HP RX4640 DVD-ROM Drive - cleaning

[gbudny]

Hi

I can't install HP-UX because my DVD drive has difficulties reading my DVDs.
I tried different DVDs, but the installer stopped with an error in different places like I/O error 5.

That is a DVD+RW Slim Line Drive, and I don't know how to clean it safely.
I suspect that a cleaning CD from a computer store could destroy this DVD drive.

Can you tell me how to clean it safely?

[Duncan Edmonstone]

Is it an original OEM DVD drive for the server, or one you have installed? There are all sorts of issues you could be having with 3rd part DVD drives.

If it's the original, what about the DVDs - are they HPE original ones, or have you burned from ISOs? there are some very strict rules about the type of DVDs to use for OS installation disks...

[gbudny]

This the original DVD drive.

I have iso images downloaded from HPE, and I burned them on DVDs (Double Layer - Verbatin).

[mbarnwal]

Probably there is issue with DVD drive's lens. You may contact HPE support to get it checked.

[Steven Schweda]

> I can't install HP-UX because my DVD drive has difficulties reading my
> DVDs.

   I can think of two likely causes for that.  Does your (unspecified)
"my DVD drive" fail with a factory-made disc, too, or only with your
home-made discs?

> I have iso images downloaded from HPE, and I burned them on DVDs
> (Double Layer - Verbatin).

   Did you _need_ to use double-layer discs?  I'd expect that type to be
the most likely to cause trouble.

> That is a DVD+RW Slim Line Drive, and I don't know how to clean it
> safely.

   Same as with any other optical disc drive?

> I suspect that a cleaning CD from a computer store could destroy this
> DVD drive.

   Why?  Does "a cleaning CD from a computer store" come with some kind
of warning against this kind of use?  Did the drive come with a "Never
Clean This Drive" warning?

> Can you tell me how to clean it safely?

   Same as with any other optical disc drive?  Blow some compressed gas
at the shiny bits on its optical sled?

> [...] There are all sorts of issues you could be having with 3rd part
DVD drives.

   Problems are possible with any piece of hardware, regardless of who
supplied it.

> Probably there is issue with DVD drive's lens. [...]

   Or some other thing.  ("Probably"?  How was that probability
obtained?)

   After you fiddle around trying to clean the drive optics (which might
or might not need cleaning), and you make some easier-to-read
single-layer DVD-R discs, if you still have trouble, then you might look
for a cheap, external, USB-connected DVD drive, and try that.  I have
some kind of Samsung(?) "Super Writemaster" "Speedplus" drive connected
to an rx2600 (currently running VMS).  (The actual drive model number is
hidden by the box it's in.)  I can't remember having any trouble using
it, and that probably includes booting from a home-made DVD-R disc, but
it's been a while, and now would not be a good time to shut down that
system for a test.  (Some time before the end of 2021 is likely,
however.)

   I know nothing, but I'd guess that if my rx2600 can cope with an
external, USB-connected DVD drive, then your rx4640 should be similarly
capable.  (I'd expect my guess to be as good as that "Probably", above.)

[Duncan Edmonstone]

Steven,

>> Did you _need_ to use double-layer discs?  I'd expect that type to be
the most likely to cause trouble.

Yes they do - HP-UX installation media ISOs are pretty much always > 4.7GB, so you need to use DL DVDs

[Steven Schweda]

> Yes they do - HP-UX installation media ISOs are pretty much always >
> 4.7GB, so you need to use DL DVDs

   Pity.  As a mere peon with no access to current HP-UXware, anything
might be possible without my knowing about it.  The latest 11.31 kit
which I can find here is labeled "Version B.11.31 Feb. 2007", and
comprised two (home-made) plain-old DVD-R discs.  ("1 of 2" was near
full; "2 of 2" was perhaps one-fourth full.  There might have been a
one-dual-layer-disc option at that time, but I got a two-part kit which
was intended for two single-layer discs.  Ah, the good old days.

[Bill Hassell]

If you can read anything on the double layer DVD, then compatibility isn't the issue. Random read errors (errno 5), especially when reading pre-recorded DVDs would indicate a dirty read head. CD/DVD cleaners have been around for several decades and consist of a tiny brush attached to a blank disc. They work well as long as the dust and dirt is dry. 

If the errors persist after cleaning, the head may be sticky with moisture or oil and you'll need to clean the head by hand. Use a fresh bottle of alcohol and eyeglass wipes. Be gentle as removing the junk won't take much efforrt. If it still randomly fails to read, you'll need to replace the drive. You'll need a drive that will match the server's mounting hardware. Unfortunately, USB is not an option for an external disk. You would need a SCSI DVD reader and matching cable.