On Saturday January 12 2008 2:34:32 pm Gene Heskett wrote: > On Saturday 12 January 2008, Claude Jones wrote: > >On Saturday January 12 2008 1:22:21 pm Dave Stevens wrote: > >> I have downloaded and burned it ok and it booted and ran > >> fine. I always suspect dirt in the optical drive first. Has > >> it been cleaned recently? or ever? > > > >You raise a flag. I have often thought dust was the #1 cause > > of CD/DVD optical drive demise. It just makes sense. The > > units aren't sealed, and you have fans inside the computer > > pulling air in through every crack and crevice it can find - > > over time, dust builds up, and light doesn't penetrate dust. > > So, my question... Have you found a technique that actually > > works to clean them? I've tried gently application of air > > and those cleaning discs, but, I've never had much luck with > > either. > > I've had fair luck by pulling the sheet metal rad covers (with > it out of the machine and powerless) to gain access, and using > an alcohol dampened Sheperds Medical q-tip to very gently > clean the face of the lens. Emphasis on the gentle, they are > very easily mount damaged as the servo can only move so much > weight at 10 khz to track a wobbly disk at 52x, so every grain > of extra weight has been designed out of it and the > suspension. I have probably damaged as many trying as I have > fixed, and I can have a very gentle touch when indicated. And > that is dampened with paint thinner alcohol, isopropil, even > the 90% stuff has too much water in it and will do a poorer > job of dissolving the cigarette smoke & airborne cooking > grease etc that collects on this stuff, and which may become > pretty well baked on when the controller turns up the laser > trying to see through it. > Ha! One TV engineer speaking to another - I shoulda thought of that! I've certainly dove into enough tape transports in my day to know the technique... -- Claude Jones Brunswick, MD, USA
