How do you clean the PC's DVD drives & the DVD recorder

[pepegot1]

I have a disc to clean the DVD player, but it is hard to find something to clean the PC's DVD ROM & write drives. Also, how do you clean the stand alone DVD recorder lens?

[redwudz]

Maybe I'm not understanding you, but the same cleaning disk should work in any of them.

I first use 'canned air' to dislodge dust on the lens. If that doesn't work, I would try a good brand of cleaning disk. If still no improvement, either clean the lens while the drawer is open or disassemble the drive and clean the lens with a foam 'Q-tip' and denatured alcohol. If the drive was unusable due to dirt on the lens, you have little to lose at that point.

[lordsmurf]

Blowing air in a drive merely makes it swirl around inside and then re-settle.

I would never use a cleaning disc. They merely smudge goop on the lens, or worse, scratch it.

Dismantling the drive is the best solution. Then you can blow air and/or clean with an alcohol-soaked swab.

You never clean a lens unless it is having trouble burning or reading. This excludes the use of crap media.

[redwudz]

lordsmurf, I agree about the air. I use it as a diagnostic. If it helps, yes, you probably have dust and dirt in there. I've never used a cleaning disk, but it may be safer for the drive than someone trying to disassemble it.

My laptop has an exposed laser lens when the tray is extended, easy to clean, but easy to get crudded up. I have to clean it about once a month. I like the foam Q-tips as they don't leave fuzz. I've never figured out whether 99% isopropyl or denatured alcohol is better, but the denatured seems to be a little purer.

[lenti_75]

NEVER touch the lens, no matter what swab and cotton is.

open the drive, and blow air on lens using caned air.

[lordsmurf]

The lens is just a piece of glass, nothing magic about it. It's not the wicked witch of the west, it won't melt.

Just be gentle. Laser lens glass is no different than camera glass. The coatings are pretty similar.

While it is good advice to touch it as little as possible, air does nothing to remove grime, much of which gets naturally created from a mix of moisture in the air and dust particles.

When using "canned air" be VERY SURE to not hold it sideways, because the liquid propellant inside can damage optics as well as electronic components. Hold it upright AT ALL TIMES and read the instructions on the can. The VERY FIRST TIME you shoot the air, do it away from you or anything else, as liquid tends to be the first thing it shoots. NEVER SHAKE THE CAN either.

[redwudz]

On a CD or DVD player; The lens is glass. Similar to a very small camera lens. The laser runs back and forth on a geared slide. If the slide is gummed up, you may have problems. It is very difficult to lube properly. Do that as a last resort.

However the lens is not that hard to clean. Be gentle. Only swab the lens and don't push the slide it's connected to around. If you use Q-tips, change them on each pass. You don't want any contaminants left. The usual problem with a lens is grease from the air. The alcohol should cut that. Dust is a lesser problem. It often falls off. Grease glues the dust on. If you are a heavy smoker, or you reside in a restaurant, ; You may have grease in the air.

You should never have to clean your laser lens during normal use. Use this type of cleaning as a last resort if all else fails. In a normal environment a DVD drive shouldn't need cleaning. (As if all of us are in a normal environment ) But even then, it's uncommon. This is easy to figure out. If you are in a dusty , dirty environment and are having burning problems with your drive, the dirt may be your problem, especially if it worked all right last week.

I see few guides to cleaning DVD drives. Good reason is that they shouldn't need it. And there is a risk for damage if cleaned improperly. If you have to clean the lens, you should see what changes you could make so you wouldn't have to clean it again.

Just my opinion.