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[drohne]

it's doing that thing where it thinks the drive door is open when it very clearly isn't. it either hangs at the startup screen and tells me it's "checking the disc," or unceremoniously restarts once it has booted a game. i bought this dc new about a year ago, and i haven't even used it much. :/

anyone know why this happens? or if there's anything i can do to fix it? it's chipped, so i can't send it to sega.

 

[drohne]

this should be in the other forum, huh? proceed with the HILARIOUS POSTS, gafers!

 

[Willco]

I'm sorry sir, you must be mistaken.

... The Dreamcast died a long time ago.

 

[goodcow]

Sounds like the drive died.

 

[ge-man]

it's doing that thing where it thinks the drive door is open when it very clearly isn't. it either hangs at the startup screen and tells me it's "checking the disc," or unceremoniously restarts once it has booted a game. i bought this dc new about a year ago, and i haven't even used it much. :/

anyone know why this happens? or if there's anything i can do to fix it? it's chipped, so i can't send it to sega.

This is the wrong forum for this, but anyway I bet that it's a problem with the track. My DC does the same shit, but I can get working again with some lubrication. If I was more experince with this kind of stuff I would try to wear down plastic clip that attaches to the track, but I'm too afraid that I would destroy it in the process.

 

[Teknopathetic]

It's weird, and I may be jinxing the fuck out of myself for this, but my 9-9-99 DC still works fine.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Drohne, I haven't needed to read this SRK thread yet, so I don't know if it will help you. It's just a a big DC repair info thread though.

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45966

 

[dark10x]

It's weird, and I may be jinxing the fuck out of myself for this, but my 9-9-99 DC still works fine.

Same here, though it occasionally acts up...

 

[goodcow]

Same here, though it occasionally acts up...

How often did you guys play it?

My 9/9/99 DC's GD drive died, but then again I had clocked in probably 2,500 hours on it. (at least 500 on PSO alone)

 

[Teknopathetic]

I spent a good amount on it, as did others that i've let borrow it. I couldn't put a good estimate on it, I don't think it's quite near your 2,500 number, though .

 

[drohne]

thanks, monk. i'll read through that thread.

in the meantime, i've broken out my old japanese launch dc, which seems to be working again. mysteriously.

 

[dark10x]

How often did you guys play it?

My 9/9/99 DC's GD drive died, but then again I had clocked in probably 2,500 hours on it. (at least 500 on PSO alone)

A LOT! My DC saw a whole lot of use up until around mid 2001. I still play it off and on, but not nearly as much.

 

[Baron]

Odd. My er...10/23/99 Dreamcast is still going on strong. The only DC system issue I have ever had was a questionable video port connection on a used Japanese system I bought. It was lined with goo and bits of rust, though, so it was inflicted injury by its previous owner more than mechanical failure. Regardless, it bugged me to no end, so I finally sold it last month.

 

[Lhadatt]

Check the connections of everything inside the DC, especially the drive power and data connections to the motherboard and such.

My DC once stopped working, so I took the opportunity to open it. I didn't do anything much, just took some of the parts off and put them back together. My curiosity ended up fixing the machine - one of the cables for the GD-ROM had come loose. When I reattached it, everything worked.

 

[Folder]

I had another Dreamcast die on me about three months ago.
I pulled it apart and removed the CPU. It lives in my wallat now. I show to other retarded Sega fans. It looks like it was made by aliens. And says Sega on it. So that's alright.

*holds head in hands*

What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm a grown man...

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I've noticed something like this about my Dreamcast as well. Mine plays just fine if you leave it on for a few minutes. But if you turn it on, and stick a game in, it almost always reboots right at the title screen or soon afterwards.

I figured it was because all the CD-Rs I've put in the damned thing wore the lens out.

 

[FortNinety]

This is why I'm afraid to play mine.

I figured it was because all the CD-Rs I've put in the damned thing wore the lens out.

Can this happen?

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

That's the only explanation I can think of. Unless it just wore itself out from general usage. Then again, my Saturn still functions like the day I bought it, and I've played that at least 15 times more than my Dreamcast.

 

[FortNinety]

That's the only explanation I can think of. Unless it just wore itself out from general usage. Then again, my Saturn still functions like the day I bought it, and I've played that at least 15 times more than my Dreamcast.

Yeah, but does it use different type of media like you've been doing with the DC?

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Nope. I'm afraid of modding my Saturn or even using the 'Swap trick'(That WILL burn out your system). Only store-bought games.

 

[MoxManiac]

I killed my DC because (I think anyways) of CDR usage. Died on me in the middle of a game of Power Stone 2 on a CDR (shut up, I bought it later on)

I don't think CDRs are good in the long run for the DC lens.

 

[drohne]

i haven't played any burned games at all, so that isn't the problem. i'm going to try adjusting the lens later, as described in that srk link.

 

[KiNeSiS]

Strange I have a launch Dreamcast that been through hell when I was livin with my friends fam back in the day. Never gave me one problem.
Then again I don't put any time into it.
You Must Be On It Like A 5 Dolla Hoe!

 

[Folder]

Then again I don't put any time into it.
You Must Be On It Like A 5 Dolla Hoe!

Nah man, that's not how it works.
The last one I had die had hardly been used. I think they don't like being left unplayed for rxtended periods. That's been the pattern I have noticed anyway.

 

[drohne]

nice! i recalibrated the laser as described in arcadestickmonk's link, and it seems to be working. thanks again. those of you with broken dreamcasts should try that shit. now for some cosmic smash.

 

[Folder]

nice! i recalibrated the laser as described in arcadestickmonk's link, and it seems to be working. thanks again. those of you with broken dreamcasts should try that shit. now for some cosmic smash.

Curse me eagerness with a screwdriver!

 

[PanopticBlue]

I pulled it apart and removed the CPU. It lives in my wallat now. I show to other retarded Sega fans.

LMAO

Man if you did that for real you are my hero. wtf am I thinking, dont give me any ideas I'm 30 and married too *cries*
it's so painful to be a Sega fan anymore..

 

[DDayton]

How could a CDR possibly "wear out" a lens?

 

[_Angelus_]

Well I'm down to 3 DCs now. My 4th one died on me last month after playing a CDR copy of Evil Twin. Nice little gem,but boy did it cost me,poor DreamCast never bothered to play anoter game after that.

R.I.P. bro.

Theres an EB close to me so I think I may buy another to replace the one that died on me. Its getting harder to find the ones that were made before Dec. 2000 though.

Btw-CDRS can kill your DC. The DC unit that died on me-I primarily played home brew games,emulators,and unreleased N.A. games like Evil Twin,only I never bothered to fill those CDRs with a dummy file to protect its lazer.

You need to do this because a dummy file fills in the rest of the unused space on that CDR Because the DC goes about reading cdrs differently,I think it goes something like it reads from the inside of the disk to to the outer edge. It puts allot of stress on the lazer if you don't have a dummy file on the unused portions of the disk. A dummy fills the rest of the unused portions of the disk,which allows the lazer to skim to the next area to load,thus saving allot of stress on the lazer.

 

[Teddman]

My first DC would only sporadically load up Shenmue, and completely refused to play the second disc. I remember hearing something about early DC's often not being able to play Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia for some weird reason.

I got another DC when they dropped to $50 and it played both games fine. The first DC is still OK for every other game though.

 

[Kiriku]

My Japanese import DC is still working fine, but I haven't used it very much either.