Hardware Test for CD Burners

CD Burner hardware should be looked at in the first step of troubleshooting any CD Burning issues, why? It is easier to test a CD Burner for hardware problems and takes up less time than that of a software fault.

Cause of Hardware Problems

Many different things can cause hardware problems for CD Burners, causes such as dust accumulating inside the drive, the Burner being exposed to direct sunlight and even magnetic fields – some people may have a magnet on the desk of the PC, which I have encountered with a customer previously.

Below should help you to eliminate the Burner hardware as the cause of the CD Burning problem that maybe occurring. It can also be used for DVD Burners, CD-ROM drives and DVD-ROM drives too.

It is advisable at this point that you have fully read the manufacture manual for the CD Burner and PC and follow safety precaution when working inside PC.

Make sure to read from the beginning of Hardware for CD Burners before continuing. Continued from last page the LED’s on the drive should show signs of life, check with the manufacture of the drive what these LED’s mean.

Testing your CD Burner Drive

  • Disconnect any devices that maybe attached to the PC such as, printers, scanners and any other external peripherals.
  • Insert an audio optical disc or data software disc into the CD Burner or DVD Burner; do not test with CD-R or CD-RW discs. A HP CD-Writer will flash green; the CD Burner knows there is a disc in the drive, for a number of seconds and go steady green, a sign that the drive recognizes what the optical disc is. LED turning red means this is a sign the drive can not recognize the disc, likely a hardware fault but can be caused by another factor.
  • Download and install the latest firmware patch for the CD Burner or DVD Burner which can found on the manufactures web site. Extreme care must be taken in doing this step and it’s highly advisable to follow the manufacture guide lines.
  • Disconnect the Data Cable used to connect the CD Burner or DVD Burner to the PC - before doing so make sure to follow standard safety procedures, including disconnecting main power cable.
  • Power on the system without the Data Cable connected and once Windows is fully started insert an audio or Data Disc into the Drive again, now how does the LED’s react?
  • Check with the manufacture what the LED’s mean, if it happens to be ‘disc not recognized’ then either the fault is with the CD Burner or the disc being used, test with a different disc.
  • If the drive is faulty and is still under warranty then contact the manufacture with full information of the read test just taken on the CD Burner drive or DVD Burner.

It is important to know that if the CD Burner passes the hardware it doesnt nessecary mean that its 100% fully functional - the above hardware test is a read test only.

It is recommended to start looking at the data cable for the CD Burner as a possible cause.