Thats a LOUD DVD drive! What?

[laestadian]

2 out of ten of my DVD discs make my DVD drive whirl (sound like a
vacuum cleaner) and its really disturbing if i am trying to watch a
movie.
What makes this happen?
Is it hardware specific or something to do with the OS?
Is this drive speed related (positive or negative)?
Is there a place I can further research the subject?
Thanks folks,
Leo.

 

[John Doe]

2 out of ten of my DVD discs make my DVD drive whirl (sound like a
vacuum cleaner) and its really disturbing if i am trying to watch
a movie.
What makes this happen?

Do you have stick on labels on the DVD discs in question?
Anything that can throw them out of balance?

 

[Frank McCoy]

In alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt "(e-mail address removed)"

2 out of ten of my DVD discs make my DVD drive whirl (sound like a
vacuum cleaner) and its really disturbing if i am trying to watch a
movie.
What makes this happen?
Is it hardware specific or something to do with the OS?
Is this drive speed related (positive or negative)?
Is there a place I can further research the subject?
Thanks folks,
Leo.

Three common causes:
1. Bad drive.
2. Bad label on CD or DVD.
3. Warped CD or DVD.

To see if it's 2 or 3, place the DVD or CD on a FLAT and LEVEL surface.
If it rocks or even CAN rock, then replace it, copy it, or similar fix.
Next, turn it over, face down on same surface.
If it then rocks or such, then the label is likely peeling off.
Visual inspection works wonders.

There *are* various drive problems that can cause such problems; but
generally they do it on almost all CDs, not just one in five.

 

[laestadian]

The noisey discs all seem flat and none of them have stick on covers -
they are originals. I might have been a little extream with the noise
comarison to a vacuume cleaner by the way, but it is definatly
noticeable.
I'm using a GIGABYTE drive and WinXP (I forgot to mention).

When you say bad drive, do you mean 'a one off' or the whole series?
Is there any drives designed to be quiet runners ie for multimedia
enthusiasts?

 

[Guest]

The noisey discs all seem flat and none of them have stick on covers -
they are originals. I might have been a little extream with the noise
comarison to a vacuume cleaner by the way, but it is definatly
noticeable.
I'm using a GIGABYTE drive and WinXP (I forgot to mention).

When you say bad drive, do you mean 'a one off' or the whole series?
Is there any drives designed to be quiet runners ie for multimedia
enthusiasts?

Generally, Yamahas are loud, NECs and Ben-Q's are quiet.

 

[laestadian]

Generally, Yamahas are loud, NECs and Ben-Q's are quiet.

I noted this on the BenQ Site...
1650V - Black-colored CD Tray
The BenQ 1650V uses a dark-colored CD tray, which efficiently
minimizes jitters and enhances disc readability.

I had never heard of BenQ until now. I was quite impressed with the
descriptions of their products and some of their ideas.

 

[Guest]

I noted this on the BenQ Site...
1650V - Black-colored CD Tray
The BenQ 1650V uses a dark-colored CD tray, which efficiently
minimizes jitters and enhances disc readability.

I had never heard of BenQ until now. I was quite impressed with the
descriptions of their products and some of their ideas.

Have your heard of programs like AnyDVD (commercial)
http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html or Nero Drivespeed (freeware)
http://www.cdspeed2000.com/ - both of these programs claim to control the
playback speed of your drive and therefore reduce the noise of the unit.

Glennbo

 

[geoff]

Three common causes:

1. Bad drive.
2. Bad label on CD or DVD.
3. Warped CD or DVD.

I do not know if I agree, I had a plextor bought in '98 and it never had a
problem reading cd's, etc. but made a loud whirl when accessing the cd.

-g