart her Blu-ray drive. I again cleaned inside, took off the belt (did not boil it) & oiled the metal motor post. I found that the plastic wheel on the top cover did not have a magnet. The magnet was in the metal thingy it was attracted to. I did one thing that wasn't mentioned in this video. I gently pushed inward the metal top of the cover. I put everything back together. It works perfectly. I will never bring another item to the geek squad at Best Buy. I feel they can fix only very basic things like loose wires or connections. Their main purpose is to up sell customers into buying new Best Buy items. Maybe other Best Buys are different but I wouldn't risk it again. A $300 life lesson. Kudos to Vince & Paul!

I knew it was the belt right away. Those things stretch out over time. You should know that from your Walkman videos.

Weldon Vince and Paul you did it eventually great video as usual

100% it's a combination of the drive belt and the magnet that holds the disc. This is a very common problem with PS2 's and Xbox's. The disc drive isn't able to drop because the magnet is too powerful. If you add two small strips of electrical tape to the magnet it will then work.

I have found before that if you bend the top case out a little from the centre works.

the round white plastic piece that is inset into the top metal case and sits on top of the disc spindle is a magnet. or it is a piece of metal and the magnet is in the spindle the disc sits on but either way the two pieces are held together magnetically. Sometimes the magnet is too strong and it sticks to the spindle and keeps it from going into the down position when there is no disc in the disc drive. but the space between the two provided by the disc when it is in the drive allows for the two pieces to separate properly when the eject button is pushed. I had this problem with an original xbox and a 360 disc drive and all I did was keep a disc in it and I never had a problem again, unless I closed it without a disc inside. Don't know if this helps for you but it worked for me.

Nice video, when we get a new house fixs video? Also would like some PSP or Vita fixes. Keep up with the great video's! Always waiting for more 👌

Too many cooks in the kitchen! Only ONE man is needed to do something like this LOL

Thumbs-up to your brother's old school digital watch, and that he seems to work on the floor like you do. :)

I have a disc drive that is doing the same thing, and its the belt being worn and not being tight enough to loosen the magnetic disc holder which is what the clunk is when there is no disc. Its so funny because if you just hit the top of the disc drive when there is no disc in it, it will loosen the Magnet and open the drive.

Ive worked on hundreds of disc drives. Its almost gauranteed the belt. You aren't getting enough torque from the motor transferred to the drive gear. The disc being in is just putting the slightest amount of weight on the tray to counter react it. The longer it goes like that the less the discs weight will help it open. If you took your fingernail and lightly pushed down on the front of the tray when you press the button, it will open up. Was INSANELY common on Xbox 360's and mid 2000's dells, and hp's.

54 seconds into the video: I had the same problem, it seems to happen a lot with the LG dvd drives. The belt that pulls the tray out was the problem. I gave a good clean to the belt, motor pulley and tray pulley and now it works fine. Now let's see if I was right. Edit: to take off the faceplate you need to pull out the tray using the paper clip tool.

Wow thanks so now I can fix my DVD player wasn't spinning or reading no disc 😂👍👊

Brilliant double act, but didn't understand the obsession with making it work upside down 😆

Thought you were going to quote a classic two Ronnie’s line at the end there 😂

Its 100% the worn belt guys... its a really common fault with disk drives and its easily fixed with a new belt... granted i also relube everything aswell... Remember the days of the VCR... Its always the belts lol... Well done Guys

I have the same issue for years on one of my computer's DVD drives. Already opened it and saw nothing special and ended up using always a paper clip if there's no DVD inside. I think I'll just try and find some rubber belt on aliexpress and try fixing that for good!

Thanks for your helping videos

Lower right hand corner of the faceplate was out of alignment, likely catching against the front bezel. Taking it apart and putting it together likely fixed it...

I can't wait for the next PS3 video.

The top bit with the magnet do indeed spin with the spindle, the tolerance of it's keeper in the lid is wide enough, relying on disc thickness, that it clears both the top and the bottom of the keeper.

Wow I haven’t had a disc drive on my pc for years! Retro.

I have the exact same problem on my Xbox 360 original white model. I never play it anymore so I haven’t bothered fixing it, but it’d be nice to get it working again.

It's the belt the magnet in the lid clamps the disc to the spindle and with the disc in it's easier for the belt to pull the two magnets apart. With no disc the magnets are closer together and need a greater force to separate them hence the belts weak.

@Vince there is also the method of banging the top of the PC while it is trying to open. Works 97% of the time. No idea why this fails, but the bump on the top of the PC opens it for some reason.

I have the exact issue hope i can do this!

Fun video =D The belt is the most common cause of this behaviour! XBOX (the old ones) suffer from this big time. The top part does magnetise to the spindle, but it doesnt 'rub' on the hood that encasuplates it - if that makes sense? It kind of floats by 0.5mm or something.

Very interesting - you've gotten further than I ever did taking apart optical drives. I had one case where I'd experience severe imbalance but pushing on the tray would often calm it down, and wouldn't mind getting this fixed. I suspect it might be the mechanism not getting lifted up all the way due to a sloppy belt, but I have no idea how the auto-balancing is supposed to work either. I would love to be able to fix things like this, drives that stop accepting CDs or any discs at all for no good reason (usually not a lot of use) are bad enough - I suspect bad caps or lasers / semiconductors in those cases, and then you're better off going out buying another. Quality of optical drives has become pretty crap though, as it was for floppy drives 15 years ago. I'd rather salvage an otherwise decent drive if it's only a minor problem.

I'm sure it's said countless times already, but that white magnetized bit at the top does spin with the spindle. I've seen it on a open PS3, and the car stereo head unit, i think it's common way these works. It doesn't make any friction as the magnet pulls it onto the top of the spindle in the center of it, where it's free from the edges as the spindle is lined up in a way it's clear. I believe it's just used to put pressure on the disc to keep it on the spindle.

I had the exact same problem.I fix it by pulling it out and throwing it away because I haven't used a DVD in quite few years.

That clunk sound is from the spindle and laser tray moving up and down to detach and reattach from the disk

I’m going to enjoy this. You should make more videos with your brother. You make a great team!

Your brother sounds like you but in a higher register 😂 Interesting video though.

The white thingy will prevent the disc from taking off when it spins. It‘s sort of a clamping mechanism. It will rotate the same speed as the disk does.

I had this problem with my DVD RW, I clean the belt and pulley with IPA and it worked fine afterwards.

Yup, I currently have 2 DVD drives with the same problem.

An easier way to open a dusty disc drive is to push in on the tray shortly after pressing the button, it should pop open. Also when a drive doesn’t open like this all you have to do is to open the tray, pull the little belt out, and then clean the belt and the pulleys it was on. The disc drive should then work fine for many more years.

The whole thing spins with the disc. That top plastic part is just to keep some pressure on the disc so it doesnt slip when it spins up and down

Vince wasn't dicking around when he said these Trying To Fix videos are for entertainment purposes, as some of his (et al) approaches towards troubleshooting does make you want to shout at the screen in frustration, especially when it sometimes is already solved with a Google search hahahahahaha. ¶= Still though, I enjoy the videos. Keep it up Vince, and here's an idea: an end-of-year award for fixes, like "Most Enjoyable Trying to Fix Project", or something along those lines.

The white circular part you were touching with your screwdriver at 36:32 holds the CD in place by magnetic attraction to the motor.

26:10 .... I think I have the answer. It drove me crazy, broke several units as well. The spindle or the cap on the top are MAGNETIC. They sanwich the CD and self center it using nothing but magnetic force. When opening, motor is not only fighting the tray mechanism but also trying to LOW the CD caddle and to do that it needs to unstick the two spindle pieces (on on the transport, one on the case. Now, with a CD, this magnetic force within the "sanwiched" spindle parts is lower and does the unsticking job more easy .... Find out it after broking several units ... LOL. Sometimes a better belt does the trick. Sometimes the plastic guides that for the mechanismo up and down are a bit worn, greasing can help this a bit. I havent been lucky with this ones =(

I think the magnet has less grip with a DVD in between, therefore easier for the belt to drive the tray out, must be a slightly loose belt.

Common issue. I had that problem years ago.

Hi, I really enjoyed the upload. wathing you go through the thought process was brilliant. Well done on your brother for suggesting that it could possibly be a loose belt issue. i liked your tip on boiling the belt. Must remember that one. cheers. I mentione before that I have an issue with a DVD on a TV that doesn;t recognise that a disc is in place would you or anyone else know what the possible remedy would be please? Regards, Brian

the Drive knowing if it has a disk in it or not has nothing to do with weight. the Drive gears open and lowers the laser and when it closes it raises it. one its closed the drive laser checks or a disk or not. well that is my understanding of it. so like others say it can be the belt slipping or the gears slipping.

Just trying this on one nice video. Just don't tell The 8 Bit Guy about the paperclip 🤣

Yay My Mate Paul !!!

theres a seal on the front backside of the tray that slides out. should check to see if its sticky.

Great video Vince as always! PS, is your brother Henning Wehn?

Awesome video as always

Back in the day (when they cost considerably more!) I had a spare white plastic disk that I used to keep the test CD on the spindle, perfect for troubleshooting... So yeah the white plastic bit spins with the disk. I guess that's the problem with mechanical drives. We are almost there with completely solid state - I couldn't afford to move my Bluray collection to solid state devices just yet!

On some drives such as those on the older XBOX 360 it's possible to take that belt off for a clean just by opening the tray. No need to take anything apart. A slippy belt was a common fault on those units.

100 percent belt problem 👍

great video to watch

YES

Can be an issue with the design of the fixing mechanism in the case. Usually the toolless designs rely on compressing the drive in the case but the original screw fixing method actuall pulls on the case to grip it, when screwed from both sides it is pulling the drive case apart slightly. Just a thought...

Pc fixing videos good idea

I had a drive that could not be open when not DVD is in, but with a DVD, it opens fine You use a unconventional way to fix it :D in my case the magnet was to strong.. I replace it from another faulty drive.

There is often a locking mechanism that prevents the dram being opened in order to prevent disk damage. This is usually engaged and disengaged by a solenoid.

The white plastic circle in the top of the metal case has a magnet in it, when you close the tray and the cd spindle rises with the disc on it the magnet snaps down onto the spindle to hold the disc in place while it spins. The spindle lifts the white plastic circle into a position where its just hovering without touching the metal lid or anything other than the disc and spindle. It spins freely with the disc without adding any friction at all. Long story short it's a great design used in almost every tray loading drive so don't worry about it lol The first time I learned about that was on a ps2 disc drive. On those you can easily pop the white circle out of the lid and put it on the spindle/disc to test the drive without the lid on it.

I saw your video on fixing a 3DO and was wondering if you ever wanted to fix a Neo Geo home console. I have seen others do it and found it very educational; wondering if it would be an interesting challenge for you!!😃😃

the little drive belt is loose which causes the draw to stick under load

I'm sure someones pointed this out but IMO, it opens easier with the disk in because the white magnet isn't as strong on the spindle with the disk between it.

The magnetic disc is purely stationary. It doesn't move at all. It just holds the disc in place to prevent the disc from wobbling during spin.

Mine was the cover on disk tray

Yes the whole spins around because the top peace stabilizes the disc and the bottom part