Posted on 02/12/2005 1:50:43 PM PST by Howlin
I would not, unless you have a pile of stuff on the bottom.
We use gentle compressed air to clean them and it often gets blown where it is not supposed to be and causes problems.
Also, there is some delicate stuff in there, and just touching it can damage it.
Make sure you discharge any static you may have collected. One way is to put your hand on the frig. It unloads it.
Make sure you unplug the computer as well.
There is some concern the Registry and drivers are hosed up....rebuilding the system is know to fix both problems....often that is the fastest way to fix it.....
Okay.....I'm going to open it.
Talk amongst yourselves until I get back.
And if I don't, I love you all! :-)
Have you got the Service Tag on your PC? if you give me that, or if you haven't found it (or don't want to give it out as it could point to your identity with enough digging), give me the model of your PC, I'll go out to Dell's download site and send you a note to point you to the right file for the chip set.
The "Chip Set" is the core set of chips that control how the main processor (probably a Pentium) interacts with the rest of your system. This chip set will include things like the interface control for your CDs, your hard disk, your keyboard, etc. If the portion of the driver(s) dealing with the chip set dealing with the CD drives has been affected then that can be the source of the problem. On all but the most recent systems your CD and your hard disk are going to be on the same controller (called IDE), but the fact that your hard disk is working is not necessarily any proof that it's NOT the problem.
It couldn't hurt.
So far nothing on the Joel CD, but I think Scholastic, the publisher of the book/CD combo, is one of the more aggressive in the area of copy protection, so I wouldn't be surprised if they've done something nasty. If we establish that as the cause of your problem, and they didn't post a warning "Do Not Use In PCs" then you have cause for action and can expect to recover damages from them.
This could be hugh.
Download the chipset installation program here:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/format.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_8250&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=3268&devlib=27&category=27&releaseid=R41334
Just run the setup program and it will do all the rest.
NOTE: this is for a dell 8250 and not 8520 as you mentioned because there is no such animal on dell's support site. So not sure about your model. Anyway, the install program will quit if it doesn't find the right chipset, so not to worry.
follow up - I looked back in the thread and found your post:
Windows XP Professional; Dell 8520;
I find a Dimension 8250, and Dimension XPS models, but no 8520.
Are you lexicdys? Or am I completely lost?
Is it a Dell Dimension? It's not one of the Optiplex models. There is an Inspiron (laptop) 8500. Basic question, this is a desktop we're talking about, right?
She is operating..............:-)
Yeah, life is good, and who's hosting "Saturday Night Live" tonight? Jason Bateman? What is this.... 1986?!
"Have you got the Service Tag on your PC?"
Yes that would be good, she listed the model of her pc earlier but I found no such model at dell.
See post #286
She initially said 8520, but later corrected that to 8250.. That is upstream somewhere....
What are the odds of a fix, and the odds of getting a connector fouled up and misaligned.
I think 60/40 or maybe 65/35.
Saw your post. Loading that driver set is the next place I'd go as well.
Since she's taken the plunge and has opened up the case I guess we'll just all have to hold our breath.
Hope it's not a damaged drive.
I don't go back down to Austin for the Customer Advisory Council until May, but I can contact the product team this week if we really end up thinking the CD might have caused damage. I bet I can interest them in checking on this.
"She initially said 8520, but later corrected that to 8250."
OK great, then the download link I gave in post 286 is her chipset driver. Howlin, just download the driver and run the setup program.
I reading a CD can cause this.......damn!!!!!!!!
"Elizabeth, I feel a transposition coming!!!!!"
She is operating..............:-)
I don't quite get how this could fix the problem> ????
Cute! LoL
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