[olug] Hardware issue: Philips PCRW1208 CDRW is possessed

[William Haisch]

> My Philips PCRW1208 CDRW is possessed - sometimes (out of the blue, 
> approx
> 15 min after startup) the tray opens and closes without any prompting;
> which then causes the PC to hang up. Only a hard reboot brings the PC 
> back
> to 'normal', but it does not stop the CDRW problem.

I've had luck with pesky CD/DVD drives by "resetting" them.  Open the 
tray and there should be one or two tiny stops that can be pushed 
aside.  The whole media tray will come right out.  The drive will spin 
the tray retraction motor furiously trying to reclaim and eject the 
missing tray.  After it has stopped, reinsert the tray all of the way.  
Press the button on the outside and make sure the drive can accept 
CD/DVD media.  For some unknown reason, I was able to stabilize some 
pesky drives this way.

I have also had high school students put pieces of balsa wood into the 
drive.  The CD tray will close but then eject immediately.  That was 
fun, too.  Your tax dollars (or dullards) at work.

Irish, you haven't been assembling balsa wood models, have you?

-Wm.
William Haisch
bill at whaisch.com