How annoying are computers

[colly]

when they have something wrong with them?

The CD drawer on my computer has been opening and shutting all day long every 8 seconds or so.

Open.....pause......shut.....small whirring sound........open again . I wouldn't mind so much but it stopped playing CD's some time ago.

I'm passed the stage where it's annoying, more amused fascination as to just how relentlessly it carries on. To be fair it does miss a beat now and then, but even so.

I think it's time to buy a new computer

 

[david1701]

open the case, shut the drive by hand, unplug the cd drive power cable - no worries

 

[MontyVeda]

try doing a reinstall.

 

[Melonfish]

said in Irish accent "Have you troid turnin it aaf and ohn again?"

 

[fossyant]

Hammer Time !

 

[colly]

said in Irish accent "Have you troid turnin it aaf and ohn again?"

I've even tried that in an asian accent.



If I could work out how to post a vid clip I would. It's kind of therapeutic in a way, just seeing it go about it's pointless business, not a care in the world.

 

[summerdays]

We were burgled 20 years ago ... they only took 5 things including the CD player. It had recently started going wrong and doing just that - cd drawer going in and out by itself. I always consoled myself with the thought that the thief or whoever bought the stolen goods ended up with it and that we got the new replacement. (Saved Mr Summerdays from having to take it to bits to try and fix it).

We had a powercut today ... only momentary ... but just enough to mess up the various computers around the house took me an hour to get some of them reworking and then Mr Summerdays more time in the evening (still not got the TV computer up and running yet). Sometimes I think it is all too complicated - and that maybe if I wasn't married to Mr Summerdays I would have a simpler house electronically.

With a non-technical brain I can suggest that if you turn it off it should stop going in and out by itself

 

[Hover Fly]

open the case, shut the drive by hand, unplug the cd drive power cable - no worries

'
Find the CD goblin, give her a damn good talking to, replace and try again, if still no joy sack her and replace her with a new goblin from jobcentre plus.

 

[Basil.B]

Get a Mac!

 

[fossyant]

PS it's probably got a bit of dust collected in it - pull the case off the PC, remove the cd unit (if a separate unit) and set the dyson on it.

Our PC needs cleaning out every 6 months or so - it's like a hoover. My fault for building in lots of air flow in it.

 

[PBancroft]

when they have something wrong with them?

The CD drawer on my computer has been opening and shutting all day long every 8 seconds or so.

Open.....pause......shut.....small whirring sound........open again . I wouldn't mind so much but it stopped playing CD's some time ago.

I'm passed the stage where it's annoying, more amused fascination as to just how relentlessly it carries on. To be fair it does miss a beat now and then, but even so.

I think it's time to buy a new computer

PCs are complicated things, but not that complicated... they're just made of many constituent parts that are actually quite easy to put together. Hazarding a guess without seeing your computer I'd say either something is stuck in the drive or the open/shut button has got stuck or failed in some way.

Two choices - Try to clean the drive. A can of compressed air might help shift the stuck debris if there is any. No promises but it might be worth a try. Or replace the drive itself. A new CD/DVD drive can be bought for about £15 and are surprisingly easy to fit. There are a few videos on YouTube on how to do it, and it isn't as scary as people imagine.

Both options are worth trying, and certainly cheaper than buying a new PC.

Certain malware has been known to cause this, but if you are sensible its rarely the case. However, it is worth checking: Do you have up to date anti virus software? Try downloading and running Spybot Search and Destroy.

 

[Davidc]

In answer to the OP - very. I had that problem, caused by software that installed incorrectly. If you can identify what software is opening the thing you can deal with it!

Get a Mac!

But only if you want to pay 20 times what it's worth and have even more problems than you would running a PC (or at least that's the experience everyone I know who's bought one has had!).

Macs - guaranteed to self destruct 5 microseconds after the guarantee expires. I had one once, the most useless piece of c**p I've ever owned, but found a mug on ebay to buy it!!!!

 

[colly]

Thanks for the advice about cleaning it and checking the buttons, I'll try that.

TBH this computer is old, very old in computing terms..... And I do fancy a nice shiny lap top that I can use anywhere with wifi.

Any suggestions ? A Mac as Basil B suggested? Aren't they expensive?

 

[PBancroft]

Thanks for the advice about cleaning it and checking the buttons, I'll try that.

TBH this computer is old, very old in computing terms..... And I do fancy a nice shiny lap top that I can use anywhere with wifi.

Any suggestions ? A Mac as Basil B suggested? Aren't they expensive?

Depends what you do with it. If all you do is web based I actually quite like Chromebooks. If you do more offline stuff I'm afraid Windows still rules the roost for me (and I say this as a Linux user).

 

[Davidc]

Thanks for the advice about cleaning it and checking the buttons, I'll try that.

TBH this computer is old, very old in computing terms..... And I do fancy a nice shiny lap top that I can use anywhere with wifi.

Any suggestions ? A Mac as Basil B suggested? Aren't they expensive?

See above. They're massively overpriced, won't run any useful software 'cos useful's all unfortunately written for windows, and well over half the people I know who've bought one have got rid of it fast, mainly because it won't run any useful software but also because they go wrong. Don't forget, it's Apple so a proprietory system, like windows, with even more tie in to the maker and less software choices.

I long for the day when Linux wins over Windows, but it hasn't happened yet.