Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

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DragonF0RC3
noob
Posts: 3

Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by DragonF0RC3 »

Hello!

I just purchased a Dreamcast off Amazon and started to enjoy playing all my old games that I have kept for 18-19 years. However, after playing the game for 5-10 minutes it sounds like the GDROM starts struggling to read the disc then the game freezes. I have watched various youtube videos on how to fix disc reading problems with the Dreamcast and ended up doing the most common fix by turning the potentiator (screw looking thingy) and it worked for a little bit longer than still did the same thing. My game discs are not the issue. Any suggestions on how to attack this problem would be awesome! I would love to start playing Record of Lodoss War soon :D

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The-Amazing-Mr_V
Metallic
Posts: 821
Dreamcast Games you play Online: Quake, PSO, ChuChu Rocket, 4x4 Evo, Max Pool, AFO, PBA bowling, Monaca, Ooga Booga, Tetris, POD.
Location: Eau Claire, WI

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by The-Amazing-Mr_V »

You could try to live up the rail which would help the laser move better. That fixed my issue.

Sega1Dream
Donated
Posts: 179
Dreamcast Games you play Online: All the games the DreamPi allows me to play :D
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by Sega1Dream »

I believe Mr. V meant to say Lube up the rail. You do with lithium grease, as its a lubricant that wont hurt the electronics in the Dreamcast.
The-Amazing-Mr_V wrote:You could try to live up the rail which would help the laser move better. That fixed my issue.

DragonF0RC3
noob
Posts: 3

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by DragonF0RC3 »

Okay thanks! I will try that! :D :D :)

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The-Amazing-Mr_V
Metallic
Posts: 821
Dreamcast Games you play Online: Quake, PSO, ChuChu Rocket, 4x4 Evo, Max Pool, AFO, PBA bowling, Monaca, Ooga Booga, Tetris, POD.
Location: Eau Claire, WI

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by The-Amazing-Mr_V »

Sega1Dream wrote:I believe Mr. V meant to say Lube up the rail. You do with lithium grease, as its a lubricant that wont hurt the electronics in the Dreamcast.
The-Amazing-Mr_V wrote:You could try to live up the rail which would help the laser move better. That fixed my issue.
Thank you for the correction.

DragonF0RC3
noob
Posts: 3

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by DragonF0RC3 »

So i lubed up the rail. It sounds like the laser lens is still struggling to read the disc. I am new to this and want to make sure I am going about this the right way. Before I buy another GD-ROM laser lens, is there any other possible solution to this problem?

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HuntrRose
Vagabond
Posts: 727
Dreamcast Games you play Online: Maximum Pool
PSO
Alien Front Online
Q3A
WSB 2K2
POD
Ooga Booga
4x4 Evo
ChuChu Rocket
NBA 2K1
NFL 2K1

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by HuntrRose »

to be fair keep in mind.. a brand new dreamcast right out of the box sounds like a garbage disposal chewing up tin cans..

if you lubed the rail and adjusted the laser and it still won't read there may be a bigger issue...

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The-Amazing-Mr_V
Metallic
Posts: 821
Dreamcast Games you play Online: Quake, PSO, ChuChu Rocket, 4x4 Evo, Max Pool, AFO, PBA bowling, Monaca, Ooga Booga, Tetris, POD.
Location: Eau Claire, WI

Re: Dreamcast reading disc temporarily

Post by The-Amazing-Mr_V »

HuntrRose wrote:to be fair keep in mind.. a brand new dreamcast right out of the box sounds like a garbage disposal chewing up tin cans..

if you lubed the rail and adjusted the laser and it still won't read there may be a bigger issue...
They are really loud when operating normally. Some games really make more noise loading then others too. Depends on how much the laser has to move to load everything.