How to clean a CD-ROM and DVD drive: preparation and cleaning rules. How to clean a DVD

As I wrote earlier in other articles, the biggest problem for a computer is dust. It is clogged wherever possible in such quantities that sometimes you are simply amazed. DVD drive optical discs- not an exception.

Dust, if the device is not cleaned, affects the operation of the drive tray, reduces the accuracy of the laser mechanism and affects the quality of the clamping mechanics. In general, a DVD drive should be cleaned at least once a year. Ideally, once every six months.

To clean and maintain your DVD drive, you will need lubricant, cotton swabs, and alcohol. After removing the DVD drive from the system unit, you need to remove its front panel. First of all, you need to pull out the drive tray. This is done with the help of any long and thin object (needles, paper clips, a piece of wire 3 cm long).

There is a small hole on the front panel of any DVD drive (item 2 on the bottom photo). Behind it (on the inside of the panel) is a mechanism for manually opening the tray. It is necessary to press this mechanism with a little effort through the hole and the tray will extend 1-2 centimeters, after which it can be pulled out manually to the end.

Next, remove the dust cover from the tray. To do this, turn the drive over and, bending the cover with your fingers, pull it down. On the cover, as a rule, there are two latches (item 1 on the bottom photo) and two guides on which the cover is held. It comes off without much effort.

Next, you need to drown the latches on the front panel. There are usually four (two on the bottom, two on the sides), or five (two on the sides, three on the bottom). After removing the front panel, the bolts (4 or 5 pieces) on the bottom cover of the DVD drive are unscrewed and the cover is removed.

Then you need to take the DVD drive by the top cover and shake it slightly. The plastic drive mechanism will fall out of the top cover (see photo below). After removing the covers, the optical disc tray itself is removed. It extends to the stop, then the latches located on the back of the tray at the corners are bent (see photo below) and the tray is removed.

All unnecessary parts have been removed from the DVD drive, you can start cleaning. The main body of the DVD drive has many notches, grooves and recesses. They must be thoroughly blown to remove accumulations of dust. Even a small amount of it at the back wall or in the grooves of the tray can cause the tray to stop opening (closing).

The tray is driven by a motor, which communicates with the mechanics with a rubber strap (belt). Remove the belt carefully so as not to stretch it. The mechanical operation of the drive tray depends on the condition of the belt. By the way, problems often arise with the tray after a long (more than two years) operation without maintenance. First, dust gets into the guides and the tray does not get into the extreme position because of this, and then the belt is stretched due to the fact that the drive mechanism cannot open the tray due to the incorrect position of the tray.

Following the belt, we remove the mechanics control board (1 or 2 latches). Also, be careful not to damage the motor control cable coming from the main board. On inexpensive models, the cables may well be fragile or poorly soldered. We remove dust from the mechanics with a soft brush or air from both sides (top and bottom). Ideally, it is advisable to go over the entire DVD drive first with a brush, and then blow it with air (for example, using a rubber bulb, which is sold in any pharmacy).

After all dust is removed from the drive housing, the rubber parts are degreased with alcohol and the old grease is removed from the guides (usually by the time of maintenance there is a mixture of fine dust and dirt with a small amount of remaining grease).

Finally, the movable rubbing mechanical parts are lubricated with a small (negligible) amount of grease just to form a film (no longer desirable). There should be no visible accumulation of grease.

The final touch is blowing (only with a rubber bulb) the lens of the laser mechanism (in no case should it be wiped) and the drive is assembled back.

Burning files to disk is a proven way to keep important information in a safe place. True, there is one “but”: not always and everyone has a “blank disc” suitable for recording at hand. And if now you are faced with such a problem, do not rush to be upset ahead of time! After all, you can use absolutely any old working disk that you have available to write data.

"Disk Studio" is a multifunctional one that will help you fix the folders you need from your computer and individual files on any media or erase unnecessary information from already filled disks. Read the article and you will learn how to clean up the disk in this application.

Step #1. Download the program from the site

To get started, visit the special page of our website where you need. Once the download is complete, run the setup file and follow the instructions. Select the location where you want to place the program and wait until the archive is unpacked. After that, start working with the application by double-clicking on the software icon.

Step #2. Run the program and select the desired option

The main menu of Disk Studio will open in front of you, where you need to select and specify the operations that the program should perform. The application allows you to work with both CDs and DVDs. You can quickly figure out how to clean a DVD disc from old files, and then burn songs, videos or any other data to the chosen media. To delete information from a disc, click on the "Copy and Cleanup" tab and select "Erase Disc".

Step #3. Clean your disk of junk files

A mini-menu will appear on the screen, in which the program will offer to determine the working drive. There should be no problems with this, because, as a rule, in most cases you don’t have to choose: in computers and laptops, it is the only one if any external device is not connected to the equipment. Click the "Open Drive" button and insert a disc, then click "Erase Disc" and wait for the cleaning to finish.

Step number 4. Rewriting an old disk

Unfortunately, there are discs that cannot be cleaned. But they can be overwritten! In any recording option, specify for the program the files that you want to fix to disk. Knowing about movies, you will free yourself from unnecessary cash spending.

To overwrite an old disk, configure additional settings: speed, name to be given to the disk, if necessary, request its verification and turn off the PC after the recording is completed. Don't forget to insert the disc into the drive. When the program asks for confirmation of overwriting and deleting files, click Yes.

Now you know how to clean a disk from junk files. As you already understood from the article, Disk Studio is a convenient software for working with disks. You can quickly write absolutely any information to external media or overwrite old disks, filling them with new and useful data.

Hi all. In addition to cleaning CDs with soap and water, there are many other effective ways. This article will tell you how and how to clean compact discs (CDs and DVDs).

Often, many people have a situation where they put a disc into the drive of a computer or player, and it freezes and “does not want” to be played, or plays, but “snippets”. What caused it? First of all, by improper handling of the disk or by the fact that the disk has been in use for a very long time. If scratches form on the surface of the disc, then it is likely that it will not play correctly. In such cases, cleaning can help, although the success of this case will largely depend on the degree of damage to the disc coating. There are many "folk" ways to clean CDs and DVDs, some of them are able to surprise even experienced and experienced users with their invention.

How to clean a CD or DVD?

Use water and a soft cloth.
First of all, rinse the CD thoroughly. This is done in order to remove dust, adhering particles and grease stains from the surface. Immerse the CD or DVD in warm water, soak it there for a while, then take a soft, lint-free cloth and wipe the surface of the CD. Do not rub the surface too thoroughly and harshly. In order not to damage the data on the disk, there is a certain "pattern" of cleaning actions. When cleaning, you need to start from the center of the disc and move towards the edge. Never use towels, toilet paper, paper towels, or any other material or item that may cause minor scratches on the surface of the disc. Let the drive dry completely, and then check whether data is read from it correctly, whether it works without failures and pauses.

Cleaning the disc surface.... banana.
Most users don't even know that a banana can be used to clean a scratched drive. Take a fresh banana and cut it in two. Wipe the surface of the CD/DVD with it in a circular motion. The next step is to clean the disc surface with a soft cotton cloth. Before playing a disc, it is best if you use a cleaning spray and then wipe the disc with a dry and soft cloth.

Applying toothpaste or Vaseline.
The surface of the disc can also be cleaned with some household items such as toothpaste or petroleum jelly. However, this method can be used if the scratches are not too deep. Place an appropriate amount of any of these products on the surface of the disc and wipe gently with a soft cloth. Then, for the final cleaning, use a cleaning spray, wipe the disc dry and try to play it.

Use a polish or special disc cleaner.
If the above tools were powerless, you can use a metal polish or a set of cleaning products for disks. After wiping the disc with a polished cloth, then wipe the disc with a soft, clean cloth, let it dry, and then try to play it. If it still does not work properly, try the last option, use specialized disk cleaning fluids.

These are just a few of the tools that can effectively clean the surface of CD/DVD discs. There are other ways, such as using alcohol, soda, etc. as a cleanser.

You often encounter the fact that a previously perfectly playable disc suddenly stopped loading or the files loaded on it simply do not open, although the drive seems to have detected their presence. What happened in this situation? Is the drive broken or is it time to throw such a disk into the trash? There are several ways to try to solve such a problem on your own without drastic measures to replace the drive or remove the drive itself from use.

  1. To determine whether the drive is the cause or not, you need to try to play several discs with it. And if he does not read only a specific version, then it's not about him. If the situation repeats with the termination of reading discs or their problematic playback, then this is a problem with the drive.
  2. In the case of a problematic disk, it must first be cleaned of dirt. There are many products for cleaning them, but from experience we can say that it makes no sense to spend money on any liquids - discs lend themselves perfectly to cleaning them in warm water and soap. After this procedure, they must be blotted with a well-absorbing towel and allowed to dry before being put into the drive again.
  3. If the drive's laser readhead is dirty, a special "cleaning disc" can be dispensed with. Or you can remove the drive from the computer, detach the protective cover by moving it back and up. Then, using something thin but strong, for example, a pin on the front panel, press the latch through the hole and open the tray that closes access to the lens by pressing it. It is necessary to blow off coarse dust from the surface of the lens with a can of compressed air or even an ordinary pear, but in no case with your mouth. The pear should be without the presence of talc inside, otherwise everything will become even worse. With the help of a brush and lens cleaning fluid, you need to rinse the lens well, making light, completely non-pressure movements on it. After that, the lens should dry, and so that the dust cannot get on it again, it is better to cover it with something during the drying period. In case of plaque formation after drying, it must be removed with a dry soft brush. After that comes the drive assembly procedure.

The disc itself can be not only dirty, but also heavily scratched, which also affects its ease of playback. It is possible to restore its surface by polishing. With large and deep scratches, it is unlikely that anything will work, but if it has a lot of thread-like damage, this option can be completely “cured”.

The easiest way will require clean rags and goyim paste. The disk must be well wetted with water and a little paste should be applied to it, which must be spread evenly over the entire surface of the disk. Then with a rag you need to polish from the center of the disk to the edges, until the paste simply disappears. The number of such processes will depend on the state of the disk after each stage. As soon as the disappearance of the most conspicuous scratches is noted, we can assume that the disc has been polished. After polishing, the disc must be rinsed well, blotted and allowed to dry. After that, you can try to play his recording.

And at the end, a little tip. If you need to download a driver for your printer, scanner, modem or laptop, you can always do it at www.hwdrivers.com or www.driver.biz.ua.

Related articles.

If your dvd disc is not readable on a computer or dvd player, then most likely the electronic media just needs to be cleaned. There are several ways to remove traces of dirt that interfere with playback, all of which require extreme care.

Instruction

  • To remove dust from a DVD disc, wipe it with a soft cloth made from natural materials. At the same time, direct your movement from the center of the disk to the edge along the radius, and not in the reverse order. It is not recommended to wipe the surface of the disc in a circle, since circular damage is much more difficult to get rid of.
  • Try to blow off dust from the surface of the electronic media using a special can, sold for this purpose in computer stores. Direct the jet of air from the can parallel to the surface of the disc and wait until there is no trace of dust left.
  • To remove fingerprints from the surface of a DVD disc or any other contamination, moisten a piece of soft cloth with ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, then wipe the electronic media dry with radial movements.
  • To clean a DVD disc more thoroughly, dampen its surface with water, lather your hands and gently lather the shiny side, then rinse gently with water and pat dry with a cloth that easily absorbs moisture, such as a soft terry towel. Do not dry the disc with a hair dryer, as this may damage it.
  • Use glass cleaner by applying it to a soft cloth and wiping the surface of the disc in the direction of the radius. Or dip the dvd media in such a solution and leave it in it for 5-7 minutes, and then wipe the disc dry with a piece of soft cloth made of natural material.
  • Please note that solvents such as acetone, gasoline, kerosene, and other mixtures that contain petroleum products are absolutely not suitable for cleaning discs. They can cloud the surface of a DVD disc, as a result of which the electronic media becomes unsuitable for further use. Only solvents based on alcohol should be used.
  • Tip added February 16, 2012 Tip 2: How to clean up a CD CDs are used, in particular, for long-term storage and transfer of computer files. The more actively CD-carriers are used, the more urgent the task of periodic cleaning of the surface becomes. To solve it, you can use both special sets of industrial production, and improvised means. In addition, cleaning disks does not always mean their surface, sometimes it refers to their contents.

    Instruction

  • Buy a special optical disc cleaning kit that includes the necessary items to clean the surface of CD/DVD media. As a rule, the package contains a bottle with a special liquid and a sponge or a set of disposable wipes. In addition to them, the set may also include a spray can, which allows, in the most direct sense of this expression, to “blow off dust particles” from the tracks of an optical disk. Moreover, the basis of some kits is an automatic device in which you need to fill the supplied consumables and place an optical disc, and the device will perform the cleaning procedure itself without your participation. The simplest of the kits contains a number of disposable wipes soaked in a special liquid.
  • Find a soft, lint-free cotton cloth if you can't get a special kit. Plain water can be used as a washing liquid. Glass cleaner is fine too.
  • If the kit is intended for manual cleaning of optical discs, do it with movements from the center to the edge - the likelihood of causing mechanical damage in a circular motion is much higher. After the procedure is completed, the CD must be dry. If you used special materials from the purchased kit, the liquid will evaporate from the surface by itself. Otherwise, wipe the disc with a dry cotton cloth in the same radial motion.
  • Use an optical disc burning application if it's not the surface of the CD that needs cleaning, but its contents. But first you should find out whether such an operation is possible in principle. A prerequisite is that your computer has a CD/DVD burner. In addition, the CD itself must be reusable. If the CD marking contains the letter W, then this condition is also met. Another possible obstacle is that if during the previous recording of data to the disk it was “finalized” (the corresponding mark was set in the recording settings), then no changes to its contents are now possible.
  • With one of the latest versions operating systems(for example, Windows 7 or Windows Vista) use its own components to clean up the disk directory. Load the CD into the reader, launch File Explorer and right-click on the optical drive icon. In the context menu, select the "Format" line and a window with disk cleanup settings will appear on the screen. It is not necessary to change anything in the default settings, click the "Start" button and the CD formatting process starts.
  • Sources
    • how to free cd
    How to Clean a CD - Printable Version
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