Had similiar problems in the past, all have been solved this way:
If the disc won't "play" it could be that the lens of the drive is dirty or smudged, and thus, the computer cannot "recognize" the disk (it will spin, but never "catch". Eject the drive, and look at the lens and tray from an angle... if you see a build-up of dust, try using a soft lint-free cloth with a slight amount of rubbing alcohol to lift away (very GENTLY) any accumulation of dust from the area around the lens. Some will say to get a compressed-gas can and blow away the dust, but I've found that it will simply blow dirt further into the drive-slot itself, and the problem never really goes away. When it comes to the lens, use a seperate CLEAN Q-TIP with rubbing alcohol and gently rotate the q-tip in the opposite direction you are "wiping" (helps to lift the smudge without having to "scrub".
Let air dry, examine once more for dirt/grime, and let 'er rip! Also, check the disk itself for smudges... remember, CD's/DVD's are optical and not magnetic... the cleaner the lens and disk are, the better!!
Answers & Comments
Before you toss the drive in the garbage....
Had similiar problems in the past, all have been solved this way:
If the disc won't "play" it could be that the lens of the drive is dirty or smudged, and thus, the computer cannot "recognize" the disk (it will spin, but never "catch". Eject the drive, and look at the lens and tray from an angle... if you see a build-up of dust, try using a soft lint-free cloth with a slight amount of rubbing alcohol to lift away (very GENTLY) any accumulation of dust from the area around the lens. Some will say to get a compressed-gas can and blow away the dust, but I've found that it will simply blow dirt further into the drive-slot itself, and the problem never really goes away. When it comes to the lens, use a seperate CLEAN Q-TIP with rubbing alcohol and gently rotate the q-tip in the opposite direction you are "wiping" (helps to lift the smudge without having to "scrub".
Let air dry, examine once more for dirt/grime, and let 'er rip! Also, check the disk itself for smudges... remember, CD's/DVD's are optical and not magnetic... the cleaner the lens and disk are, the better!!
Hope it helps!
Change disk drive is only solution