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Troubleshooting Your ThinkPad DVD Drive
1. Before assuming your ThinkPad DVD drive is at fault check that the disc you're trying to use is clean and free from scratches. If possible try a CD or DVD that is an original (not a burnt copy) to see if it works in the drive.
2. Make sure the disc is seated properly in the drive tray, place the disc in and line up the hole in the disc with the center spindle in the drive tray. Press gently around the center of the disc until the three locking tabs lock into place.
3. Verify that the drive is seated properly in the machine. Remove and reseat the drive to double check.
Note: The optical drives cannot be removed in the ThinkPad G40 and R50e machines.
Ensure the machine is shut down and power removed before removing and replacing the drive.
4. Verify that your machine has the latest BIOS installed, you can check on the Lenovo support site
here
.
Note: The embedded controller may also require updating.
5. Make sure the latest firmware for your ThinkPad DVD drive is installed on your machine, you can search for the drive firmware for your particular model using the Lenovo
knowledgebase
.
6. Test the DVD, CDR or CDRW drive for errors. As part of this procedure you'll need an audio or data CD.
- The PC Doctor diagnostics can be run on all current ThinkPad A, G, R, T and X systems.
On other ThinkPad systems you can run PC Doctor for DOS by pressing the Access IBM button or F11 key during startup to get into the predesktop area. If either of these methods are available for your system you can download PC Doctor for DOS
here
. The DOS version may require two or more floppy discs depending on your ThinkPad system.
- For ThinkPad 600, 600E, 770, 770E/ED, 770X, and 770Z systems, run the test in Easy-Setup.
a. Turn on the computer while holding down the F1 key, During start up the Easy-Setup menu will appear, type in the correct password if prompted.
b. Select Test.
c. To run the basic test, click either DVD-1 or CD-ROM-1 symbol. The results will be displayed as either red error codes or a blue OK.
d. To select the Advanced Tests press Ctrl-A.
e. Select Exit and then Exit again.
f. To start the Advanced Tests, click DVD-1 or CD-ROM-1.
The exact procedure may vary slightly from model to model.
7. Make sure the DVD drive, CD-ROM or CDRW is detected by the Windows operating system.
You'll need to check that the ThinkPad DVD drive is identified without any conflicts in the Device Manager.- In Windows 2000, click Start and select Settings. Then click Control Panel and then double click System.
For Windows XP click Start and then Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance and then System. - Click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.
The DVD (or CD-ROM or CDRW) drive will be in the hardware list. Click the plus sign next to the device listing to expand the branch (see example below).
- If the device is conflicted there will be either a red 'X' or a yellow '!' next to it, if this is the case then uninstall the driver by right clicking the device and selecting 'Uninstall Driver' or try scanning for hardware changes. To scan, right click the device and select 'Scan for hardware changes'.
8. Check that your machine has detected the DVD drive. To do this open the My Computer icon on your desktop, the list of drives should include DVD/CD-RW (X:) or similar where X is the drive letter (see example below).
If the ThinkPad DVD drive doesn't appear in the list then there are a few possible causes, updating the drivers for the device may remedy it, if the machine has been recently reformatted the drivers may not be up to date. Also as explained above, try removing and reseating the drive.
If neither of the above steps work and the drive is still not recognised then it may be that either the drive is bad or the connection for the drive on the motherboard is faulty.
If your ThinkPad DVD drive is fixed, click here to go to our Lenovo guides page
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