Unable to Read Disc

[nzrock95]

Hello everyone!

I'm getting the infamous "Unable to read disc" error on my Wii. I got this error once a few months ago. I did everything I could to try and fix it. Frustrated, I unplugged the power cable from the Wii and went to sleep. The next day, my Wii started reading discs and everything was great. I've been unplugging the power cord after use ever since and have not experienced any problems.

Well, a few nights ago, I forgot to unplug it, so it was on standby all night. The next day I started getting the error once again. I didn't think it was "just a coincidence" so I decided I would leave my Wii unplugged overnight and see what happened the next day. Well...nothing happened. I did and still am getting the disc error.

I take extremely good care of my discs. None of them are scratched or smudged at all. I have tried many games and I get the same error for each one, so I'm thinking it's my Wii. The disc will spin inside of the Wii for about 4 seconds and then stop. My Wii has never frozen up, so I can do everything on my Wii except read discs. Anyone have any ideas? I don't really want to send it in to Nintendo yet.

 

[rukus]

call nintendo.
don't send it to an independant 'repairman'.

 

[nzrock95]

Hah, I wasn't planning to. I was just wondering if there are any other options before I pay $75 for a repair...

 

[rukus]

there are lense cleaning kits that you can get. look into those. google it.

 

[nzrock95]

Hmm, alright. Though I still find it kind of odd that both errors followed a change in the power cord the night before. If all else fails, I'll just send it into Nintendo. Anyone have any experience with repairs (speed, convenience, etc)?

 

[rukus]

try another power cord.
why did you change it in the first place?

 

[nzrock95]

I didn't ever change power cords. What I meant by "a change in the power cord the night before" was me unplugging it. When I first got this error I unplugged the power cord overnight and it worked fine the next day. This time I forgot to unplug the power cord, and the next day it stopped working. The only reason I brought up the power cord was because I wasn't sure if heat was an issue.

Thanks for the replies. I'll just send it to Nintendo. My only concern is that something will go wrong in the whole sending/repairing process.

 

[phalxor]

is this just with brawl orrrrrrrr give us some more info. nintendo's sending\repair process is very quick easy and painless.

 

[nzrock95]

More info? Okay...ummm...

This occurs with every Wii game and every Gamecube game that I own (not just Brawl). None of my games are scratched. There is no physical damage to my Wii or any of my games. My wii is placed vertically on a wooden floor on the gray stand that comes with it. I have tried placing it horizontally, but there is no difference. My Wii is updated to the latest version (4.0 I believe). I have never had a problem with my Wii in the two years that I've had it with the exception of this error a few months ago. I can do EVERYTHING on my Wii EXCEPT read/play games from a disc. I can play Virtual Console games, browse the internet, browse other channels, etc. I unplug the power cord from my Wii after use to prevent overheating (I have no use for staying connected to the Internet 24/7). A few days ago I was playing Mario Kart Wii with my friend when we were rudely interrupted by a black screen that told us to eject the disc, power down the Wii, and refer to the manual. Since that error I haven't been able to launch a game from the Disc Channel/Game Channel/Whatever-you-want-to-call-it-channel. If I insert a disc (Wii or Gamecube) I can hear the disc spin smoothly for about 2 seconds (and yes, I am inserting it correctly). Then the spinning like...stutters (I can't think of any other word). It isn't a rough noise...it just isn't smooth. After 2 seconds of that, the disc stops spinning. Period. The Wii doesn't freeze. Since none of my games are damaged I'm almost sure that the problem is with my Wii. If there is ANY way at all that I might be able to fix this, PLEASE do tell me. Although I CAN afford to pay $75 for repairs, I'd rather not as I was saving up for Rock Band 2 and planning to buy it in a week or two (nice timing right?). I'm also slightly worried that something will go horribly wrong (like Nintendo is unable to reproduce the problem or something like that...but I have heard good things about Nintendo's service). I just bit my lip and now it is slightly bleeding. I am somewhat frustrated...

If you want any more details, just ask.

 

[The Storm]

Ya know, the eye reads the disc in one motion only, this is assuming you know how the machines inner mechanics work so i dont have to go into great detail, but from what you are saying, I would say the eye is stuck at the inside of the disc. I truly dont know if you can fix it other than manually taking your Wii apart and resetting the eye by hand, which is why it would be smart to send it in. If you dont want to spend as much money, take it either to Gamestop or another local electronics store, the reason the Nintendo repair costs so much is mainly because of shipping charges. If you have friends on the inside like i do, you can get it fixed for less than 20$.

You see, the eye starts reading each disc you put in from the outer edge, then moves as the game is played, jumping to different parts of the disc in order to access different information. From what you said, i am going to say that your Wii's "eye" is stuck in one position other than the outside where it is supposed to be. Unable to bring up the screens in the proper order, the machines natural response would be to say "unable to read disc", because it IS just a machine. So, when you unplugged your chord, the machine reset itself, putting the eye back to its proper position. Recently, as you have stated, it is not working again, same problem. Even though you unplugged it, the eye is most likely jammed into that position. This could be from a virus tricking the machines sensors into thinking the eye is in the right place (which can easily happen, especially if you use Internet on the Wii) or something may be stuck in the disc tray itself that is jamming the eye sensor.

Speaking of which, do you play your Wii standing up or lying on its side? It matters, just like if you have a 360 it matters how you play it. Either way, the eye may have just collapsed off of its track, making it unable to roll back in forth (if you ever try with a dresser drawer, if you pull the drawer out it does not roll until you get it back on the track.)

Let me know what happens.

Hope this help!

The Storm

 

[nzrock95]

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I have a great interest in computers (and technology as a whole, I guess) so I know a bit about how the inner mechanics work. Unfortunately, I'm not great so I'd rather not open it and void the warranty (the warranty of even being able to send it in for repair, not the warranty like free repair).

I have a friend who is amazing with this kind of stuff. He could probably fix it, but I'd rather not take the risk and void the warranty because that would mean I would have to buy a new Wii.

My Wii is standing up, though I have tried placing it horizontal, but there was no difference.

I didn't know Gamestop fixed things like this...I'd take it to them if they did. Or some place like Best Buy and their Geek Squad . If you think they're unreliable though, then I'll just pay the money and send it in to Nintendo.

Thanks for the help!

 

[The Storm]

best buy is probably a better choice in terms of who would know more about how to fix them. After all, Best Buy has a trained personnel who is meant to deal only with this stuff, so I would assume they would be your best et. Though I dont know the cost of it at Best Buy.

If they are unable to fix it, you should send it into Nintendo. It may be costly, but you can be sure they will get the job done right. It follows the "quality over quantity" concept. You can either pay a cheaper cost for a halfassed job that will make your Wii work for awhile only to need to get repaired again in a couple of months, or, you can pay full price and ensure it gets fixed entirely.

Like I said, your choice.

Glad I could be of assisstance!

Storm

 

[NATIVESCLP]

i had the same problem too with a little searching the web i found how to fix it i had to take it a part and reposition the eye took less than half a hour no error code for 4 months now

Nativesclp

 

[nzrock95]

Cool. I'm glad you got it fixed. I would've done the same thing (or gotten my friend to do it), but I didn't want to open it only to NOT be able to fix it and have a useless Wii. I sent mine into Nintendo a week and a half ago and received it a few days ago. Works fine now.

 

[singhssp7]

can u use dvd-r lens cleaner instead of the 'special' lens cleaner nintendo has made ??

how much did it cost 2 get it repared??