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Thread ID: 83616 2007-10-07 03:43:00 DVD drive opens and closes and opens and closes and... sjaxso (11577) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
598991 2007-10-07 03:43:00 it just doesn't stop!

I've just built a new machine, loaded Vista - all good - and suddenly the DVD drive starts opening and closing continuously.

It happens as soon as you power on - at the POST test. It's driving me insane. I've tried disabling it in the BIOS, but it still does it. Vista recognises it, but won't read any discs, even if you do manage to slip one in there in the half-second it is open.

It's an ASUS Quiettrack DVD rewriter, ASUS P5GC-MX motherboard.
Any ideas before I pitch the freaking thing out of the window?

I know the DVD Rewriter is fine - tried it in another machine and it behaves.
sjaxso (11577)
598992 2007-10-07 03:58:00 What else is on the same ide connection as this burner?

Anything else? Or is it by itself?
Speedy Gonzales (78)
598993 2007-10-07 04:06:00 It's on its own on the IDE, there are two HDD's but they're SATA.

It got worse: Vista now won't boot - even in safe mode - if the burner is connected. Pull the power from it, and Vista is totally happy.

It's bizarre.
sjaxso (11577)
598994 2007-10-07 04:12:00 Got your cable the right way around? pctek (84)
598995 2007-10-07 04:15:00 i didn't think it was possible to get it wrong way around. Do you mean the IDE plug may be upside down? Or I should swap ends of the cable? sjaxso (11577)
598996 2007-10-07 04:15:00 Check your cabling? is this IDE or SATA drive?

Really strange because I had a problem similar to this with a DSE DVD player, several months after purchase. problem went like this:

1) Turn on player, everything worked fine
2) Insert DVD, start playing
3) maybe somewhere, ~1hr in, DVD playback would turn to crap, skipping, lagging, A/V out of sync, corruption of the video etc -note: DVD perfectly fine, no scratches
4) first time I eject DVD and put it back in to start playback again, thinking it was just the DVD player glitching up
5) DVD player ejects the DVD for me.
6) Load DVD again
7) DVD player ejects it again
8) steps 6/7 repeat ad infinitum

9) turn player off overnight, works fine next day, until you try to play a DVD all the way through then repeat steps 1 - 8

seriously, not lying here. This did happen, and I have absolutely NO idea why.
Agent_24 (57)
598997 2007-10-07 04:17:00 Check the IDE cable going to the burner, make SURE the red line is going to pin 1 on the burner and the mobo.

And if the IDE cable has a blue connector one on end, that end gets plugged into the mobo, not the burner.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
598998 2007-10-07 04:19:00 Just to add: if your cable is old (yours probably isn't) then there is a chance it isn't keyed and you could put it in upside down

back of the drive will show you where pin 1 is, either labelled or with a small triangle-arrow. you want the red/blue/pink coloured or dotted cable to match with this

check the motherboard end also

cable should be with the blue (or connector that is further away from the other 2) in the motherboard.

If it's already in the right places, or if moving it around doesn't help, try replacing the cable altogether

also, you may need an 80-conductor cable for some reason (or a 40, if an 80 is confusing it, though you *really shouldn't* if it's a new drive)
Agent_24 (57)
598999 2007-10-07 04:29:00 If the cables Ok and round the right way, make sure the power plug, either molex or sata depending on the connection on the writer is in firmly.

Could also be a dud Drive, it does happen.

If all connections are OK and you have another Drive try that as well to see if it still does it.
wainuitech (129)
599000 2007-10-07 04:33:00 more like dud motherboard, since the drive works in another PC apparently.

try a new drive and see if it does the same thing, maybe your mobo is screwed.
Agent_24 (57)
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