Optical Drive Maintenance

An optical drive is the piece of hardware that plays CD's or DVD's or both. Much of this is the obvious, but a good reminder nonetheless.

Here's a list of do's and don'ts for maintaining your optical drive.

• Number one on the list is remove your cd's/dvd's when you are not using the drive. The disc is still spinning away and causing unnecessary wear and tear on your computer. Put the disc away in its case so it doesn't get dusty.
• Never use warped, cracked, or badly scratched discs in your drives.
• Don't put labels on the unprinted, shiny side of the disc surface. If both sides are shiny, don't put labels on either side. As for the printed side, ONLY USE CD/DVD labels. Never put stickies or other types of labels on CDs; they can come off in the drive and ruin the hardware. Always remove post-it notes before you put a cd in a drive and if you prefer to write information on a CD, use a permanent marker not a ball-point pen or pencil.
• Don't move your computer while a CD/dvd is reading.
•  Avoid drive exposure to extreme temperatures (above 110 F) and high humidity (above 40%). Don't place drive (or discs) in direct sunlight.
•  Never put a dusty or dirty disc into the drive. HP recommends that you do not clean the drive or discs with alcohol which can damage the finish. For the discs, use wipes or cleaners especially designed for discs. For the drive itself, use drive-cleaning kits. Always consult manufacturer directions regarding cleaning.
• Don't use novelty-shaped discs such as rectangular or heart shaped and only use round mini-discs if your drive door has an indentation to fit them.
• Do handle discs from the edges; avoid leaving fingerprints on the data side of the disc; such oily residue can cause the optical reader to skip or miss data.
•  Last, but not least, avoid using the CD tray as a cupholder. :)