HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR CD ROM

=> Never use poor quality detergents and sprays for cleaning. Clean the
drives using a soft, dry fabric.
=> Keep the tray clean. Use a duster for thorough cleaning.
=> Do not push the tray to close it, always use the eject button instead.
=> Never try to force the tray out, if it doesn't eject automatically. Use the pin provided with the drive
to manually remove the tray.
=> Use a good quality lens cleaner to keep the lens clean, as this is one
of the most important parts of the drive.
=> The transfer rate(that is, the amount of data transferred per
second) is directly related to the rotational speed. The greater the
rotational speed, the faster the transfer rate.
=> Your system's performance will also affect the performance of
your CD-ROM drive. For example, if you enhance the video, CPU and hard disk drive, the performance
of your CD-ROM drive will also be enhanced.
=> A good way to improve a CD-based application's performance is to copy the data as well as the
software to your hard drive. This will decrease search time and make everything faster overall, There
are programs that can clone entire CD disks onto your hard disk so that the rest of your system will
view it like a CD-ROM drive. However, using this method, you would experience much better
performance as it is being accessed from your hard disk drive.
=> To improve your CD drive's performance, make sure that it is
operating in DMA mode. This should be enabled from your system BIOS and also from the Windows
Control Panel. Using this mode, the response of your CD drive will be smoother and faster even when
other applications are running while accessing the drive.
=> Preferably, configure your CD-ROM drive such that it is the only device on an IDE channel. This
way, it would not unnecessarily slow down any other drive on your system.
=> Load the latest drivers for your motherboard's chipset. This will
ensure that you have the highest possible bandwidth between your CD drive and the rest of the
system. In particular, see that your IDE controller is operating with the latest version of its driver.
=> Refrain from using poor-quality discs in your drive as these could, due to being too thin, fragment
while being read and some times cause irreversible damage to your drive while in operation.
=> Do not use unusually shaped CDs in your drive(the kind that you find with marketing promotions
that are shaped like hearts etc.) as most of these CDs are not symmetrically balanced. This could
cause problems with your drive during operation.
=> If you need to extract a CD from your CD-ROM drive when your computer
is powered down, you can do so by retracting the tray manually. Do so by inserting a straightened out
paper clip into the little point in the front of the drive. Take care that you do not force the CD tray
while doing so.
=> Your CD-ROM drive is one of the components in your system that could heat up when used for
extended periods of time(while watching a VCD, for example). Make sure that it is mounted such that
it has adequate room around it for airflow and cooling .Try not to mount it too close to cables and
other devices that
could restrict airflow.
=> CD-ROM drives are generally intended for reading data and unlike their audio counterparts, are not
engineered for continuous use. Therefore, when using your drive over extended periods, take breaks
and allow the drive to cool down. This will prolong the life of the drive.
=>Do not move the system or jerk it while the CD drive is in operation as this could cause damage to
the components in the drive.

Do not place teacups and coffee mugs on the tray of your CD drive