DVD Writer opens an empty window

[mikee55]

Hi all Seasons Greetings, My Lite-On SHW-1635S has an issue. I Open or click it and it opens the Window and its blank. It Does this with movies and Data. Its Properties reports that I have 0 space used and 0 space free. The likes of burning software ie Ulead says I need to put a disk in the tray. DVD Decrypter says the same. It won't read or write. It was manufactured in October 2005, can it be worn out already, I don't burn that much? Besides my LG CD writer still works from Christmas 2000.
Any ideas, please. Lite-On won't reply. I won't buy from them no more.

Regards
Mike

[ThoMas321]

See here for more help : http://forums.techarena.in/vista-har...es/1065094.htm
DVD Writer won't read DVD's
http://forums.techarena.in/xp-hardware/1082575.htm
DVD Writer won't read DVD's

[mikee55]

Hi, Firstly, looks like I didn't give enough info. But I can rule it all out, having tried those things, even trying other PC's in the house. I notice with the case off, you can see the laser emit a red glow, when Bios post's, and it tracks about 3mm then does nothing. I think its failed. A straight DVD Rom works fine in its place. So I'll be going shopping.

Cheers Mike

[Hardwareman]

Do you mean that you are trying to access your DVD writer without inserting any disk? Or is it like even after putting any content filled disk, it shows blank.

Is this happening only with the specific set of disks or with all disks

[RoninBlade]

Turn the unit off, and rip the power out of it before this.

Open the case, and disconnect the drive's cable, and make sure it is a snug fit on the mainboard, then reconnect the other end to the drive.

Take the jumper of the back of it, and push it back on the same pins from where it came from.

Repower the system and check again.

If possible, replace the cable itself with a new one, if it's handy, coz cable's do fowl up every now and then.

[mikee55]

Hello, the drive won't read any disk, won't burn dual layer,single layer dvds, won't burn CDs and won't read any disk. Installed on another PC, with another IDE cable jumper set to slave and wired to secondary IDE in master. All the same. Empty window everytime. Device Manager reports Device is working.

Cheers Mike

[unidentified]

Hello, the drive won't read any disk, won't burn dual layer,single layer dvds, won't burn CDs and won't read any disk. Installed on another PC, with another IDE cable jumper set to slave and wired to secondary IDE in master. All the same. Empty window everytime. Device Manager reports Device is working.

Cheers Mike

The drive can still be detected but as you have said that it cant work in another computer as well, so the drive has gone bad am afraid. If it is in warranty then try to replace it or else none other than buying another drive is the option avail.