Disk Jumping/Faulty Laser

[Fear and Loathing]

Basically you start loading the game disk and at some point in the loading process the disk fails to read and skips back to the Dreamcast intro screen, which then struggles to read it for a while before attemping the load again, with exactly the same result.

Is this a common fault in Dreamcasts, because the one I had four or so years ago started doing this and now the one I've only had for a couple of days off Ebay is now doing the same thing. Has anyone else suffered similar woes?

[SSaxdude]

Are you trying to run homebrew, because if you are then you might have not burned/set it up correctly. If the problem is in the laser, it might be from using too many CDRs for whatever reason rather than GD-Roms. This should help for fixing the laser: http://www.whoneedsoxygen.net/index.php/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/

[ToxieDogg]

You might think this is crazy but it works for me (I have the same problem with a 'resetting' Dreamcast).....

Basically, open the lid, put your game disc in as normal, but DON'T click the lid back down, instead weight it down with one of your DC game cases so that the lid is down resting against the top of the console but not actually clipped shut.

Then turn on your DC and play as normal.

As I say, it sounds crazy but I've had my DC since the UK launch. If I try to use it normally, it keeps 'restting', but if I just weigh the lid down like I explained, it works perfectly. I managed to play all the way through Grandia 2 earlier in the year without incident and I'm about 42 hours into Skies of Arcadia now, and still no probs :)

Give it a go, you've got nothing to lose.

[Fear and Loathing]

From the first link posted I've tried turning it on its side with the fan at the top to play as suggested in one of the comments on the guide.

I've played two hours or so of Shenmue this morning with no problems, so it looks like this is going to work.

If only I'd known about this back when my first Dreamcast started to do this, sold all my games and accessories back then cause I couldn't justify keeping them without the console and couldn't afford another one. Having to rebuild my collection now.

[Darksaviour69]

could be over heating

http://www.consolevision.com/?Dreamcast:Tutorials:Fix_to_random_resets

putting ther dc on its side really is not a good idea, as its not designed to run that way.. if you do keep doing it thay way, just never leave it on its side (i.e. lleave the room with it still on)