My latest adventure:
I got a brand new HP 7100y Media Center Edition just a few months ago. One of its features is a Lightscribe Double Layer 16x DVD +/- R/RW drive. This allows you to burn DVDs and lable them using laser etching for a professional looking completed disc.
I use this machine pretty heavily, doing a lot of audio recording and editing on it. And it's worked just fine.
About 2 weeks ago, however, after I had re-organized my office and moved my computer, I was burning backup DVDs of my audio projects, when the burner began to act "funny." It would keep asking for new media, no matter how many times I tried a new disc. Then it told me "windows could not recognize" any disc - evena commercially burned one - I put in. Finally, it stopped opening altogether.
I was going to try the old paper-clip in the emergency hole trick, but could not even find the emergency eject!
I finally called HP.
To its credit, I got through to someone (in India) after a very short wait (while I listened to Yanni... be warned!) on-hold. I patiently went through all the typical recovery steps, and finally stopped the very pleasant young woman at PC Doctor, when I explained to her I couldn't run PC Doctor as I couldn't get the tray to open, so I couldn't run any of PC Doctor's tests.
For your information, the steps are:
- Check to be sure there is power to the drive (you will see a light flashing when the drive attempts to do something)
- Try several different discs, new, commercial and ones that you have burned. Note any errors
- Check to be sure the drive is showing up working properly in Device Manager (get there through Start/Setting/Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager. Look for the device you are having trouble with, and look to see if there is a "warning" next to it. If there is, note the problem the system reports.
- Check to see if there is a software/driver update for your drive
- Uninstall the drive (using Device Manager) and then reboot the computer (the device will re-install, ideally, correctly)
- Check inside the case to see if the drive is seated properly - both the ribbon (data) cable and the power cable are firmly in place
When it became clear that nothing I did would make the drive open, I was told that a new drive would be sent to me, and all I had to do was install it, then package and return the broken one.
Two days later (I'm serious, it was that quick) the new drive was on my doorstep. It was a simple matter to open the case (they make it so much easier these days), remove the old drive, insert the new one, close up the case and reboot. The drive was recognized instantly and all looked fine - except that it still wouldn't open.
I called HP support again, was again on the line with a very nice man named Ricki (in India) who walked me through all the steps above, and finally instructed me to enter this command into the Run line: sfc /scannow.
This will restore any corrupted or over-written System Files (sfc stands for System File Checker). The command initiates the Windows File Protection service, which will scan all protected files, verify their integrity, and replace any problematic files.
The process takes about 30 minutes, so Ricki and I hung up while the service ran.
Unfortunately, it also reached a pointed where I was to insert Disk 2 of my Windows XP Professional Edition software. And needless to say, I don't HAVE Disk 2 (or Disk 1, for that matter) of my Windows XP Professional Edition Software.
I called again (this time it was Ram, in India). He tried to lead me through the same steps, and I said I was beginning to wonder if there were not a mechanical problem with my system as all the software seemed to be in order, it was just that the drive wouldn't open. He told me to "Open the two wore." After a bit of back and forth, me feeling like an Ugly American, I finally realized I was to open the computer, and re-seat the drive. I did. But this time, I didn't replace the front panel, and rebooted (thinking that perhaps I would have to remove this drive, as well). Lo and behold - the drive now works! Thanking Ram, I hung up, and examined the front panel. It is quite clear that with the front panel in place, the drive will not be able to open properly.
Stay tuned for more as I decide what to do... live with a de-faced (literally) computer, or continue my international negotiations with HP.
I got a brand new HP 7100y Media Center Edition just a few months ago. One of its features is a Lightscribe Double Layer 16x DVD +/- R/RW drive. This allows you to burn DVDs and lable them using laser etching for a professional looking completed disc.
I use this machine pretty heavily, doing a lot of audio recording and editing on it. And it's worked just fine.
About 2 weeks ago, however, after I had re-organized my office and moved my computer, I was burning backup DVDs of my audio projects, when the burner began to act "funny." It would keep asking for new media, no matter how many times I tried a new disc. Then it told me "windows could not recognize" any disc - evena commercially burned one - I put in. Finally, it stopped opening altogether.
I was going to try the old paper-clip in the emergency hole trick, but could not even find the emergency eject!
I finally called HP.
To its credit, I got through to someone (in India) after a very short wait (while I listened to Yanni... be warned!) on-hold. I patiently went through all the typical recovery steps, and finally stopped the very pleasant young woman at PC Doctor, when I explained to her I couldn't run PC Doctor as I couldn't get the tray to open, so I couldn't run any of PC Doctor's tests.
For your information, the steps are:
- Check to be sure there is power to the drive (you will see a light flashing when the drive attempts to do something)
- Try several different discs, new, commercial and ones that you have burned. Note any errors
- Check to be sure the drive is showing up working properly in Device Manager (get there through Start/Setting/Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager. Look for the device you are having trouble with, and look to see if there is a "warning" next to it. If there is, note the problem the system reports.
- Check to see if there is a software/driver update for your drive
- Uninstall the drive (using Device Manager) and then reboot the computer (the device will re-install, ideally, correctly)
- Check inside the case to see if the drive is seated properly - both the ribbon (data) cable and the power cable are firmly in place
When it became clear that nothing I did would make the drive open, I was told that a new drive would be sent to me, and all I had to do was install it, then package and return the broken one.
Two days later (I'm serious, it was that quick) the new drive was on my doorstep. It was a simple matter to open the case (they make it so much easier these days), remove the old drive, insert the new one, close up the case and reboot. The drive was recognized instantly and all looked fine - except that it still wouldn't open.
I called HP support again, was again on the line with a very nice man named Ricki (in India) who walked me through all the steps above, and finally instructed me to enter this command into the Run line: sfc /scannow.
This will restore any corrupted or over-written System Files (sfc stands for System File Checker). The command initiates the Windows File Protection service, which will scan all protected files, verify their integrity, and replace any problematic files.
The process takes about 30 minutes, so Ricki and I hung up while the service ran.
Unfortunately, it also reached a pointed where I was to insert Disk 2 of my Windows XP Professional Edition software. And needless to say, I don't HAVE Disk 2 (or Disk 1, for that matter) of my Windows XP Professional Edition Software.
I called again (this time it was Ram, in India). He tried to lead me through the same steps, and I said I was beginning to wonder if there were not a mechanical problem with my system as all the software seemed to be in order, it was just that the drive wouldn't open. He told me to "Open the two wore." After a bit of back and forth, me feeling like an Ugly American, I finally realized I was to open the computer, and re-seat the drive. I did. But this time, I didn't replace the front panel, and rebooted (thinking that perhaps I would have to remove this drive, as well). Lo and behold - the drive now works! Thanking Ram, I hung up, and examined the front panel. It is quite clear that with the front panel in place, the drive will not be able to open properly.
Stay tuned for more as I decide what to do... live with a de-faced (literally) computer, or continue my international negotiations with HP.
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