Cd is not being read by my laptop so i have no idea how to get started

Is the fan dirty/dusty is there sufficent air flow? Try a Cold-Restart, unplug AC cord, remove battery, hold down on/off button for 10 seconda, replace battery, plug into AC outlet, start normally. if that fails Try a system restore/recovery. That's a start. It sounds like a hardware issue, the shut off issue. The DVD/CD sounds like a driver issue. Thouroghly clean the fans, get more air flow, use a laptop cooler if necessary, Restore/recoery if necessary.

Try an external DVD drive that you can connect to your USB port. The drive you have in the laptop either has a dirty laser lens, which you can carefully clean with a "Q" and alcohol, or the laser itself may be going out. The drive can be replaced. You mentioned you have a cd-rom. If you can play movies (DVD) it is more likely a DVD drive instead of a cd-rom. CD-ROMs can only read data or music.

hello:
you have checkt power suply, if ther are not mutch power read amp are then this wil happend also clean the cooler on the bottem with pressed air and also outlet on the site of laptop

Follow the link http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

If this works, great ! if not try to clean lens using lens cleaner disk. If even this not work.. you need to replace cd drive because lens gone.

try rolling back the driver

hi..try to clean the lense of CD/DVD player if you a CD/DVD cleaner or try to clean a lense using a cotton buds....Thanks..Good Luck..^_^

I had something similar to this happen to my desktop. I read somewhere that are are 2 laser in the drive. One to read dvds and other to read cds. Your dvd laser may be fried.

Drive service time-cleaning or alignment...accordianman

The Battery may have a fault start in safe mode then shutdown my properly and turn back on start in normal!!!

reinstall drivers