Samsung DVD SD-608

[Wilder]

My Samsung DVD SD-608 was working fine the other day but now it won't recognize DVDs. It won't even see them in Windows Explorer. It was seeing data disks without trouble until I tried cleaning the lens in the drive. Now it won't even read regular data CDs. It all started after I installed an Elmo CD for my daughter...

Any thoughts on how to fix my problem? Seems like I need to go shopping for a new drive.

 

[Wilder]

I opened the case of the DVD itself and used a cotton rag and isopropyl to gently rub the lens and two little black things that looked important. I also cleaned the housing immediately around the lens. This may have been a big blunder not knowing my way around the inside of a DVD drive but I thought I had nothing to lose and I love taking things apart.

I don't think it was software either. Seems like there ought to be a way to fix/clean the hardware so it reads disks again.

 

[daveppeters]

You probably knocked the laser lens out of alignment when you tried to clean it. It is probably cheaper to buy a new drive than get it repaired (unless it's under warranty). Next time you probably should just use a commercially available drive cleaner

 

[Wilder]

Yeah, something in the back of my mind was telling me it was a mistake as a opend the darn thing up but my curiousity got the better of me. I guess there's no way to realign the lens? Do you think the disk cleaner may have solved the problem?

 

[Wilder]

But why was it reading data disk without trouble (before I opened it up) if it was just a dirty lens?

 

[Wilder]

This is a painful and embarrassing lesson. All I got out of it was seeing the inside of a DVD drive (not too big a deal) and finding this discussion forum (maybe be a good thing).

So do I trash the drive or get it fixed? Or can I somehow fix it? If the lens is scratched, the drive is probably going in the trash. But I was extremely gentle with the cloth and I can't imagine the lens is soft enough to be scratched. So if it's just misaligned (hopefully), how can I realign it or how much does it cost to have it done?

Thanks again.