Difference between revisions of "Optical Drive Testing"

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{{merge [[Optical Drive Testing 10.04]]}}
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== CD/DVD Drive Testing ==
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[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EN7_1zDG07LwM1luEtGHTA530p0NoveMukh5enlaYC0/edit?usp=sharing Link]
  
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'''Overview'''
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==Setting Up==
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#Select a drive to test. Check for the following:
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##Interface type and functionality - If the drive is IDE without DVD/RW, recycle it!
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##Damage and dirt - Is anything broken or missing? If so, recycle it! Is it filthy? Try to clean it up, but if it would take a herculean cleaning effort to get it into a condition that you would consider saleable then just recycle it.
 +
##Manufacture date - If the drive is IDE and was manufactured in 2006 or earlier, recycle it!
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##Jumpers (IDE Only) - Make sure the jumpers are configured so the device is set to ''Master''. On most drives this is accomplished by placing a single jumper vertically over  the pins closest to the IDE connection, though other configurations are possible. Often times a chart will be present on the drive's label.
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#'''Make sure that the testing station is powered off''', then attach the drive to the testing station's IDE or SATA data and Molex or SATA power cables. If the device requires a SATA power connector you may need to attach the converter to the standard molex power connector.
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#Boot the system into Xubuntu. Note that the current testing station has BIOS settings for expected drives and may complain that it has not detected all expected drives; this message can be bypassed with a keypress (though is grounds for current considerations of testing system replacement).
  
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When testing CD or DVD drives it's safe to go under the “if it fails, try another disc” rule. If we don't mention this in the more detailed instructions below, it's probably implied. If the drive fails a task (that it should be able to do) twice, it's a good bet that it's a bad drive and it can be recycled.
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  Pay close attention to the capabilities of the drives you are testing.  
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'''Note''': make sure that all drives are disc free before recycling!
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There are many different types of drives with many different combinations of functions that you need to be aware of when you are testing optical drives.
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'''Optical Drive testing flowchart!'''
 
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[[Image:CD_DVD_flowchart_2.png]]
 
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==Install an optical drive==
 
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#Grab a drive from the incoming box/crate. Make sure that the jumpers on the back are set to 'Master'. (On most drives the Master position is the one closest to the IDE or SATA output, not always though). If there are no jumper pins, continue as normal.
 
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#Power down the testing computer and plug in the IDE (or SATA – with supported machine) cable and power cable and slide the drive into the test computer gently, taking extra care not to damage the cables.
 
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#Boot up the computer into Ubuntu.t
 
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  '''Note''': Pay close attention to the capabilities of the drives you are testing. There
 
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are many different types of drives with many different combinations of functions  
 
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that you need to be aware of when you are testing optical drives.
 
 
  -The basic features on the drives we test:
 
  -The basic features on the drives we test:
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  CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW
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  CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD ram
 
  -These features are often combined into a combo drive, examples:
 
  -These features are often combined into a combo drive, examples:
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  CD-R/DVD-RW, CD-RW/DVD-R, CD-R/DVD+RW
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  CD-R/DVD-RW, CD-RW/DVD-R, CD-R/DVD+RW.
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*In general start by testing the drives reading capabilities. For CD-R use CD audio playback testing (1), or for DVD-R use DVD video playback testing (2).
 
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*If the drive has writing capabilities you will test that feature after finishing playback testing. For CD-RW use CD write testing, (3) and for DVD-RW or DVD+RW use DVD write testing (4).
 
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'''(1) Testing CD audio playback'''
 
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#Insert a testing audio CD into the drive. Rhythmbox Media Player should start automatically.
 
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#If Rhythmbox doesn't start go to 'Applications' → 'Sound & Video' → 'Rhythmbox Music Player', when it opens look for the testing audio CD under 'Devices' on the left and select it.
 
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#Click the 'Play' button to start the music. If it sounds okay then the drive passes playback testing. If not, try one more testing audio CD before continuing.
 
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#Exit Rhythmbox and eject the disc.
 
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'''(2) Testing DVD video playback'''
 
  
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#Insert a testing video DVD into the drive. VLC Media Player should start automatically.
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==Testing Playback==
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#If VLC doesn't start go to 'Applications' → 'Sound & Video' → 'VLC Media Player', when it opens go to 'Media' and select 'Open Disc...' and select 'Play' at the bottom of the new window.
 
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#Watch the movie for a minute or two then try skipping ahead to the middle of the movie.
 
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#If you notice any jerkiness in the picture/audio, locking up, or if the DVD just won't play then try another testing video DVD. If the video functions properly then the drive passes playback testing.
 
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#Exit VLC and eject the disc.
 
  
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#Insert an audio CD into the disc drive and Parole (media player) should start automatically.
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##If Parole doesn't start, go to 'Menu' → 'Multimedia' → 'Parole'. When it opens, look for the testing audio CD under 'Media' on the left and select it.
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#Allow the music to play for for at least 15 seconds to make sure there is no skipping during playback. If you encounter skipping be sure to check the CD and try another one in case it's just a scratch on the media.
 +
#Skip to a later track on the disc and let the music play for 15 seconds again, still listening for skipping.
 +
#Exit Parole and eject the disc. If there were no playback issues then proceed with testing! If the audio skipped or a track could not be played then recycle the drive.
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#Insert a video DVD into the disc drive and VLC media player should start automatically.
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##If VLC doesn't start, go to 'Menu' → 'Multimedia' → 'VLC media player'. When it opens, look for the testing video DVD by (if needed, clicking the 'Playlist' button), expanding 'Devices', selecting 'Disks', expanding 'DVD' and double clicking on the disk name.
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#Let it play for for at least 15 seconds to make sure there is no skipping during playback. If you encounter skipping be sure to check the DVD and try another one in case it's just a scratch on the media.
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#Exit VLC and eject the disc. If there were no playback issues then proceed with testing! If there were, recycle the drive.
  
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'''(3) Testing CD-RW writing'''
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==Testing Burning==
 +
'''If you have an Optical Drive with CD-RW function, Test CD Writing'''
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* Insert a CD-RW disc into the drive and open Brasero (or K3b) (under '''Menu''' >>> '''Multimedia''' >>> '''Brasero'''.) Select '''Data project''', click on the plus sign,then navigate to ''' File System''' >>> '''USR''' >>> '''Share''' >>> '''Sounds''',select a sound file (.ogg or .wav file) and click '''Add'''. Click '''Burn''' in the lower right-hand corner. A new window will pop-up with a few options. If available, select '''Use burnfree''' and click '''Burn'''. When the disc is done, click '''close''' and verify that it contains the examples file by re-inserting the disc and seeing what pops up on the desktop.
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* Blank the disc using Brasero by selecting '''Tools >>> Blank''' and '''Close''' when it's done and re-insert the disk to verify that it was blanked. Close Brasero and remove the disk. If blanking does not work, the drive may still be completely functional! Ask your instructor about software bug workarounds.
  
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'''Note''': If the drive writes both CDs and DVDs test its DVD writing capability. No need for testing both.
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'''If you have an Optical Drive with DVD-RW function, Test DVD Writing'''
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#Insert a CD-RW into the drive. Wait up to one minute for the CD-RW to show up on the desktop. If it doesn't show try another CD-RW. If it still doesn't show up on the desktop go ahead and eject the disk and recycle the drive.
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* Insert a DVD-RW disc into the drive and in the Basero file browser follow the same steps as above to burn a data project. Except, when blanking, if available, '''uncheck the "Fast Blanking" option.'''
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#Open Brasero and click on 'Data Project...' then click and drag the 'Test1' folder from the desktop into the open data project file area.
 
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#Make sure that your data CD appears in the drop-down menu just to the left of the 'Burn' button,. Hit 'Burn'. This should open up a new window.
 
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#On the new windows make sure the following options are selected: 'Burn image directly without saving to disc', 'Use burnproof' (sometimes burnproof is not available, this is okay), and 'Eject after burning' then press 'Burn'. Before it begins the burn process if you are using a disc that has been written to before it should bring up a prompt to either replace, blank, or cancel; select 'Blank disk' and it should begin the burn process. If the burn is not successful within five minutes or if you get any errors during the process, try a different disk before recycling the drive.
 
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#When the burn is completed the disc should eject on its own, but not always. Manually eject if needed. Load the disc back in the drive and wait for the CD-RW to show up on the desktop again. Once it does double-click on the CD-RW icon and verify that Test 1 is on the disk.
 
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#If Test 1 is verified eject the disc and label the drive with its functions and your initials, Examples: DVD-R/CD-RW CF, DVD+RW/CD-RW CF, CD-RW CF.
 
  
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==Finishing==
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Initial one of the special optical drive labels and cross-out any of the four functions the drive doesn't have. Put the drive in the appropriate basket (according to interface type) near the memory testing stations.
  
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'''(4) Testing DVD-RW & DVD+RW writing'''
 
  
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#Note which type of DVD writing the drive is capable of, either DVD+RW,DVD-RW (which is notated on the drive as DVD/RW), or both. Insert the correct type of rewritable DVD into the drive. If it writes both types either one can be used. Wait up to one minute for the DVD to show up on the desktop. If it doesn't show try another DVD of the same type, if it still doesn't show up on the desktop try a DVD of a different type before recycling the drive.
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[[Category:Hardware Testing]]
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#Open Brasero and click on 'Data Project...'. Click 'Add' → 'Desktop' →'Test 1' (double click) → click 'Add'.
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[[Category:Howto]]
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#Make sure that your data DVD appears in the drop-down menu just to the left of the 'Burn' button, Hit 'Burn'. This should open up a new window.
 
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#On the new windows make sure the following options are selected: 'Burn image directly without saving to disc', 'Use burnproof', and 'Eject after burning' then press 'Burn'. If the burn is not successful within five minutes or if you get any errors during the process, try a DVD of a different type before recycling the drive.
 
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#When the burn is completed the disc should eject on its own, but not always, manually eject if needed. Load the disc back in the drive and wait for the DVD to show up on the desktop again, once it does double-click on the DVD icon and verify that Test 1 is on the disk.
 
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#If Test 1 is verified eject the disc and label the drive with its functions and your initials, Examples: DVD-RW/CD-RW CF, DVD+RW/CD-RW CF.
 

Latest revision as of 13:03, 1 August 2014

deletion

This page has been migrated to a document on Free Geek's Google Drive.

Information remaining behind may no longer be relevant.

MIGRATOR:

When you have tagged this page as migrated,
please add a link to the new document on Google Drive.

(Link to new page immediately below.)


Link

Setting Up

  1. Select a drive to test. Check for the following:
    1. Interface type and functionality - If the drive is IDE without DVD/RW, recycle it!
    2. Damage and dirt - Is anything broken or missing? If so, recycle it! Is it filthy? Try to clean it up, but if it would take a herculean cleaning effort to get it into a condition that you would consider saleable then just recycle it.
    3. Manufacture date - If the drive is IDE and was manufactured in 2006 or earlier, recycle it!
    4. Jumpers (IDE Only) - Make sure the jumpers are configured so the device is set to Master. On most drives this is accomplished by placing a single jumper vertically over the pins closest to the IDE connection, though other configurations are possible. Often times a chart will be present on the drive's label.
  2. Make sure that the testing station is powered off, then attach the drive to the testing station's IDE or SATA data and Molex or SATA power cables. If the device requires a SATA power connector you may need to attach the converter to the standard molex power connector.
  3. Boot the system into Xubuntu. Note that the current testing station has BIOS settings for expected drives and may complain that it has not detected all expected drives; this message can be bypassed with a keypress (though is grounds for current considerations of testing system replacement).
Pay close attention to the capabilities of the drives you are testing.

There are many different types of drives with many different combinations of functions that you need to be aware of when you are testing optical drives. 

-The basic features on the drives we test:
CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD ram
-These features are often combined into a combo drive, examples:
CD-R/DVD-RW, CD-RW/DVD-R, CD-R/DVD+RW.

Testing Playback

  1. Insert an audio CD into the disc drive and Parole (media player) should start automatically.
    1. If Parole doesn't start, go to 'Menu' → 'Multimedia' → 'Parole'. When it opens, look for the testing audio CD under 'Media' on the left and select it.
  2. Allow the music to play for for at least 15 seconds to make sure there is no skipping during playback. If you encounter skipping be sure to check the CD and try another one in case it's just a scratch on the media.
  3. Skip to a later track on the disc and let the music play for 15 seconds again, still listening for skipping.
  4. Exit Parole and eject the disc. If there were no playback issues then proceed with testing! If the audio skipped or a track could not be played then recycle the drive.
  5. Insert a video DVD into the disc drive and VLC media player should start automatically.
    1. If VLC doesn't start, go to 'Menu' → 'Multimedia' → 'VLC media player'. When it opens, look for the testing video DVD by (if needed, clicking the 'Playlist' button), expanding 'Devices', selecting 'Disks', expanding 'DVD' and double clicking on the disk name.
  6. Let it play for for at least 15 seconds to make sure there is no skipping during playback. If you encounter skipping be sure to check the DVD and try another one in case it's just a scratch on the media.
  7. Exit VLC and eject the disc. If there were no playback issues then proceed with testing! If there were, recycle the drive.

Testing Burning

If you have an Optical Drive with CD-RW function, Test CD Writing

  • Insert a CD-RW disc into the drive and open Brasero (or K3b) (under Menu >>> Multimedia >>> Brasero.) Select Data project, click on the plus sign,then navigate to File System >>> USR >>> Share >>> Sounds,select a sound file (.ogg or .wav file) and click Add. Click Burn in the lower right-hand corner. A new window will pop-up with a few options. If available, select Use burnfree and click Burn. When the disc is done, click close and verify that it contains the examples file by re-inserting the disc and seeing what pops up on the desktop.
  • Blank the disc using Brasero by selecting Tools >>> Blank and Close when it's done and re-insert the disk to verify that it was blanked. Close Brasero and remove the disk. If blanking does not work, the drive may still be completely functional! Ask your instructor about software bug workarounds.

If you have an Optical Drive with DVD-RW function, Test DVD Writing

  • Insert a DVD-RW disc into the drive and in the Basero file browser follow the same steps as above to burn a data project. Except, when blanking, if available, uncheck the "Fast Blanking" option.

Finishing

Initial one of the special optical drive labels and cross-out any of the four functions the drive doesn't have. Put the drive in the appropriate basket (according to interface type) near the memory testing stations.

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