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.

[Prokurator]

Please, show me the site with firmware for my Pioneer DVR-K16M.
I can't find it in your link site.

[mops31]

I have just purchased a Vaio VGN-FE28B. After about a week the DVD drive no longer responds and is not visible on My Computer.
Under Device Manager there is a Device Status: Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)
I have tried restoring back to the date I purchased the machine but the restore fails.
The DVD is a DW-G520A.
I cannot use the restore DVDs that I created as the DVD is not responding.
Have searched on the support site for the code and driver updates but to no avail.
Any suggestions???

[rich912]

Hi mops31 and welcome to the form.

This thread may be of help to you. Make sure that you make a backup of your registry before making any changes.

[sulina]

I also though my pioneer was coming to an end, but after some testing with different medias I realised that....

My Pioneer DVR-K16M writes 1X speed when I use 16x speed DVD-R otherwise with 8X speed it works normally.

This should be fixed with an upgrade since I previously had these problems with other drives manufactured before certain media is in the market.

I called SONY no update and PIONEER is not liable since the drive although being a pioneer is not sold by them but by sony. So Sony is to fix this problem, which apperantly THEY STILL DIDN'T.

VGN FE11H

[Fulhamnonny]

Approximately a month ago I purchased a Vaio - VGN N11S, but like a couple of other responses so far on this thread, after a couple of weeks I've stared to have problems with the CD/DVD R drive. As I'm not writing this from my notebook I'm afraid I can't mention what the drive is.

I backed up my laptop before I started having the problems and I've even downloaded the updates. After logging a call to the support team, I'm still finding I'm having problems.

Is this a problem through-out Sony?

As a consumer in the UK I'm entitled to a refund or new replacement of my notebook surely.

[ngalmiche]

I have a 3 month old VGN-TX3XP/B and I can't read DVD's anymore from AV mode and playing DVD's through Window is getting to be a problem too. Would be glad to hear if owner of same model have experienced the same issues, I am sending the unit for repair.

[skinkendk]

Hello,

I'm having huge problems with Nero 7 and my FE11S. It was working fine until recently. It has now started to blurp out the following error, when I try to burn:

Unable to recover TOC

My drive is a MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ-841S, with DMA = On.

EDIT: I have no reading problems on the drive, everything is fine in that department.

I only use Verbatim DVD-R 16X Media. I have tried re-installing Nero, turning the IMAPI CD-Burning service on/off and finally updating the firmware of my burner, still no luck.

Got any ideas? It is kinda getting on my nerves, since I have a lot of data I need to back-up.

Thank you in advance.

[euripyd]

since several months I have a problem with my CD-DVD driver, it can't any more to record a DVD, when I enter an empty it tries to find it and on the end it ejects it afer 2 minutes.
Also CD recording has got some strange very high sound. Some CDs were nonusable.
Also, DVDs created earlier are very hard to read.

It is SONY DVD RW DW-D56A.
I use VGN-FS195VP.

I tried to reainstall the system.
I updated the driver from Vaios homepage.
I have tried several types of DVDs.

Any idea?

[Blencogo]

Hi skinkendk and welcome to Club Vaio.

I'm having huge problems with Nero 7 and my FE11S. It was working fine until recently. It has now started to blurp out the following error, when I try to burn:

I presume TOC stands for Table of Contents. A failure to read this can be caused by: -

1. The disc being copied is encrypted and copy protected.
2. As you say, DMA not enabled - make sure it is actually ON as the setting is "DMA if available". If not there is a Registry Fix to "Enable DMA" or "Force DMA". I haven't used it but I'll see if I can find any details.
3. Burning faster than the drive can cope with - try 4X or 2X

I would also try DVD+R discs and see if they work. Problems like this are often media related.

It does sound like the DVD is not being finallised. Two thoughts here. They won't solve the problem but it may identify the cause: -

1. Try putting the disc back in the drive. In Nero, hit the 'Burn' button without selecting anything to burn but making sure the 'Finalise Disc' box is checked.
2. Try finalising the disc in a TV DVD Recorder or another drive.

As I have said before, there is a suspicion that all these DVD drive problems have been caused by recent Updates from Microsoft as they try to make their DRM mechanisms more secure - difficult to prove, but you may wish to do a System Restore to a time before the problem started.