I`ve being trying to burn some photos via the DVD rw drive on my laptop (HP Pavilion dv4) and nothing`s happening. Lots of clunking and whizzing noises. I tested it by trying to copy some music. I tried through Media Player and itunes. I tried to copy a previous playlist that I have burned in the past but no joy. The drive seems to be able to read the blank disc but it can`t write. I`m presuming it`s broken. Would it be expensive to repair? No way am I going to attempt it myself which means paying someone to do it.
I would guess that it would be cheaper to replace it. If you have a friendly computer shop near you, it may be worth having a word with them.
If it's reading ok then it sounds like a problem with the burning mechanism and I'm not sure how that is controlled.
It could be that the laser lenses are dirty?
I think you can get a disc which has two little brushes attached to it from Pound shop which will clean the lenses.
Must be worth a try??