DELL INSPIRON E1505 CD DRIVE not working

I am trying to burn some cds but the drive is not working. I put any cd in(blank/audio/data/software) and nothing comes up. It makes a lot of noise like it is trying to read the disc but it never does. I can see it in my computer and under device manager where it recognizes the cd drive as should be working properly. Has anyone experienced this before? What is the problem here?
Thanks in advance!

 

I dont think your laptop optical drive is broken. I can say that with a pretty high confidence, only because optical drives generally do not go bad, they go dirty.
I have an E1505 with the TSST optical drive, and I must say that it is not a good optical drive. I have to clean the lens quite frequently for it to work and burn discs properly.

This is how I clean mine:

Open the tray loading drive on your system.
Grab some q-tips and some rubbing alcohol
Put a little bit of alcohol on the q-tip, and than gently press the q-tip against the small lens on the inside of the drive.
(The lens is a small shiny circle about 2-3 mm wide)
Use very gentle swirling motions to clean the lens. This may take a few minuets to clean. Just keep going at it until the lens is clean.
Than when you think its clean enough, put a cd in and see what happens. Like 90% of the time just cleaning the lens fixes the problem.

If the problem does still continue, than its time for a new optical drive.
The Pioneer DVR-K17 is a great choice.

K-TRON

 

, didn't work...it really sounds like its trying to read something off of there it makes the sounds like its working then stops...starts up again, then stops...and so on until it gets tired and doesn't want to try anymore. any other suggestions...how much does one of those dvr drives cost for my laptop?

 

A new optical drive is around $60-100
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SkuSearch_v2.asp?SCriteria=AA68010
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Shop/DVD-Burners/Slim+DVD+Burners/ci.DVR-K17.Shop

Sometimes mine has similar reading problems. What I do is open the drive and gently push the actuator arm thing (part which moves the laser lens) back and forth and than close the drive. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt.

K-TRON

 

does the drive show up under "Computer" or if you go to the device manager is there a yellow exclamation mark beside the drive.If the drive does not show up or there is a exclamation mark in device manager, then the upper or lower filters could be corrupt. Here is the instructions from a MS KB

Manually delete the registry entries
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
Note Before you use this method, uninstall all CD or DVD writing or recording programs. Deleting the corrupted registry entries might cause problems with any other CD or DVD writing or recording programs that are installed on your computer. Uninstalling these programs before you start will help you avoid any problems that removing the registry entries might cause. You can reinstall these programs after the problem is resolved.

This method provides step-by-step instructions for how to use Registry Editor to delete the following corrupted Registry entries:
UpperFilters
LowerFilters
Step 1: Start Registry Editor
Start Registry Editor.
Step 2: Delete the UpperFilters registry entry
In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Expand SYSTEM, and then expand CurrentControlSet.
Expand Control, and then expand Class.
Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
In the details pane of Registry Editor, on the right side, click UpperFilters.

Note You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only.
If you see the UpperFilters registry entry in the details pane of Registry Editor, go to step 6.
If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to "Step 3: Delete the LowerFilters registry entry."
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes when you receive the following message:
Are you sure you want to delete this value?
The UpperFilters registry entry is removed.
Step 3: Delete the LowerFilters registry entry
In the details pane of Registry Editor, on the right side, click LowerFilters.

Note You might see a LowerFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click LowerFilters only.

If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content is unable to help you any more. Go to the "Next Steps" section for information about how you can find more solutions or more help on the Microsoft Web site.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes when you receive the following message:
Are you sure you want to delete this value?
The LowerFilters registry entry is removed.
Exit Registry Editor.
Step 4: Restart your computer
Restart your computer. After you have done this, try to access the CD or DVD drive. If you can access the CD or DVD drive, and if you do not receive an error message, the problem is resolved. You can reinstall your CD or DVD writing or recording software.

If you cannot access the CD or DVD drive, or if you receive an error message, unfortunately this content is unable to help you any more. Go to the "Next Steps" section for information about how you can find more solutions to the problem.