IF YOU HAVE DVD/CD DRIVE PROBLEMS - READ THIS>

[Blencogo]

Several members seem to have problems with their CD/DVD drives at the moment. As far as I know, there is no magic solution but you could try some or all of the following: -

1. See if there is an updated driver or updated firmware for your drive at Vaio-Link. Some Sony drives are re-badged from other manufacturers and you may have to search for updated downloads. For example, if you have a Sony DW-D56A drive, you can get a firmware download from HERE (Use PFS2). Many other drives are also supported on this site.

2. Use System Restore to return your Vaio to the configuration when it was last working normally.
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore - choose a restore date before you had the problem.

3. Look in Device Manager to see if there are any errors against your DVD/CD-ROM drive.
Start -> Right-Click My Computer -> Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager - expand DVD/CD-ROM Drives and check the status. If there is an Error Code or a yellow triangle with a ! or ? come back here with the number and we may be able to help.

4. If there is no error and the drive is reported as working normally, try Uninstalling the drive by right-clicking on it in Device Manager and choosing Uninstall. Re-booting your Vaio will reinstall the drivers.

5. Try some different software to read/write your discs and see if that works. Also try a different brand of discs - Sony, TDK and Verbatim seem favourites.

6. Try a liquid lens cleaner on the lens and polish with a microfibre cloth ? this can sometimes help.

7. If your drive works with either CDs or DVDs only make sure the ribbon cable is not preventing the reader head from moving freely - check that the laser head in the drive can move freely for the whole range of its travel. The disc information is held on the outside tracks for DVDs and the inner tracks for CDs.

8. Last resort is to perform a full C:\ Drive System Recovery from your Recovery Discs. Make sure you back up all your Data as the contents of C:\ will be lost and your Vaio returned to the factory configuration.

If none of these work, you may have a hardware problem and you need to contact Vaio-Link. There is no point contacting them until you have carried out a Drive C:\ Recovery as this is the first thing they will ask you to do.

[shabbag]

It seems my dvd drive is unable to read brand new games dvd's such as 'Microsoft Flight Simulator X' and 'Football Manager 2009'. No error message is displayed you just hear the drive whirrrr up and nothing else! Windows explorer hangs if i try and browse the dvd. I have system restored the C drive and uninstalled/reinstalled the driver but still no luck.

I can read cd's and older dvd's without any problems and indeed burn to cdr/dvd.

These game dvd's are brand new with no scratches.

Any thoughts?

[barn3yrubbl3]

I have a vaio notebook VGN-N21E. My DVD/CD player won't play at all. I went into device manager and it shows a code 37 error. I have a QSI DVD-RAM SDW-086 ATA Device. I don't want to do factory restore if i can help it. Also some friends say it may be a wiring fault, is this possible?

[Blencogo]

Hi barn3y - see your other post here: -

http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/GB/en/forum/viewthread?thread=58630

[protemic]

Hello. I have a VGN-FE31M working on Windows XP. Suddenly yesterday the DVD player could not play any kind of disk. I read some of the previous posts and managed to tackle the problem by erasing the upper and lower filters.

After that i decided to create a copy of the recovery partition of my Vaio, since i have lost the first one that i have created.

However, the computer is unable to read an empty CD or DVD. Whenever i click on the icon of the disk (CD or DVD ) at my computer i get the message: 'F:// is not accessible. Incorrect Function' The Vaio Recovery Utility also prompts the message ' Cannot find the CD or DVD recorder. The recorder may be in use'. Therefore i cannot perform a format of the disk of the computer.

On the other hand, by using Nero i can create new CDs, or DVDs. So the DVD drive has no problem. Something is wrong with the software. I do not know if this is important, but i mention to you that although i have Nero installed in the computer, i haven' t uninstalled Roxio which was preinstalled at the computer.

I would appreciate any possible help. Thank you for reading my message.

[Blencogo]

Hi protemic and welcome.

I wonder if the drive letter for your DVD drive has changed? What letter does it have for the drive in My Computer?

This can also be caused by the packet writing software within Nero called InCD. Try uninstalling this and rebooting.

Do you have any virtual disc software installed, like Daemon Tools. You will have to ununstall these before making recovery discs.

[Seismic_finn]

Hi all.

I'm looking for a bit of advice into a problem that is causing me a bit of a headache. I have in the past experienced some slight problems with my cd/dvd drive whereby it would not recognize disks. I would generally restart the laptop and all would be fine. However, it now does not recognize any CD's, it makes an initial sound and it continues to make this sound (it's the sound that is made when ejecting a CD). As typing this it has worked and then decided it wants to be uncooperative again so it's getting me even more wound up and rather confused as to what the problem could be. Grr.

Anyhow, I have tried certain methods such as lense cleaning, deleting the drives and re-booting and then deleting the upper and lower filters, all of which have made no difference. According to the hardware manager there are no faults at all.

I'm using a Vaio VGN-N11S/W - running on Windows Vista.
I have a SDW-085 ATA Device.
Not too sure if more info is needed but if it is then I shall provide it.

I'll apologies firstly as my tech knowledge is pretty scarce, I tend to use the try everything method and then hope that something works but this time I am completely stumped.

Thank you in advance for any help and guidance.

[protemic]

@Blencogo.
Thank you for your reply. At this moment in my computer it appears as if i have both a dvd drive and a cd drive. I cannot remember though if that was the case before the problem appeared. I am writing from an other computer, so i will tell you the letters of the drives later, when i reach the Vaio.

I have the Nero 7 Ultra Edition. I have not found this InCd packet writing software withtin it.

I do have Daemon tools installed. I will try this solution later on!! Thank for your reply.

[jimmysx]

Hi there! I'm Jim and I'm a happy user of a AR21M for almost 2 years now. Recently my drive won't burn audiocd's anymore and won't play DVD's. I've already uninstalled Daemontools. When I try to access the drive from My Computer, it gives me the error : E:\ Is not accessible. Incorrect function.
I've already updated to the latest firmware but no luck.
I've been looking to replace the drive but I don't know what kind of connections it has. NEC DVD-/+/RAM AD-7593A 8x/8x/5x Slimline is the drive I'm looking at. I know NEC is now Sony, but will this fit in my laptop and how much work is it to replace a drive.

Thanks in advance!!!

ps Isn't there a searchfunction somewhere? I can't find it

[Yardy]

Hi there, I have a vgn fe31m, it has a matshita dvd-ram uj-850s ata drive.

1. It cannot play some cds.
2. It can play DVDs!
3. It cannot burn cds.
4. iTunes says the registry used by iTunes are missing
5. Cannot burn using Windows
6. The Roxio software that came with it couldn't find the drive, I have uninstalled that program.

Help!!!

If not is there an alternative drive that will fit?

[dyn2008]

Hi Sony VAIO Experts & Friends

KIndly help. I have the optical drive (SONY DVD RW DW-D56A - Firmware Version PFS2) in my laptop running Windows XP Home. I have hardly used this drive. I am neither able to ready files in the CD or DVD nor am I able to write anything into it.
I need to do a recovery kit CD for my laptop when I found out this problem.

Any suggestions / links to this issue will be greatly appreciated
Is there any way I can run my recovery kit without the use of optical drive as I want to restore my SONY VAIO laptop to the factory settings?

Are there any replacement models which can be changed in my laptop for the DVD RW DW-56A & if so where can I find them?

KIndly let me know if you need more info

Thanks for all your help in advance