How to clean an optical CD DVD drive that is not reading disks anymore

It ended up in a full tear-down... If you made it to put your DVD drive into work again, try using WinX DVD Ripper Platinum software to make a digital copy of your DVDs in 2023. Free download it here:
www.winxdvd.co...

[@UltimateDIY]

Hope the video helped you! Also, back up your DVDs in digital format in 2023 is a good idea. I recently found an easy-to-use software called WinX DVD Ripper Platinum. It allows you to convert DVD to digital format, backup DVD to USB / NAS / Plex hard disk and play the content on any of your devices, such as HDTV, iOS, iPhone, iPad, Android, Xbox One S, PS4, etc. Learn more here: www.winxdvd.com/dvd-ripper-platinum/?ttref=2302-ytb-pt-DIY-incl-may

[@Erowens98]

Thank you random internet guy with an accent. You're a lifesaver. My media collection is primarily blue ray. And i prefer an HTPC to a dedicated player, which is why i still have an optical drive in 2022.

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome! Glad my video helped 😊

[@Chuck--]

"Making things much harder to be repaired..." But it still made for a great video. Your slow but building frustration with the unit is a feeling that I could relate with.

[@UltimateDIY]

Thank you!

[@godwinalex]

The final technique , worked for me , I'm glad that i was able to fix my bluray drive

[@UltimateDIY]

Awesome!

[@blutey]

Thanks for this guide. My DVD rewriter stopped reading disks with read errors. Took it apart using your guide and cleaned the lens with some alcohol. The lens didn't look dirty, so didn't hold out much hope. However, it seems to have brought it back to life. Fingers crossed it lasts.

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome! Glad my video helped!

[@Madrrrrrrrrrrr]

Same here. But i have been doing that for years and worked 9 out of 10 times. No light alcohol like video says because there is water in light alcohol. 99% is much better.

[@leandro842]

You make amazing content aimed at helping people, sharing knowledge and helping the environment, that's amazing these days. I have this exact same optical drive and apparently it died from the diode as well. It's absurd that corporations don't worry about the damage that planned obsolescence causes, all they want is to cut costs, it's a huge lack of respect. Your phrase about technology evolving in the wrong direction is correct, that's exactly what it is about. Thank you very much friend for taking the time to share high level knowledge, excellent research work.

[@UltimateDIY]

Thank you. I really appreciate the kind words 😊

[@SimonSlothindianer]

The moving mechanism was stucked in my drive. I tried your recommendations and it worked! Thank you so much for this video - it saved my optical drive :)

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@charlesgoepel8405]

Hello friend, I am in a similar situation with a Toshiba/Samsung SH-216 DVD and CD read write optical disc drive (ODD) very similar to the unit you attempted to repair. At first, I was disappointed that you could not find the root cause of the problem. I learned several things, how to remove the front door, thanks. I learned how to release the retaining mechanism from ribbon cables.You are a patient man. I learned how to remove and reuse the spinning magnet which holds the disc in place. I'm sure there are several more things that I haven't given you credit for. Good luck in your future repairs.Thanks !!

[@UltimateDIY]

Hello friend! Thank you!

[@aathithyaak6387]

You are the man!!😎😎 Tried your steps and it is fixed! Not sure how long it's gonna last..

[@UltimateDIY]

Glad my video helped ✌🏼

[@blastcoop6037]

Very detailed explanation while doing it in detail, thank you for your video. It really helped me a lot. I was going to install some of my old pc games on my pc but my cd drive is somehow messed up. I am going to fix it right now using your video. Thank you.

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@benoySimon]

Thank you Sir. Kind of you to share the valuable experience and help others. Best wishes.

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome! ✌🏼

[@roddri9247]

Thanks to your guide I was able to fix mine, it works wonderfully. thank you

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@Hörmann_F71]

i tried to clean the lens with some alcohol and it did works thanks a lot!!!

[@Hörmann_F71]

weak alcohol

[@UltimateDIY]

Great, welcome!

[@windowsxpprofessional]

Thanks for telling not to look into laser and video was helpful 😁

[@UltimateDIY]

Glad my video helps :)

[@windowsxpprofessional]

@@UltimateDIY yes it did a lot! 50 percentage of problem is solved

[@bobyork1235]

Thanks for your efforts in putting this video together. I have a Panasonic DMR-EH59, a stand alone DVD recorder w/ built-in HDD. It wouldn't read disc's that were recorded or recognize blank disc's to write. Cleaning the lens on laser has seemed to solve the problem but while inside the DVD section, I noticed the one rail appears to have no lube on it. What specifically is that grease/ lube you are using? It said 'Vaselina' on your container. Looks like a lithium or silicone based sort of grease? I appreciate your help. Thanks much..

[@UltimateDIY]

Glad my video helps. It's silicone grease.

[@johndaarteest]

Great video, thank you for this content, can I ask: is that Vaseline you are using to grease (Petroleum Jelly)?

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome! I know that grease only as silicone grease.

[@johndaarteest]

@@UltimateDIY ah ok thanks for the reply.

[@dubsuesuedub]

Enjoyed your video. I am trying to tear down my Samsung CD-Master 40E Model SC-140. I am trying to completely remove the tray, but I can not find the release mechanism. It is not like the one in your video. Can you please tell me how I might release the tray to completely remove it? Any help is appreciated.

[@UltimateDIY]

Sorry, but I don't know that model

[@neknosnaws5990]

I was trying to get an older dvdrom to read a movie disc and found it almost impossible to get the cover off to expose the lens and clean it manually. I had a thought: Instead of giving up I used my portable air tank and a an air nozzle on a hose and , with the tray open, I blew two good blasts of air into the interior of the reader. I came back inside and stuck the movie disc in this machine, and guess what! It immediately brought the movie up and started to play it. I had spent over an hour or more trying to get it apart to manually clean the lens--and with the air tank it took about 3 minutes! This might be a good first step in checking non-reading DVD or CD Roms BEFORE one spends hours trying to disassemble them, and takes a chance on breaking something in the process.

[@UltimateDIY]

Thank you for the info. Yes, blowing the dust off the lens is a good first step.

[@marclili4491]

Happy new year maestro.

[@UltimateDIY]

Happy new year to you too! 🎉

[@reverseperistalisis]

Thanx for posting, i have a dvr that will not read discs, i will open her up and see if i can repair!

[@UltimateDIY]

Hope you manage to fix it!

[@darattaqwa]

i have exactly the same problem, i have an old disc from my daughters nursery days, i tried to copy it onto pc but dvd rom not working, will try your steps, just wanted to say another wonderful video, what is that white plastic grease called

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome! It's silicone grease.

[@michaelkaiser1864]

Gonna try some of this. IF it doesnt work, nothing lost. its still dead. If it does..... :) Lots of old games on disk that i still love. Sure. I could buy a drive for 20 USD.... but thats money i could put to better use. Thanks for this. Our grandparents used to fix their own stuff. Heck. Our dads used to fix stuff. Past the 80's tho.....stuff just nearly went unfixable. Cars are a total loss. You can change the oil. Maybe the plugs. The lights are tough sometimes but doable. Anything serious? Lots of times... nope. Not even a simple alternator swap. Forget a timing belt/chain or water pump.

[@UltimateDIY]

Yup, I feel exactly the same way you do. Nothing can be fixed easily anymore...

[@michaelkaiser1864]

@@UltimateDIY by the way....MY DRIVE IS FIXED! YOU ROCK!

[@UltimateDIY]

Awesome! ✌🏼

[@ionottoi]

It was the little motor that moves the laser (bad 1st position calibration moves. This motor gets weak over time). A lot of SH-222 and SH-222BB died by this. Just a general issue with this model.

[@UltimateDIY]

Thanks for the info 👍🏻

[@Joe-te4br]

Is there any kind of fix? Id like to get my one working again

[@christoffer4862]

Motor replacement

[@cidpusa700]

Awesome impressive great job!~

[@UltimateDIY]

Thanks.

[@dudedude7849]

What is the name of the grease that you use in the video? Thank you

[@UltimateDIY]

It's a random silicone grease.

[@pessoaanonima6345]

These Samsung Writemaster and Super Writemaster units are horrible. I got a bunch of old computers and found 4 of those with the same problem as yours: it only reads CDs, not DVDs. Only one of these are working. Meanwhile, all the drives from other brands are working perfectly, except for a really old one from LG.

[@UltimateDIY]

That sucks...

[@fatimasucesso1411]

Thanks for the tips :)

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@christoffer4862]

Same problem on a different drive unit. I suspect the lens touches the disk... Too bad it does not give off error codes so it can be properly diagnosed.

[@UltimateDIY]

Did you see marks on lens or disk?

[@christoffer4862]

@@UltimateDIY Nope. I still have the drive and can donate to you if you'd like it. But I doubt you will have the proprietary interface.

[@UltimateDIY]

No, it's ok. Thank you anyway 👍🏻

[@maysammirzakhalili4862]

Wonderful , thank you.

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@ricos1998]

Welcome I have a similar one and I don't know why? Did you fix it?

[@UltimateDIY]

You are asking me? It can be seen in the video I was not able to fix it.

[@ricos1998]

Yes, thank you You must buy a new one ​@@UltimateDIY

[@ricos1998]

​@@UltimateDIYIt's a problem

[@UltimateDIY]

Bought another second hand one 😁

[@ricos1998]

Yes I do 😃​@@UltimateDIY

[@creator8101]

I need help. I saw your laser emit red but mine doesn't. I tried using camera to see the infrared and there's nothing. The problem is that the drive wasn't able to detect a dvd.

[@UltimateDIY]

Could be a laser or electronics failure.

[@OpenGL4ever]

It could also be an electronic safety feature that measures the ambient light level and if it's too bright, meaning the laser unit isn't surrounded by the housing, then it will stop to turn on the laser.

[@WaqarAhmed-gf1jh]

Great job

[@UltimateDIY]

Thank you!

[@albertrynkowski3599]

Great content! İ have an Akai cd3000 sampler with old scsi drive in it that i want to rescue. Fingers crossed :). Ps Are you from Poland maybe? ;)

[@UltimateDIY]

Romanian here :)

[@avijitmukherjee4698]

Really helpful !

[@UltimateDIY]

✌🏼

[@nickblack2006]

Perfect thank :)

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@MRW515]

Fab video, thank you

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@Hörmann_F71]

Magic

[@UltimateDIY]

🤭

[@sinisterisrandom8537]

That accent strangely enough makes me want to keep watching.

[@UltimateDIY]

Cool :))

[@1234nn-w8g]

Good

[@UltimateDIY]

✌🏼

[@yusufshikder6819]

Hey my dvd writer doesnt have any screws on them. How do i open it?

[@UltimateDIY]

Sorry, but it's impossible for me to guess.

[@yusufshikder6819]

@@UltimateDIY its a samsung sata dvd drive. It doesnt have any screws on any sides and a big circular lock type thing on the top underneath the sticker...

[@khaledsoliman3670]

thank you very much

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@waifuhunter9709]

Why i use dvd in 2022? Because i live in iran Edit: i fixed my dvd drive by cleaning lense. Thank you for toturial

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome! Glad my video helped!

[@abzarnikan1716]

واقعن ک فاک دیس ویدیو

[@UltimateDIY]

English please.

[@Marie-ym4qt]

What is the name or type of grease please?

[@UltimateDIY]

I think I used silicone grease.

[@Marie-ym4qt]

I've done some digging and its white lithium grease@@UltimateDIY

[@javierc2726]

Using flat head screwdriver on phillips screws triggers my ocd Why are you disconnecting the power if you are cutting it from the power supply? One more step

[@UltimateDIY]

Wow, someone with more advanced ocd than me. Make me feel good 😁

[@damondtv]

at 22:42 (worked) you can see the red laser light through the disc. at 23:45 (did not work) we do not see the laser light. i have the exact same symptom on a drive here. still haven’t figured it out. however, this was a clue i found. occasionally the drive works. each time it did, it was because the laser was lit up (and stayed on). each time it failed to to work, the laser was off or only flickered on for a split second. If anyone else seeing this might know the answer to this mystery, please let me know. :)

[@UltimateDIY]

That's the issue. The laser starts for a split second to focus and see of a disk was inserted. If it does not do this properly it will not continue to light up as it thinks it has no disk.

[@damondtv]

i tried with different discs and some will start reading immediately and others do not. did not matter too much the condition of the discs. some scratched discs read fine. some unscratched discs could not read. still trying to find a pattern. i know i can order another laser assembly but solving the problem seems more fun at the moment. btw, adjusting the POT didn’t matter too much for this issue. high resistance made the drive give up reading after one try. low resistance made the drive try several attempts to read. but the attempts do not work because the laser fails to stay lit. when it does work, i can see that the laser is just brighter (which might burn it out) thank you again for posting this video. it described my situation exactly.

[@UltimateDIY]

There might be something alse at play here. Not all optical disks are written in the same way and even have different substrates. Did this particular drive read everything in the past?

[@damondtv]

good question! this is a used item. this is the first time i’m seeing it. i would have expected this have worked with all the usual discs. fyi. this is a xbox 360 drive. it should be able to read CD, DVD, Xbox 360, and original Xbox discs. these work when tried: CD, DVD movie. it occasionally reads, for example, “game1”. a second retail copy of “game1” however rarely reads. same game but maybe different manufacturing. interesting puzzle indeed. i’ll poke around some more and most likely will replace the laser assembly in the near future.

[@UltimateDIY]

Hope you get it sorted 👍🏻

[@sofaxx5447]

Thaaank youu ♥️♥️

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!

[@nemanjatadic7558]

I have same bd rewriter...and he burn olny rw bd disc, other disc dont burn (write)

[@UltimateDIY]

Probably a similar issue. As long as it used to burn everything else just fine when it was new.

[@Marg205]

I won’t buy a computer anymore that isn’t Apple because a few years ago My perfectly good laptop screen went black, dvd drive locked, Wi-Fi key red, cap lock key flashing blue. All that happened because updates were installed. Updated to windows 10 and soon after other updates tore my computer up.

[@UltimateDIY]

That is a bit extreme for an update. I don't think I ever saw such a bad situation caused by windows updates. Maybe it was just a weird coincidence.

[@Marg205]

@@UltimateDIY when I searched for help there were many people that it happened to. I can plug it up and turn it on and it sounds like it always did when it was loading up but like I said the screen is black, the Wi-Fi lights red, caps light blinks blue and the cd driver won’t open. It’s old now but It was a waste.

[@UltimateDIY]

Motherboard problem most likely.

[@dennischarles68]

I thought you were supposed to repair this DVD player!? Not tear it apart 😅😂

[@UltimateDIY]

There was no going back for this one 😁

[@kithalie]

Nothing worked for me either😞

[@UltimateDIY]

Sorry to hear that 😔

[@nepaliangusyoung]

Hardisk core

[@nepaliangusyoung]

Video player Nero buner Software

[@rajasekaranr1381]

Thank you for this video

[@UltimateDIY]

Welcome!