Member Avatar for darrglud

I have a Lite-On XJ-HD166S (that came with a Dell Dimension 4700 in Dec 04) and it no longer works. I replaced the old one with a new liteon (i've had good luck with liteon drives), and gave it back to my family member.

Now, I want to resurrect the drive so I can get it working in my old Pentium 2 system.

The drive spins up and stops it, and it trys to spin up again and spins down, and so on. I think the issue is the motor, but I'm not sure.

Could someone tell me how to fix the motor (if it's possible)? Or could they tell me what they think the issue is.

I cannot afford a new one, because I don't have a job.

Any help will be HIGHLY appriciated.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

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Symptom — the repeated spin-up then stop observed by — commonly points to intermittent power delivery or mechanical binding in the rotating assembly rather than an optical-pickup failure. is correct that many faults make a drive impractical to repair; 's note about laser wear applies more to drives that spin normally but fail to read discs, not to this on/off spin cycle.

Suggested low-cost checks, in order:

  • Use a different Molex power lead or a different PC to rule out a collapsing power rail; measure 12V and 5V under load with a multimeter if available.
  • With the drive powered down and unplugged, remove the top cover and inspect for debris, shredded foam or anything jamming the spindle; compressed air and 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on the spindle hub will remove grime.
  • Manually rotate the hub; stiffness indicates a seized bearing or dried lubricant. A tiny drop of light machine oil or silicone lubricant on the bearing can sometimes free it.
  • Visually inspect the PCB for bulging capacitors, burnt parts or cracked solder joints; reflowing obvious cracked joints has restored function in some units.

If these steps fail, motor/driver or PCB-level faults are likely and repair is rarely economical without a donor drive. Practical alternatives are sourcing a donor from an old PC or thrift shop, harvesting parts for other projects, or replacing with an inexpensive external unit. Observe ESD precautions and mains-safety when opening or bench-testing the drive.

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Member Avatar for mechbas

To start with, no, there's no way for U to repair the drive.
Possible causes: controller error, defective ribbon cable, wrong jumper setting, or BIOS support. If all that fails then the drive is a paperweight.

Member Avatar for jbennet

its the lazer, they wear out after time, its common on things where there are a lot of reads such as games consoles

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