System locks up when cd is inserted

Try checking the most frequent cause of CD-ROM read failure: a dirty or dusty laser lens. Insert a CD cleaning disk and let it run for a couple of minutes, then retry.

If the CD spins up, then down, then sort of whirrs and buzzes, and repeats this cycle several times, it's either the alignment gone south (unrepairable to all intents and purposes) or a dusty lens (easily fixed).

If it does not even spin, or it clicks and clacks, it might be something - a speck, a bit of paper - in the drive mechanism. In a slot loading CD, you might even find pieces of another CD or a strip of a CD label (adhesive "print yourself" disks aren't all equally adhesive).

Another possibility (less likely) is a loose connector to the CD inside the PC. But in that case the drive usually stays dead until you tighten the connector.

The auto-run feature is probably forcing the drive to attempt to read the CD, and if the disc is corrupt, can cause the system to "freeze" while it attempts (and fails) to read the bad disc.

If you've tried mulitple discs, or one that you know works in another CD-ROM drive, it could be the CD drive itself. If that's the case, you can pick up a good CD/DVD writable drive for $25-$50, and takes 5 minutes to swap out.

Hello

Are you trying to use the same cd over and over ? Or have you tried putting other cd's in ?

IF you haven't try that and then post back for further help.

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