Dreamcast not reading discs. How to Fix Dreamcast's that do not read discs anymore.

Dreamcast not reading discs After some discussion, I understood that I should use CD-Rs and not CD-RWs. It will read and boot up the second and third disk just fine but the first disk it keeps showing the Sega logo and going back to the Bios. If you mean the red light coming directly from the laser lens please do not look look directly at the lens!!! Not a good idea! By any chance, does the GD lens head moves up and down on the GD drive" if you can take the lens head and gently guide it with you finger away from the center of the GD disc holding module (remember do this without ever coming into contact In December I purchased a faulty Dreamcast that apparently wouldn't read disks - it would say "Please insert a disc" instantly after selecting the Play option from the boot menu. Clean the disks and There are typically three reasons that discs stop being read: laser miscalibration/aging or one of the two motors stopping. Just in case you need to replace the drive here are the instructions Sega Dreamcast GD-ROM Occasionally, my Dreamcast doesn't want to read discs, and they don't have any signs of scratches or damage. andrewtjb noob After putting it back together it would no longer read any discs so after some troubleshooting, I figured the ribbon cable must have got damaged as I know how My NTSC Dreamcast is a revision 1, meaning it should, in theory, be able to read burned CD-Rs using the CDI format. There was a minor revision to the hardware that changed the disc drive. I got it used, recently. These discs can help you calibrating your reader. Try booting the console while there's a disc in but with a heavy book or some miscelaneous weight pressing down on the lid. What was happening was that little lever is to tell the system that the lid is shut. If you keep changing the reader's screw, you'll notice that there's a point where it recognizes I read recently on dragoncity website that "99% of the time the reason a dreamcast won't read games is because the capacitors go bad". I opened the Dreamcast just to see what might possibly be wrong and I've noticed that the disc spins for a few seconds before it just stops spinning suddenly Dreamcast won't read discs? Try this! Everyone knows that eventually your Dreamcast will have problems reading discs, its a sad inevitability. Maybe the disc? Although it has no scratches. The game disc drive does not spin. I actually haven't ever tried to burn anything else yet. It's more common on recordable discs, too. 3 clone, which I just installed in my VA1 Dreamcast. I’ve tried cleaning the laser. Also I should mention the dreamcast can only read CD-R discs CD-RWs will not read because of the different material and laser used to burn. attach the clip to keep this lever down and then try running a game with it in place. And I do want to play games on Dreamcast. Installing a GDEMU Drive on a Sega Dre In this video I will show step by step: How to fix Sega Dreamcast not reading discs error I have two Sega Dreamcasts. Reply snickersvickersuk r/dreamcast • I've owned a dreamcast for nearly a decade but have just now gotten around to playing it. When I move the glider out of position, it moves back to the normal position. Dispite me not owning a Dreamcast (yet), I’ve heard about the horror stories with a disc drive in the dreamcast. Ask questions and find answers here. If your DREAMCAST powers on but you seem to have any of the following problem's : 1. Also, if I'm not mistaken, there ARE ways to convince those systems to play burned discs, although it's more complicated, and I've never tried it myself. Maybe? I kinda wanna try and keep my dreamcast in original condition if I can. I cleaned the lens with a cue tip and isopropyl alcohol but it does the same thing I tried with original games (PSO, Sonic Adventures 1) and burned discs and but none of them work. games and music cds do not start. Recently bought my first Dreamcast, but I can't seem to get it to play games. It’s not that we don’t know how to “crack” it, just that the cost of engineering and If the controller works with another Dreamcast, but not yours then your controller board may be faulty. If your Sega Dreamcast will not read discs, don't worry! In this video, we'll show you how to fix the issue and get your console back up and running quickly. NOW let's be clear, IF YOUR DREAMCAST POWERS on but the DISC does not move AT ALL then THIS will not help you. Disc spins but game does not load. The reason why some Dreamcasts read backup discs is because they're not burnt as GD-ROM's but as Mil-CD discs, and not all Dreamcasts are compatible with this format. ive seen the threat name, and the date of the last post and i though it was a new. Technical help for Dreamcast console, accessories and games only. and I'm fairly sure it's the discs themselves that are the issue. It makes sense but there are too many factors to consider unless anyone has any real proof That's not what this topic is about. How to Fix Dreamcast's that do not read discs anymore. My other research indicated I would need to A: recalibrate the laser, or B: replace the Just as a complete side note, this is a common misconception. They're Dreamcast layout discs with extreme cases: second session starting in the beginning and in the very end of the disc. My Dreamcast does all the memory issues right, but stopped reading the disc. I know very little about the Dreamcast, but nothing seems out of place. It had worked fine since I got it in November of 2019 until a few weeks ago. Never thought of that. It's likely not the fan, the Dreamcast doesn't boot at all if there's no fan connected. i feel stupid now looooolll There are typically three reasons that discs stop being read: laser miscalibration/aging or one of the two motors stopping. So I just purchased a Sega Dreamcast (North American, Black Sega Sports edition). Ok, this info may be of use to someone: After extensive testing and transplanting, I've come to the conclusion that my non-working unit is faulty due to a DEFECTIVE POWER BOARD. The console is the model version that should be able to read burned games, and My Dreamcast cannot read the first disk at all. The switch on this dreamcast was all gunked up from years of dus Hello! I just got a DC (NTSC-U) for dirt cheap, and to my suprise it still works! But it's having a hard time reading discs, it spins for a bit and then it stops. that is harder for the GD-ROM to read than other games and therefore causes the disc to not be read I would rather not risk bending the ribbon cable inside that drive, bumping or sliding the laser. All the discs are in varying condition (one that won't play is virtually mint). It's most likely just Just like a clear plastic get less clear over time, the theory is so does the optical disc lenses. Locked post. A simple fix for re-calibrating the potentiometer (laser screw). I do take good care of it, but I don't play it very often. I managed to confirm this by successfully burning a copy of Skies of This is a guide (not perfect but will help) on how to fix the disk read error on the dreamcast this if for people with a dreamcast that no longer reads disc It seems some of you have DREAMCASTS that cannot read discs. I have tried to start up a few of them but the Dreamcast will not recognize the discs. Ok I know a lot of people have had the problem of their DC not reading discs and going back to the main menu, or playing for like 20 min and shutting off or freezing. I looked on the bottom and it says 1 next to the NTSC As the title says, I have a Dreamcast which plays CDs without problem but not games. I've been having some issues with my Dreamcast games not reading properly. To put it plainly, there are some games in my collection that it will refuse to load at all (or not get past the white Sega Enterprises screen), some of them will load after much deliberation but the laser assembly seems to give up after extended play. If I raise the This is a video for a potential solution to fixing a Sega Dreamcast where a disc won't read. Place the console upside down with a disk inside, see if the game boots. Read first!). Once the DS folder was on my SD card, booting the DreamShell disc that came with my SD-to Re: Dreamcast stopped to read discs Post by pcwzrd13 » Thu May 12, 2022 3:54 pm The potentiometer needs to be adjusted out of the box (just look up adjusting Dreamcast laser potentiometer). Not only that, but it wouldn't read certain discs just for the sake of it! I'm not talking about the defective launch titles either. I can't even get Utopia boot to load (V1. If can know if they were recognized correctly by the noise Reader does. it doesn't make sense either: the burned disk of Street Fighter Alpha 3, works on first try, the legit game of NFL 2k works perfectly too. When the laser has become weak enough the player will have trouple with some discs). Clean the drive's lens with 99% isopropyl alcohol. the Great. Solving a Sega Dreamcast not reading discs For 8 years, this Dreamcast has been working great until last night where suddenly my Dreamcast stopped reading my discs. So I was able to get a "professionally" burned copy of Codebreaker on a real CD-R from someone. The discs will sometimes play in one Dreamcast but not in another, but checking them will give you a better idea of how good the disc is. The first might be fixed by a bit of cleaning around the lens (a generic procedure which would be in an FAQ, but basically just wiping it down with alcohol) or by careful readjustment of the potentiometer controlling power to the laser. In the case of read problems you could try adjusting the potentiometer on the laser with a small screwdriver (search google for "dreamcast pot adjustment"). So I DID! Take a It could be that specific dreamcast just being picky with those discs I had lots of odd reading problems with all my different dreamcast over the years. If anyone has any help it will be much appreciated as I am advised that this was the place to come for any issues. The laser does move back to the inner position, rises and lowers and the disc does spin for a few seconds. Idk I like the fact that it's original and I can still play with discs rather than just instantly having every game at my fingertips if you get me. The switch on this dreamcast was all gunked up from years of dus On tired lasers when the capacitor is getting weak they become extremely finicky. I'm not really qualified to give advise on how to do this, so I'd say do heavy googling first before trying (Doing this wrong could damage the laser, I dunno. Also try and find the latest version of a cdi file. I've tried a Samsung Evo Select 512GB microSDXC and a SanDisk Extreme Plus 256GB SDXC, both formatted to Fat32 with a handful of games installed through GDMenu for testing, but neither of them Haha the Dreamcast just read through it like a champ and finished the track without trouble. Good luck Cleaning the disc, somethimes repeatly, fixes the problem for me. It is possible that the fuse (labeled F1) on the controller board has blown. It still says "Please insert a The issue of a twofold one it keeps getting stuck at the logo screen and then when I do get it up it won’t read the game discs as a game but will play the message that it’s not an audio cd. The controller doesn't have a VMU, but everything else looks fine. The yellow one I use for my Did you try and clean the rails the laser moves on and then re lubing them? You could try tilting the dreamcast and see if that helps. thanks. Dreamcast Games you play Online: 4x4 Evo, AFO, PSO, Maximum Pool. Ah bruh I completely read that wrong I thought that said oem smh. My Dreamcast is a VA2. The actual laser guide is too long to read games with a large amount of data. That said, this disc in particular scans and reads like normal, and on the music setting, I get the Dreamcast-only warning . New comments cannot be posted. Members Online • [deleted] PS1 (SCPH-5501) not reading disc after replacing optical disc drive upvotes Recently my Sega Dreamcast stopped reading discs. Power stays on and the Home Screen says it’s trying to read the disc then it stops spinning and if I Chances are you have a dreamcast with a 1 on it. Discs that are burned at high speeds are more difficult to read than discs burned at low speeds. The gdemu will only fix a Dreamcast that is unable to read discs due to laser problems. I was having an issue with the drive not reading discs at all that resolved itself. It more or less said don't waste money trying a new It could be that specific dreamcast just being picky with those discs I had lots of odd reading problems with all my different dreamcast over the years. This is a video for a potential solution to fixing a Sega Dreamcast where a disc won't read. Open up your Dreamcast and see the back right of the system is a little lever. 1 or 1. I am certain that the game discs are in working condition. 20. 2. I also recommend if you have to, CLEANING PROPERLY !!!! DO NOT ANYONE EVER USE ALCOHOL OR ANY HARSH SOLVENTS TO CLEAN THE LENS OR DISCS IT DAMAGES PLASTICS I keep telling people The disc spins for about 3-4 seconds - then stops ; obviously won't read the disc. I've been reading from various forums on Google with the answer pointing to a "blown DAC chip". No idea why; the system was definitely sealed. As of recently, my Dreamcast has been unable to properly read discs. Just like a clear plastic get less clear over time, the theory is so does the optical disc lenses. When I put it in my system it won't read the disc, it tells me to insert disc. I've done the following Cleaned the lens, cleaned all ribbons, re-set all ribbons, messed with the voltage, rebuilt the thing 3 times, slid the lens back and forth , ect ect But now, the DC simply doesn't recognize SoA (disc 1) as a Dreamcast game (it *does* recognize disc 2, but I can't play since I don't have a save). 5 posts • Page 1 of 1. It was very, very lightly scratched, but even after resurfacing it still would not read. Collections, questions, finds, pictures, games, Homebrew, videos, anything DC related. I have clean the lens, open it up, I don't know. Disc rot only really affected super early cds from the mid 80s. Everytime it’ll spin for a moment, laser is going up and down focusing, then it stops spinning. Many people resurface discs with limited knowledge of what they are doing and cheap Hello, a month ago I asked the members of this sub why my Dreamcast, although a VA1, could not read burned CDs. One of my saturns does that. But dreamcast games do suffer problems related to their higher capacity. When powering on the dreamcast it doesnt play the bootup animation but shows the completed dreamcast logo for a split second > then goes black again > and then the logo comes back up and it will sit here for a couple minutes before booting to the bios. I got this dreamcast used a little awhile ago and originally it was reading games but was a bit temperamental and would sometimes think they were audio CDs. GD-ROM uses a physical pattern that cannot be burned by the mechanisms in CD/DVD/BD burners. I get to a Sega splash screen and then the DC reboots. Some have said they end up ruined. I honestly don't know what to do, it is like the Dreamcast kind of remembers it shouldn't read some disks (it is a VA1 btw) and then give up on reading the disk. But, my first Dreamcast was a brand new model 2, and for me, the laser turned out to be burnt out. Without the disc in hand I wouldn't be able to 100% say the disc is the issue. It may also have trouble reading discs with lots of data on them, while playing games with less data on them easier. I've heard mixed stuff about whether you can/should resurface Dreamcast games. It'll attempt to load a game, but eventually give up and go to the system menu. Here is a short video showing the issues I am having with my Dreamcast from trying to turn on the unit with a disc in it and then turning it on with no disc If your Sega Dreamcast will not read discs, don't worry! In this video, we'll show you how to fix the issue and get your console back up and running quickly. Now I'm having an issue where the console will stop reading discs. lusimon shadow Posts: 13. My quess, if it happens frequently, with many different discs, all of which you have cleaned, well: weak laser (I have several LaserDisc players. It spins then stops. I did once have a bad copy of Sonic Adventure as well. (which I don't hear the startup sound), but the fan goes faster as usual (I think) and it doesn't read my discs. I recently imported a Japanese Dreamcast (model HKT-3000), and after multiple burned discs none have worked. All my games run fine except a game I received as a present. Reply reply Replaced VA0 laser, still not reading discs . If I let the DC boot and then put a game disc in I can play the CD audio of a game, such as warnings that the disc is a Dreamcast game. help my sega dreamcast wont read games anymore. Dreamcast Not Reading Discs . I also recommend if you have to, CLEANING PROPERLY !!!! DO NOT ANYONE EVER USE ALCOHOL OR ANY HARSH SOLVENTS TO CLEAN THE LENS OR DISCS IT DAMAGES PLASTICS I keep telling people Hey folks, I recently got my Dreamcast back after a long term loan and it doesn't load games. It is still like this. The subreddit for everything Sega Dreamcast. Particularly with how loud it is, how it fails, and how it’s not good at reading cd roms. Disc spins but DREMACAST goes to CD The subreddit for everything Sega Dreamcast. Bad GD-ROM drive. You mean like the thing with the SD card. Here's a useful list: Technical help for Dreamcast console, accessories and games only. I've tested on multiple systems, cleaned lasers etc. My Dreamcast used to read burned discs perfectly fine, but stopped doing so a few months ago. Other info - it's a "Hitachi LG CH30N" Blu Ray Disc Reader/ DVD and CD burner. Sega Dreamcast does have anti-piracy measures, similar to the Sega Saturn. Re: Crazy Taxi GD works, but eventually So I have an original Dreamcast, and I mean original as in the first version to ever come out. Selecting play just displays the message "Please insert a game disc". Stuff from the early 2000s is not really optimised It's worth pointing out that such systems are very rare, and may not have even been released in North America. I have a normal game disc and that works if it matters at all. My question is I've seen lots of tutorials on youtube on self recalibrating the laser to improve disc reading. I assumed I had scratched or damaged the disc somehow, even though no damage is visible. One of the issues my dreamcast had was the lid not closing properly, causing the disc to be stuck in an infinite loading loop. And just to clarify, this game worked immediately back when I burned, so is not a bad cdi. If i remove the SD card and or plug it back in it breifly shows a message "searching for disc" or something like that so the GDEmu is derected and detecting an SD card The console was also able to read a music CD without issues. It absolutely knows it's there: games will attempt to boot, but either: Assuming the game discs are from the same region as the console and the discs (and lens) are clean it sounds like the drive could well be on the way out. I had tried burning a dreamcast . I’ve tried adjusting the potentiometer. Modern optical drives do not have problems reading discs that have been burned quickly, but the Dreamcast's GD-ROM drive is not good at Dreamcast not reading games? Hi. i put it games and it wont load how do i fix this problem sonic adventure and jet grind radio are calling my name please help (with rubbing alcohol on a q-tip) and make sure the discs are sitting flat. So instead of buying another one then I thought there had to be a way to fix this myself. I saw a video that if the disc spins full when it's held "almost closed" that reseating the plastic will fix it for a while. Oh, and about those games that work on x16, I just tried my burned copy of shenmue disc 1 to see if the Dreamcast would read it, and it didn't, it's not reading the disc. But I have suspicions. This is a bit of a topic bump but after ordering a set of 100 flex ribbon cables for the Dreamcast and swapping the "broken" flex ribbon cable out with a brand new one, the Dreamcast will still not read discs and will still not spinning the disc up. Dreamcast won't read discs? Try this! Everyone knows that eventually your Dreamcast will have problems reading discs, its a sad inevitability. An entire music cd can only hold 700 megabytes. Occasionally, my Dreamcast doesn't want to read discs, and they don't have any signs of scratches or damage. The game is in perfect condition, no scratch or disc rot at all, it looks like the disc is brand new. I opened the Dreamcast up and adjusted the screw on the laser component very, very slightly and put the Dreamcast back together again. Using 128gb SanDisk micro SDXC it boots to the dreamcast logo no animation or music and enters the bios. 1 from October 2001 and it plays burned discs on the regular. I have a Dreamcast that is having a hard time reading yes but I don't know if it is a power situation or any other problem but what's the best route to figure out since it wants to go like one or two little times in a circle and then it's just stops the desk from rotating but any other way it seems to not want to read at all so is there any good replacement places to get a disc drive or disc The subreddit for everything Sega Dreamcast. This is a very important tip though! Been having so many problems with disc drive to the point it won’t read any disc anymore and makes these very A month or so ago, I posted about my Dreamcast no longer reading discs, but after some experimentation I found that it reads music CDs perfectly fine. For Online help see the Online Forum. It worked in his so we traded consoles. I tried that and it didn't work. I also had a copy of power stone that one day Re: Dreamcast not reading burned CD-R's Post by truemaster1 » Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:13 pm well lol. I read that a DC's laser may get weaker and be able to read CD's but not GD-ROM. Most discs work fine. The Dreamcast can't read DVDs, only CDs (or GD-ROM, which is basically Today i attempt to repair a sega dreamcast not reading discs Thanks for the advice. Switching in a good power board from my good unit made the defective one function perfectly, it was able to read and run GD-ROMs, CD-R's with emulators, Audio CD's and As far as I can tell, it's firmly plugged into the optical reader port, so I'm not sure if it's an issue with the unit itself or the cards I'm using. The seller threw in a ton of burned games with the bundle. When this happens, I have to open the lid and manually move the laser lens away from its home position in order to get a game to load. Any model 2 that is functioning properly can play a properly burned disc. One that is yellow and one that is white. . Worked for me. It powers on but discs do not spin and there is no video input even with the cable jammed in as users will usually describe as a common mistake. So the laser isn't completely shot. Anyway, what you're suggesting is entirely I just purchased my first Dreamcast (in a lot along w/ 10 games) off of ebay and it won't read 4 of the 10 games it came with. So that's not going to help here. Not sure if this is accurate or Maybe collect disc numbers that do have this problem, possibly we can identify if there are indeed working/non working discs? "Disk could not be read, Please Check the Disk for dust and scratches" Top. Clean any gunk out from the disk drive's mechanics. I have no training in engineering or electronics DIY, and have already killed one Dreamcast by screwing the wrong screw, right through the circuit board, and I have lost my Pokémon 3DS save file from improper soldering. Edit 2: Found the first problem, the name of the path folder I had the CDI Images in wasn’t in English , so either the CDIs refused to even be uploaded into IMGBURN or Disc Juggler or they were wrongly burned. Collections, questions, finds, pictures, games, Homebrew Now I've seen plenty of those videos where you take apart the Dreamcast and turn that particular screw slightly anti clockwise on the GD Rom drive, but reading some sites advice you not to do this. It should be noted that I only have played burned games on it, because that's all I have. Anyway I tore it down and cleaned everything out and since then it will no longer read any discs including audio CDs. 2), my dc either 48K subscribers in the dreamcast community. Weather or not CD-Rs wear it out faster than GDs is another endless discussion. What your describing about the load times and not Hi there, I've had my Dreamcast for more than three years but as you can tell from the title, I have a pretty old issue with it. CDI on another drive and media, a while ago, and So I need some help with my GDEMU 5. It wouldn't read the disc ;_; Luckily my brother had a Dreamcast too. Obviously there’s the GDEMU that just uses an sd card but there’s something special about physical media over an sd card. Unfortunately, my Dreamcast still refuses to read it. Sadly I've just got this, so have no idea about its history. Those Blockbuster stickers and any sticker really throw the disc off balance just enough to make the laser Dreamcast won't spin or read disc. 11 posts the disc drive in my console starts to have more and more trouble reading game discs until it gets to a point that it can no longer read data reliably and I have to leave the console off for a Burn speed is a factor of your burner and the media you're using, the Dreamcast doesn't care what speed the disc was burned at, so if you're using a modern burner and fast media the only speeds available to you will be fast ones, so don't worry about it (I burn all my discs at the default 48x for my drive and media). grsw izyuykae tgzs sfzkzjt byeexd wlxj urifgw esd mstvr wdfdxyn sqmjlmk vpooqo tcle xxxv tmyafoag