dreamcast not reading anything

[grittykitty]

i took my dreamcast out, and it's not reading any cd's - original game discs, cd-r games, music cd's, nuttin'. i tried my laser trick (moving it back with my finger) but the motor always moves it back to the center ring and refuses to play nice. could the ribbon cable have come lose somehow? any suggestions?

[Mozgus]

Sure check the cable. Never heard of that trick you mentioned. I doubt that would ever help. You can also try the lens bias tweak. If all else fails, invest in some spare DCs online, broken or not, and keep them for spare parts for situations such as this.

[searchdestroy]

Could you please describe the lens bias tweak and what it does for you? I'm also having trouble getting my Dreamcast to read most games and I'd like to try your technique.

[grittykitty]

thanks moz, i'll check when i have some time to sit down and open 'er up.

my "trick" is pretty simple for the lens, but i wouldn't call it a tweak. sometimes my cd-r games would not read (i get the "please insert game disc" message), and usually i would open the lid and replace with an original game and it would load. this would move the laser to the edge of the disc, and i would turn off the console as soon as the sega logo popped up on the white background (you would hear the motor making noises at that point). put it your cd-r game and it should work. you can do this manually by CAREFULLY pushing on the black casing surrounding the lens to the outer section (away from the spindle). i noticed the last time i played my dc, i would occasionally get the insert disc message when i had an original game in. makes me think my dc is finally kicking the bucket

[searchdestroy]

Thanks alot for taking the time to describe your cool trick. It didn't work in my case, but it's nice to know about. I'm sure it will help one day in the future. My current problem is that I bought some ROM/emulator discs on CD-R from someone (I don't have access to a burner at home). Whenever I try to use these discs, the music CD screen comes up and I can't force the Dreamcast to read it as a game. Ever had this problem? Does it sound like a disc problem or a problem with my console?

[grittykitty]

that sounds like a disc problem. if the disc isn't properly burned, i've noticed it tends to go to the music cd screen. if it's the console, it goes to the default menu

[searchdestroy]

Thanks again for the advice. I've got a Mac without Toast, so I'm pretty much reliant on everyone else's tips.

[grittykitty]

i use a mac with toast as well, but generally don't have problems burning dreamcast discs. ask if you need help with that