adapter. Any corruption, accidental deletions of drivers or applications, and
even inappropriate settings or file associations can cause a drive to suddenly
become missing in action.Suggested treatment: If your CD or DVD stops playing or recording, the first
thing to do is to go to the Control Panel and check the device properties.
Make use of the Update Driver option to look for a new driver or make sure
that the one in place is the correct one. You can also use the Roll Back Driver
option to go back in time to the previous driver.If your machine is running Windows XP, you can also use System Restore to
return your system to previous settings. System Restore goes back some-
where between a few days and a few weeks, depending on how many changes
you have made to your system recently. You can access System Restore by
clicking Accessories➪System Tools➪System Restore.Keeping the Drive Alive ...............................................................................
Most problems with CDs and DVDs can be solved by careful cleaning of the
drive lens or by resetting or updating the drivers and applications that con-
trol them. But if the failure is an electrical or electronic one, or if the drive
has been physically damaged in a fall (please don’t drop your laptop), you
have two-and-a-half choices.Get thee to a repair shop...................................................................
There is no cost-effective way to repair an optical drive. Parts and labor to fix
a broken unit will easily exceed the cost of a new replacement unit. If your
laptop is still under warranty, rush it to a service depot and have the com-
puter manufacturer or retailer replace the unit. That’s the easy solution.Here’s where the half-a-choice comes in: If the machine is out of warranty,
you can purchase a compatible unit, or an upgraded optical device that
combines CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD recordable functions, and install
it yourself (or have a technician do it for you).The replacement unit itself should cost between $50–$100 and will probably
be an improved, more advanced version of your original optical drive. That’s
the good news. An example of a tiny replacement CD-R/DVD drive ready for
installation is shown in Figure 9-2.The bad news is that installing a replacement CD or DVD drive is a very
labor-intensive process on most laptops. Some machines make it very easy
by installing the optical drive in an easily swappable bay, similar to the ones
used for hard disk drives or batteries; most makers, though, tightly integrate
the CD or DVD into the case directly.160 Part III: Laying Hands on the Major Parts