DVD writer doesn't work at all

[dedekam]

 Hi,

I have an HP pavilion a810n (about 3 yrs old) and the dvd writer (hp 630c) isn't working. OS is Windows XP.  I haven't used it in a while, and now the light doesn't come on and it won't open or close.  It is like the computer isn't reading it at all, but when I try to troubleshoot, in Device Manager, it says the 'device is working properly'.  I have tried uninstalling the hardware, but no change.  I took the tower shell off to make sure it was plugged in, and it is.  Is there anything else I can try before going out to buy a new driver?  Do you need any more specific computer info for this?

[patio]

Burners usually last about 1 to 3 years and then die.
Usually the optics die before the mechanical part dies but it can go either way.
You could try removing it in Device Manager...it should be automatically re-installed by XP on re-boot.
If this doesn't work swapping it into another machine should confirm if it is really dead...

[dedekam]

Thanks Patio,

I had already uninstalled the driver, but that didn't work.  When it booted up again, the driver was there as before, but still no life, despite the troubleshooting telling me it was 'working properly'.  I tried a 2nd time, same thing.  Drivers only last 1-3 years?  Isn't that kind of pathetic?  

Thanks for your help tho'

[patio]

Well they actually used to last longer but this is the trend i've been seeing in the last 4 or 5 years.

newegg.com will sell you a brand new DVD burner for about 40 bucks shipped...not a bad deal.

[CBMatt]

Thanks Patio,

I had already uninstalled the driver, but that didn't work.  When it booted up again, the driver was there as before, but still no life, despite the troubleshooting telling me it was 'working properly'.  I tried a 2nd time, same thing.  [highlight]Drivers only last 1-3 years?[/highlight]  Isn't that kind of pathetic?  

Thanks for your help tho'

He's speaking in general terms.  Some drives might last much longer, and some might not even last as long as that.  On one computer of mine, the drive went out after about 4 years.  On another computer, the drives have been operational for nearly 8 years, and one of them has only recently started to show signs of wear.  It all depends on the drive and how it's used.  But the average is probably about three years.  Thankfully, they're fairly cheap to replace.

[street1 (RIP)]

SWAG......... :-?

Did you try a different 4 pin molex plug from the power supply?

Rare but, possible for your power plug to be bad that goes to
it.