Exploding CD!!!!!!!!HELP!!!!!!

[vanvranken9]

Hi everyone- need some help here. I am kind of freaked out. My daughter was playing a game on the computer and there was a loud popping sound and then what sounded like a grinding sound coming from the computer. I know she didn't do anything her father was standing right there. She is only 6. I opened the cd bay to take out the cd and pieces of the cd started flying out. I am not kidding!! There are about 500 pieces on my kitchen table and the cd-rom is not working anymore. I'm okay and my daughter is okay but the cd-rom is toast and I have to get a new one. The thing is I have only had the computer for about a year and a couple of weeks and I know it was not the computer. I believe it was a defect on the disk. I will be calling the company on Tuesday(M.L.King Holiday here on Mon.) that produced the game. I was wondering if anyone has had this happen before? Is it common and how could something like this happen when the game had been played before(even in the same computer) quite a few times and I have never had problems with any other game cd's by this company or problems with this computer.

ps. By the way it's a HP Pavillian w/ pent. 4 and the game was PUTT-PUTT travels through time by Atari.

Also was wondering do you think the company will get me a new game or cd rom - my daughter was at the very end of the game after it taking her about 4 wks of playing to get there?

 

[Zeeg]

Thats a bummer and luckly u wernt hurt, the company will probably give u a new one considering your story.

 

[Regulus]

Yup. My mom did this while I was at school one day. Rofl. It was so funny watching her all freaked out like "I broke the computer! I broke the computer! Your father is going to kill me!" I was trying to hold it all in . She took it to the local Gateway store and the guy there said that he had never had a customer come in with such a problem before. All they did was clean out all of the bits and it was working fine. In your case, though, just buy another and you should be fine.

 

[killians45]

yeah, and just as note if that ever happens again, turn of the computer and use the emergency eject and clean it out that way. Unless its completely spun down (it usually keeps spinning to speed seek times, but just at lower rpms) otherwise, those little projectiles come shooting out. These things spin #@$@#$ fast!!!!

 

[vanvranken9]

Thank you for the responses. I will post on hear what the game company says- left an e-mail for them but get this on the back of the cd book that came with the game there is a listing for tech support or to report problems via phone call (425)951-7108.
What is up with this? this is a huge company- ie Humongous entertainment/ Atari- Why the hell don't they have a 1800#.

 

[Harper]

Also was wondering do you think the company will get me a new game or cd rom - my daughter was at the very end of the game after it taking her about 4 wks of playing to get there?

It's a little hard to say. Like I first heard about this problem is a computer mag about 3 years ago.

It's a little hard to say as the problem of exploding CD are uncommon (but still common enough to be a problem).
The problem is that if you talk to the CD Rom manufacturers, they will blame the people that produced the media.

And then you talk to the people that did the media, they will then blame the CD Rom Manufactures.

The other problem was that it was orginally just showing up in CDRW drives, but I have heard it happen in normal CD Roms. It's more common is CDRW drives.

In the last 3 years where this oringally happened, I have only come accross it in my job twice.
The first time, it was with some guys's copied CD. Trait away the RMA department of the CDROM Manufacturer blame the manufacture of the CDROM media. And with that being sead, did not honour the warranty.

The second time that this had happened, it was with an orginal CD Rom. It was a music CD, and it blew up. THIS TIME, I was able to get the CD Rom Drive replaced under warranty. But the the manufacturers was not going to replace the CD that blown up. And the attitude I got from the drive manufacturer was that they going to replace it under good will.

The problem is arround. There is a few therories why this might happen.
1. CD Laser getting too hot
2. Immperfections on the CD Tray
3. The laser causing the media dye to further cystalise and sharter.
4. Poor Quality media (Populare excuse there)
So far, now one has been able to prove anything.

If it was an orginal CD (and trust me, they WILL check on this case), then should be able to get a replacement CD ROM. I don't think they will replace the CD media for you. You can try the CD Manufacturer too.

All I can say is that I hope your daughter is all right as I have heard stories where the front panel as blown off sending CD Media fragments all over the place. And people getting shards stuck in eye or in leg.


(PS, I work in a computer store myself, and I'm also the person that looks after the RMA. I know now RMA Department in these bigger companies just LOVE to pass blame around to some one else)

yeah, and just as note if that ever happens again, turn of the computer and use the emergency eject and clean it out that way. Unless its completely spun down (it usually keeps spinning to speed seek times, but just at lower rpms) otherwise, those little projectiles come shooting out. These things spin #@$@#$ fast!!!!

More like pray that the force of the explosing CD does not blow the face plate off. I have heard of that happening, and people getting FLAKKED with CD Shards.

Sort of a combination of the UNREAL TORNAMENT FLAK CANNON and RAZORJACK gun IMHO.

Make me glad that I have my PCs on the ground as appose the on the desk.
(Well, my job pc on is on the desk, but that is WORKER'S COMP. if that happens there. But not to say that I want happening in the first place as I like the use of my eyes)

 

[RedRecon2004]

Yeah, you're definetely lucky neither one of you were harmed....

Broken CD's can definetely become sharp, hazardous objects!

Good luck with your CD-ROM though.. hope you get it to work again, or a replacement for cheap.

 

[uzi9mm]

This was on MYTHBUSTERS.
A cd warps when it is spun too fast it starts to bend, and when it reaches the "Warping" limit the cd breaks apart and the parts go flying. It usally happens on these 56x(27,000 rpm) CD-Rom drives (no reason for a 56x cdrom drive) 40x is good enough for me.

http://www.paintbug.com/cdexplode/

 

[Harper]

Broken CD's can definetely become sharp, hazardous objects!

Bad enough when i have to destroy CDs some time. (Some thing I have do a offen after restoring client's data)
FACE HEAD OTHER WAY - THEN BEND.


Of course, there is this trick that I copied as I was bored one day in the office.
LOTS OF FUN!!
(I will not take responcibility for Loss Of Limb, Loss Of Life or Loss Of Employment etc. etc. if you try this trick yourself)

 

[Regulus]

hehehe.