combo drive won't recognize dvd's

How do I conclusively pronounce my cd/dvd writer dead? Any and all CD's play and burn, but dvd's aren't even recognized as being in the drive. I sometimes get an error message of "Incorrect Function" when I try to open through My Computer. I thought it interesting that I successfully cleaned the lens with a cleaner designed only for cd drives - bought a cd/dvd cleaner and even that would not be recognized. I've taken every bit of advice I could find on the net - everything I can think of is updated - did the reset bios thing - reinstalled the drivers and decoder. So is it possible that "half" of this drive is dead, and I simply need to replace it? Is there a way I can check? Oh, and PC Doctor run on the drive with a DVD in the tray failed all 5 tests - surely because the disc wasn't recognized. This is an HP 763n about a year and a half old.

 

yes it is possible for "half" the drive to die, as reading dvds may use some different IC's in the drive. You can get a new DVD/CD combo drive from liteon for under $40, probably your best bet. See your local mom &pop store.

 

you could try flashing the bios on the combo drive. this some times fixes the the problem. just go to the manufactures website and look for the newest bios for you drive.

you could also try uninstalling the drive and then reinstalling it. it might be that your driver is bad.