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DVD Drive Question


ebrke

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Can someone with a better knowledge than mine of how DVD drives work explain to me why DVD+ disks would cause really strong vibration in a particular drive? I had one Lenovo laptop that I could not use DVD+ disks with at all--the drive would sound like something preparing to take off, and the noise was really loud in addition to the vibration. Now a newer Lenovo laptop (Thinkpad Edge, better quality than the first laptop) also gives distinctly more vibration/noise with DVD+ disks than with DVD- , although not nearly as bad as the older laptop. Both DVD drives are DVD+/- compatible according to specs. Any ideas?

 

EDIT: Probably should have said I'm recording to these discs.

Edited by ebrke
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Happens every time one of these DVD+ discs is used. No printed labels on discs--also they're Memorex, not an off brand. Have not tried in any machines other than these two--and effects are not as bad on newer laptop as on older one, where discs were unusable.

Edited by ebrke
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My first instincts are the disks are 1 out of balance .2 they are not mounting the spindle properly. 3The spindle bearings are worn .

 

If it's just some particular disks or does it happen with all disks .

 

I have just checked a Lenovo here ,The disks are gently pushed down on the spindle until they click into place . But there is a very slight vibration sometimes.

 

If you have an exterior drive check them on that. ( I use Verbatim ,no problems yet .touch wood) .

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V.T. Eric Layton

99.9% of drive noise/vibration problems are going to be caused by two things:

 

1) disks --> out-of-balance disks cause by defects or warping or labels

 

2) mechanical --> bad spindle motor or faulty disk loading

 

Oh, and don't trust a product just because of it's brand name. Those Memorex disks are made on the same machinery, in the same factory, by the same little Chinese slave laborers as XYZ brand. The only difference is their packaging and price. I once had an entire 100 disk spindle of bad Memorex CD-R disks. They all had one slightly thicker side causing the disks to spin out of balance.

 

EDITED to change 1000 to 100. My mind is not working as it should. A thousand disk spindle would be what? About 10' tall? ;)

Edited by V.T. Eric Layton
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I'm guessing it's probably the disks themselves rather than the drives, since other discs produce very little vibration and no noise to speak of when used in either of the drives where the discs in question gave problems. It was the only time I happened to buy DVD+ discs, but from what you all have said that's probably just coincidence. I'll toss them. Thanks all!

EDIT: This was a 50 pack that I got on sale, which is why I was reluctant to toss them all before I got an informed opinion.

Edited by ebrke
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V.T. Eric Layton

Toss, heck! I'd take the darn things back. That's good money (there's no such thing as bad money, by the way) you spent on those. At the very least, they should swap you out for some others. That's what CompUSA did for me with that spindle of 100. I didn't even have a receipt. They just swapped me out for two 50 spindles of Kodak brand CDs. All was well again. :)

 

EDITED because of brain fart (see above).

Edited by V.T. Eric Layton
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securitybreach

I was also thinking that the discs were defective and as Eric pointed out, brand means absolutely nothing when it comes to blanks.

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Toss, heck! I'd take the darn things back. That's good money (there's no such thing as bad money, by the way) you spent on those. At the very least, they should swap you out for some others. That's what CompUSA did for me with that spindle of 100. I didn't even have a receipt. They just swapped me out for two 50 spindles of Kodak brand CDs. All was well again. :)

 

EDITED because of brain fart (see above).

Unfortunately, they've been hanging around for months (or maybe longer)--I'm not even sure where I bought them--and that's why I said I'd just toss them.
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I'll bet they were a bad lot of disks, manufactured wrong somehow. There is no useful quality control you can apply to an item that will retail for 20 cents.

 

I try to use nothing but Verbatim blanks. Have fewer coasters with that brand, here. Should be no difference in balance because of type.

 

I bought a spindle of dvd+r/w just for burning linux iso files. You don't have to erase that type, just write-over any previous content.

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V.T. Eric Layton

Unfortunately, they've been hanging around for months (or maybe longer)--I'm not even sure where I bought them--and that's why I said I'd just toss them.

 

They make nice shiny things for a baby mobile or for cats to play with or as really spiffy coasters for those drink parties you throw every now and then. Keep the water rings off the pretty wood grain furniture. ;)

 

Even miniature Frisbees. ;)

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I keep a few in our cars after I read that someone got lost in a freak snowstorm on an uncharted road near a National Park. You can reflect the sun's light so if planes are searching, they notice the shine. (The area had no cell service so the couple could not call for help). It might be bogus but used/old or unusable CDs take up very little trunk space.

 

Here are some ideas

http://www.homemadehomeideas.com/24-amazing-uses-for-old-cds/

Edited by zlim
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I keep a few in our cars after I read that someone got lost in a freak snowstorm on an uncharted road near a National Park. You can reflect the sun's light so if planes are searching, they notice the shine. (The area had no cell service so the couple could not call for help). It might be bogus but used/old or unusable CDs take up very little trunk space.

 

Here are some ideas

http://www.homemadeh...es-for-old-cds/

Do you know how to aim it?

With a distant object like an aircraft, you won't see it flashing on the target.

It's hard to describe without pictures.

See: http://www.usmilitar...-signal-mirror/

Post no 13, and the video in post 14, may be especially useful.

Note: Both sides should be reflective, if the "back" is only reflective in the center (around the hole), that's sufficient.

Edited by Pete!
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Hang them on lengths of fishing line in the fruit trees/orchard . They work really well as bird scares.

They twinkle and flash in the sunlight. They look kinda cool too.

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Hello,

 

Just to check, have you tried a different brand of DVD+R discs yet? If so, did that make a difference?

 

Also, have you checked with Lenovo to see if newer firmware is available for the DVD±RW disc drive in the Lenovo laptop? How an optical disc drive treats optical media is usually handled by reading an embedded code in the media, which tells the manufacturer name, maximum capacity and recording speeds. Sometimes, the firmware in an optical disc drive needs to be updated to allow it to recognize new brands of optical media.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

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Guest LilBambi

Hang them on lengths of fishing line in the fruit trees/orchard . They work really well as bird scares.

They twinkle and flash in the sunlight. They look kinda cool too.

 

We used them in our garden before. Supposed to work well for keeping birds away from the garden.

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Both sides should be reflective
You can hot glue two together so the reflective side is out.

We also keep old, fat candles and waterproof matches in the car. Hopefully, we'll never need them.

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Guest LilBambi

If you use them in the garden, it doesn't matter if both sides are reflective. If they are on a string to spin with the wind, the variance is more annoying for the birds. ;)

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