Troubleshooting CD-ROM on laptops



Document ID: 94000197

 

Posted Date: 1996-08-19

 

Last Updated: 1996-08-19

 

Distribution: View Public Website

 

Applicable Models
Satellite 200CDS
Portege 650CT
Portege 660CDT
Tecra 500CDT
Tecra 500CS
Tecra 510CDT
Tecra 530CDT
Tecra 700CS
Tecra 700CT
Tecra 710CDT
Tecra 720CDT
Tecra 730CDT
Tecra 730XCDT
Tecra 740CDT
Satellite Pro 400CDT
Satellite Pro 400CS
Satellite Pro 415CS
Satellite Pro 425CDS
Satellite Pro 430CDS
Satellite Pro 430CDT

 

Information
Check for the following items when troubleshooting CD-ROMs
  1. Is the CD-ROM inside the SelectBay or the external caddie? Even though the CD-ROM drive will fit nicely inside the caddie, it will not function there.
  2. Is the CD-ROM drive properly seated? Try taking out the drive and push it back in (with the laptop powered down). Also make sure the lock (wherever it may be) is in locked position.
  3. Is there a CD disc in the drive? If there is no disc inside, you will get a "D:\ is not accessible, or not ready." Make sure the customer puts in a disc before proceeding.
  4. Are the drivers properly loaded? By factory default, the real-mode drivers are remmed out in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT on most laptops. Even though the CD-ROM will still work, it is safer to unrem those lines. They are:

- in CONFIG.SYS:
device=c:\cddrv\toscdrom.sys /d:toscd001
- in AUTOEXEC.BAT
if exist toscd001 LH c:\windows\command\mscdex /L:D /D:toscd001 /M:10
Simply remove the "REM" in front of these statements with SYSEDIT and reboot.
5. Is the CD-ROM recognized in DOS? Try going through step-by-step confirmation upon bootup.
  • When you reach "device=c:\cddrv\toscdrom.sys", look for any error messages. If it says "CD-ROM not ready" at this point, the driver is probably corrupted. Reload it from the companion disk.*
  • When you reach "if exist toscd001 ....", listen to the CD-ROM spinning. If it does not spin or make any noise, reload the driver. If it says "Bad command or file name", reload from companion disk. If drivers had been reloaded and the drive still fails to spin, then refer the customer to an Authorized Service Provider (ASP).
  • When you reach "WIN", say NO and gointo "C:\>" prompt. Then type in "D:" and see if you can get to"D:\>" prompt. If not, try "E:". You can change the drive letter assignment by changing the /L switch in MSCDEX command.
  • You may need to physically locate those files (TOSCDROM.SYS and MSCDEX.EXE) to set the correct path for them.

6. Are there any extra drive letters in MY COMPUTER? If there are A:, C:, D:, E:, F:, etc. drives but the customer does not have any ATA hard drives and/or zip drives, it means that the customer has put ATA support drivers in his CONFIG.SYS that will reserve those letters for him. Run SYSEDIT and rem out all references to CardWorks or CardWiz in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.
7. Have both the CD-ROM drive and disc been cleaned? Usually if the disc skips tracks or gives "CDR101: Read error", it indicates that either the laser lens or the disc needs to be cleaned. The drive can be cleaned with an off-the-shelf cleaning kit. The discs can be cleaned with a dry, clean cloth, wiping from the inner circle outwards (never wipe the disc in circular motion along the tracks). Also never mark the discs with a marker on the label side, and check for scratches on the shiny side.
8. If all else fail, refer the customer to an Authorized Service Provider (ASP).

* Boot up the system with companion disk. Press [Enter] to get into the utility program. Go to "Install Files" and "Install CD-ROM" from the menu.
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