can a cd burner die? is mine dead? wont burn

fantasi · September 17th, 2004

my ricoh mp7240A burner wont burn my cds anymore. Well ihad this problem for a while now maybe 3months but i thought i had crappy cd-rs. It reads cds just fine but sometimes when i read burnt cd-r/cd-rw, it wont read it. But original cd e.g. music , games, software. it reads fine. Is there a life expencancy with cd burners? It wont burn either, with nero or mp9. It says cant "disc speed error'. And the funny thing is, both nero and mp9 just spits out the cd and the cd isnt a coaster even. It still works. So im saying is it dead or do i need to buy like a cd lens cleaner or something? if it needs cleaning, ill go buy some later today. Help? or else i have quite a heavy paper weight or door stopper.

**Lee** · September 17th, 2004

Yes clean the lens. Then try for a firmware update, RICOH are on track usually with them.

**Hipster Doofus** · September 17th, 2004

They have a life span. You should find the specs at the home page. If it is dead I saw here in Melbourne a liteon advertised for under $50. What a bargain. You might be able to get the same deal in Perth.

**Zedric** · September 17th, 2004

You could clean the lens, but don't use a lens cleaner kit. Use a q-tip and alcohol and be gentle.

**Mainframeguy** · September 17th, 2004

also be sure this is not a media issue - try it with more than one brand maybe to rule that out

**Mubbers** · September 17th, 2004

I had a drive die on me after about two years service. For replacement I got a lit-on DVD/CD combo. Pretty good kit.

**Lee** · September 17th, 2004

You might aswell go buy a brand spanking new one now, the 16X dvd writers are butt cheap.

I paid £250 2 years ago for a 2.4 write, now 16X write and around £80, ahhh go get a new one and bin that one. Get some good free software with them also which makes it well worth the buy!

The cd/r/rw on my fiance's machine was £170 3 years ago when bought retail now I saw it for £29.99, still good evidence to get a new one.

fantasi · September 17th, 2004

ok let me try fix this drive first. Any ideas how to clean the lens with a cotton bud? it says danger when opening =\. If its too troublesome ill try go buy one of those 8x flash to 16x burners.

**Lee** · September 17th, 2004

Dip the dab into the solution so it's not sopping and not dripping, squeeze it till no drops come off, make sure no power is going to pc/disk drive, slowly move it over the ball/optical part, wipe off with dry end. thats what i do if I don't use a disk cleaner.

Piett · September 17th, 2004

i have that exact cd burner. and mine is dead. i've been through all the tech with rioch, and i have used a lens cleaner on it. still no luck. right now, it doesn't even read cds, let alone write to them. all rioch said was that my burner was probably expired, and i should invest in a new one. needless to say, i did not buy another rioch drive, i bought lite-on.

**dreamliner77** · September 19th, 2004

Ricoh made great burners back in the day, but as with any hardware, they are bound to fail. That is why they publish the MTBF stats. But before you toss it, definitely try cleaning the lens and doing a firmware upgrad.

Scott Thomas · September 19th, 2004

go to www.officemax.com and look for Mad Dog Multimedia Dominator 6-in-1 Internal DVD-R/-RW Drive and then look for Khypermedia 100-Pack Black Slim Jewel Cases what that is is a dvd burner and 100 cd jewel cases for 16 bucks after rebates..now that is a deal

**lancer** · October 8th, 2004

I has a matsui burner, and it just would not burn so 4 months after it stopped working i bought a new LG burner and guess what? the fecking matsui burner started to work as soon as i installed the LG burner, now thats fecked-up!

**Lee** · October 8th, 2004

Matsui the great products (sarcasm) named after the owner and his wife of the Dixons group, Matthew and Sue. They arranged to have the I instead of the E as to sound Japanese. That don't suprise me 1 bit. Maybe all you really needed for the other burner was a driver update or a kick in the grundies.

Well unlucky

**Mainframeguy** · October 8th, 2004

Originally Posted by lancer

I has a matsui burner, and it just would not burn so 4 months after it stopped working i bought a new LG burner and guess what? the fecking matsui burner started to work as soon as i installed the LG burner, now thats fecked-up!

NAaahh had the same thing happen to me - they can be temperamental when you move them around - I took a system apart to clean, also bought an XP Pro upgrade - came back to install and CD drive was gone - unplugged and did CMOS reset and it woke up! Very like your story - happens all the time....

Boy that did wind me up though!

PS Reps to you Lee - never knew where MatSui came from! (But always knew it was c**p!!) Now I know I will not forget!

**lancer** · October 8th, 2004

fcking hate dixons could there be a worse store, are they even still open?

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #1
fantasi My Yngy is My HoneY! Joined: January 2004 Location: Perth Posts: 307 Reputation: 100 Power: 106	can a cd burner die? is mine dead? wont burn my ricoh mp7240A burner wont burn my cds anymore. Well ihad this problem for a while now maybe 3months but i thought i had crappy cd-rs. It reads cds just fine but sometimes when i read burnt cd-r/cd-rw, it wont read it. But original cd e.g. music , games, software. it reads fine. Is there a life expencancy with cd burners? It wont burn either, with nero or mp9. It says cant "disc speed error'. And the funny thing is, both nero and mp9 just spits out the cd and the cd isnt a coaster even. It still works. So im saying is it dead or do i need to buy like a cd lens cleaner or something? if it needs cleaning, ill go buy some later today. Help? or else i have quite a heavy paper weight or door stopper. \|\|AMD 64 3500+ 939\|\|MSI K8N NEO 2 Platinum\|\|1Gb Corsair 3200XLpro 2-2-2-5 Dual Channel\|\|2x36gb Raptor Raid-0\|\|Sony DRU-710A DVD-RWDL\|\|Leadtek Geforce 6800GT @ 320/930 \|\|Thermaltake TWV 480W PSU\|\|SB X-Fi Music\|\|

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #4
Zedric NTFS Guru Joined: January 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 4,006 Reputation: 890 Power: 175	You could clean the lens, but don't use a lens cleaner kit. Use a q-tip and alcohol and be gentle. Did I help you? Please use the reputation system. Click the icon on the left! Proud host of the OSNN.net folding sigs. Want one? Check the folding thread! http://zedric.no-ip.com/

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #5
Mainframeguy Debiant by way of Ubuntu Joined: August 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,763 Blog Entries: 5 Reputation: 1390 Power: 169	also be sure this is not a media issue - try it with more than one brand maybe to rule that out hosted by Lord

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #8
fantasi My Yngy is My HoneY! Joined: January 2004 Location: Perth Posts: 307 Reputation: 100 Power: 106	ok let me try fix this drive first. Any ideas how to clean the lens with a cotton bud? it says danger when opening =\. If its too troublesome ill try go buy one of those 8x flash to 16x burners. \|\|AMD 64 3500+ 939\|\|MSI K8N NEO 2 Platinum\|\|1Gb Corsair 3200XLpro 2-2-2-5 Dual Channel\|\|2x36gb Raptor Raid-0\|\|Sony DRU-710A DVD-RWDL\|\|Leadtek Geforce 6800GT @ 320/930 \|\|Thermaltake TWV 480W PSU\|\|SB X-Fi Music\|\|

September 19th, 2004	Top \| #11
dreamliner77 The Analog Kid Joined: March 2002 Location: Red Sox Nation Posts: 4,653 Reputation: 1111 Power: 182	Ricoh made great burners back in the day, but as with any hardware, they are bound to fail. That is why they publish the MTBF stats. But before you toss it, definitely try cleaning the lens and doing a firmware upgrad. "You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight." -Neil Peart of RUSH

Latest News Posts

Latest Forum Posts

Latest Member Blogs

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #2
Lee OSNN Proxy Joined: January 2004 Location: Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, England. Posts: 3,330 Reputation: 1020 Power: 145	Yes clean the lens. Then try for a firmware update, RICOH are on track usually with them.

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #3
Hipster Doofus Good grief Charlie Brown Joined: May 2002 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 5,920 Reputation: 560 Power: 187	They have a life span. You should find the specs at the home page. If it is dead I saw here in Melbourne a liteon advertised for under $50. What a bargain. You might be able to get the same deal in Perth.

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #6
Mubbers Shoot! Joined: December 2001 Posts: 1,081 Reputation: 60 Power: 137	I had a drive die on me after about two years service. For replacement I got a lit-on DVD/CD combo. Pretty good kit.

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #7
Lee OSNN Proxy Joined: January 2004 Location: Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, England. Posts: 3,330 Reputation: 1020 Power: 145	You might aswell go buy a brand spanking new one now, the 16X dvd writers are butt cheap. I paid £250 2 years ago for a 2.4 write, now 16X write and around £80, ahhh go get a new one and bin that one. Get some good free software with them also which makes it well worth the buy! The cd/r/rw on my fiance's machine was £170 3 years ago when bought retail now I saw it for £29.99, still good evidence to get a new one.

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #9
Lee OSNN Proxy Joined: January 2004 Location: Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, England. Posts: 3,330 Reputation: 1020 Power: 145	Dip the dab into the solution so it's not sopping and not dripping, squeeze it till no drops come off, make sure no power is going to pc/disk drive, slowly move it over the ball/optical part, wipe off with dry end. thats what i do if I don't use a disk cleaner.

September 17th, 2004	Top \| #10
Piett ...will circle this city Joined: April 2002 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 528 Reputation: 0 Power: 128	i have that exact cd burner. and mine is dead. i've been through all the tech with rioch, and i have used a lens cleaner on it. still no luck. right now, it doesn't even read cds, let alone write to them. all rioch said was that my burner was probably expired, and i should invest in a new one. needless to say, i did not buy another rioch drive, i bought lite-on.

September 19th, 2004	Top \| #12
Scott Thomas r3bel.4.ever Joined: August 2004 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 10 Reputation: 0 Power: 95	go to www.officemax.com and look for Mad Dog Multimedia Dominator 6-in-1 Internal DVD-R/-RW Drive and then look for Khypermedia 100-Pack Black Slim Jewel Cases what that is is a dvd burner and 100 cd jewel cases for 16 bucks after rebates..now that is a deal

October 8th, 2004	Top \| #13
lancer There is no answer! Joined: October 2004 Location: FL, USA Posts: 3,087 Blog Entries: 3 Reputation: 1430 Power: 137	I has a matsui burner, and it just would not burn so 4 months after it stopped working i bought a new LG burner and guess what? the fecking matsui burner started to work as soon as i installed the LG burner, now thats fecked-up!

October 8th, 2004	Top \| #14
Lee OSNN Proxy Joined: January 2004 Location: Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, England. Posts: 3,330 Reputation: 1020 Power: 145	Matsui the great products (sarcasm) named after the owner and his wife of the Dixons group, Matthew and Sue. They arranged to have the I instead of the E as to sound Japanese. That don't suprise me 1 bit. Maybe all you really needed for the other burner was a driver update or a kick in the grundies. Well unlucky

October 8th, 2004	Top \| #15
Mainframeguy Debiant by way of Ubuntu Joined: August 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,763 Blog Entries: 5 Reputation: 1390 Power: 169	Originally Posted by lancer I has a matsui burner, and it just would not burn so 4 months after it stopped working i bought a new LG burner and guess what? the fecking matsui burner started to work as soon as i installed the LG burner, now thats fecked-up! NAaahh had the same thing happen to me - they can be temperamental when you move them around - I took a system apart to clean, also bought an XP Pro upgrade - came back to install and CD drive was gone - unplugged and did CMOS reset and it woke up! Very like your story - happens all the time.... Boy that did wind me up though! PS Reps to you Lee - never knew where MatSui came from! (But always knew it was c**p!!) Now I know I will not forget! hosted by Lord

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
la de da, mine has shipped	perris	Windows Desktop Systems	8	August 10th, 2005 8:04pm
DVD/CD burner combo drive can't burn CDs!	Ohzopants	General Hardware	6	February 2nd, 2004 4:31pm
Nero.. wont let me choose to burn at full speed! Why??	ThePunkerGuy	Windows Desktop Systems	8	July 29th, 2003 5:59am
aol problems not mine!	bluzeboy	Windows Desktop Systems	4	June 4th, 2003 11:42pm
cant burn cd´s with xps cd burner	ludlo	General Hardware	9	July 28th, 2002 9:56am

October 8th, 2004	Top \| #16
lancer There is no answer! Joined: October 2004 Location: FL, USA Posts: 3,087 Blog Entries: 3 Reputation: 1430 Power: 137	fcking hate dixons could there be a worse store, are they even still open?