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Mr.Denny
June 14th, 2007, 17:36
I got the DC i bought on ebay with 12 games but no games will load. It just hangs at the Dreamcast symbol. Music cds work fine but games won't load at all.

Any help?

:(

SSaxdude
June 14th, 2007, 18:21
Hmmm you might want to clean the lens. On Sega's site it says:

# To clean the lens inside the disc door (it's at the back and will probably appear blue), gently clean the lens with a store-bought lens cleaner intended for plastic lenses.

nate9999
June 14th, 2007, 18:47
I had this same problem too for some reason. Yes, cleaning the laser is a good first choice. My problem was quite odd though because it managed to fix itself. When i got my DC it wouldnt play any real games, only music cds, and backed up games, for some reason. Didnt really bother me cuz i have back-ups of all my real games. Finally, one of my back-ups got lost so i tried my real copy one day, and it happened to work. Everything has worked ever since then, quite odd. So i guess if cleaning the laser doesnt work, try getting cdr back-ups of the games you own and try to "break it in" so-to-speak, then maybe it will work better some day (i know this is probably just a fluke that only happened to work for my DC, but worth a shot i guess).

Mr.Denny
June 14th, 2007, 20:03
Hmmm you might want to clean the lens. On Sega's site it says:

# To clean the lens inside the disc door (it's at the back and will probably appear blue), gently clean the lens with a store-bought lens cleaner intended for plastic lenses.

So, would i clean the actual eye-like lense or the blue bit behind it?.

sorry for sounding a bit thick. :P

Christuserloeser
June 14th, 2007, 22:36
Sounds like the laser needs re-calibration. This tutorial should do:
http://www.ilovetheinternets.com/index.php/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/

Mr.Denny
June 15th, 2007, 22:12
I've tried everything you guys suggested and It still won't work. I'll be sending it back on Monday if I don't get it sorted out. :(

Any other ideas?.

I appreciate the help so far though.

Christuserloeser
June 15th, 2007, 23:40
Give the laser calibration a few more tries. If you listen carefully to the sounds the laser does when checking the disc you will be able to tell when you're getting closer to the point on where it will start to work properly again:

http://www.ilovetheinternets.com/index.php/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/

Mr.Denny
June 16th, 2007, 00:31
Alright

But, do you have any tips for what to listen out for?. How shouldn't it sound?.

Sorry to be a bother but at this point I'm pretty desperate.

Christuserloeser
June 16th, 2007, 02:04
If you turn the screw too far in either direction it makes different sounds. It's actually a bit tricky if you don't know how it's supposed to sound like, but after some tries you will be able to tell the difference.

Between each time you've changed the screw's position you should insert a CDR/GD to test it.

You shouldn't turn the screw too far with one step. Given you've probably tried it already and thus probably made things worse for now, you should use bigger steps in both directions first (about 1/8), then smaller and smaller steps until it works again and shows the SEGA logo (a very rewarding moment :D )

If you haven't tried it yet and the laser still is as it came, you got good chances that only a very very tiny correction will fix the laser's position. The less you turn the screw, the better. "All you have to do is turn it clockwise just slightly. What I do is turn it, test it, repeat."

Just don't give up too soon, it will work.

Mr.Denny
June 16th, 2007, 22:08
I appreciate the advice but after 4 hours of trying I gave up. It went from not spinning the disc to spinning it to quickly and everything in between.

It must be just broke I imagine.

DCDayDreamer
June 16th, 2007, 23:45
First question: were the games that came with the DC genuine or backup on CDR?.

Second Question: were the music CD's genuine pressings or burnt on CDR?.

Third Question: did you remember to make a note of where the screw for the laser was before you started?.

The reason I'm asking is because the DC is not broken (or wasn't before you tweaked the laser), the laser calibration should only really be carried out if you have the right equipment - the random 'tweaking' of the screw is only for people who don't have a clue about lasers, it's only a short cut to overcome the real problem.

Mr.Denny
June 17th, 2007, 01:11
First question: were the games that came with the DC genuine or backup on CDR?.

Second Question: were the music CD's genuine pressings or burnt on CDR?.

Third Question: did you remember to make a note of where the screw for the laser was before you started?.

The reason I'm asking is because the DC is not broken (or wasn't before you tweaked the laser), the laser calibration should only really be carried out if you have the right equipment - the random 'tweaking' of the screw is only for people who don't have a clue about lasers, it's only a short cut to overcome the real problem.

The games were GD-ROMS

The music was a genuine store bought CD

I don't remember the original position but tweaked it back to exactly how it was at the beginning, at least as far as I can tell.

Also, I tried every little movement left and right. Still, I'm no expert and I welcome any bit of help.

Mr.Denny
June 18th, 2007, 00:56
I tried turning it again and at this point it sounds perfect but when I lifted up the system the laser doesn't seem to be moving up and down to read the cd.

Any thoughts?

nate9999
June 18th, 2007, 01:12
GD-rom replacements can be baught at this link if it ends up becoming unfixable

http://ps2modchip.com/search.php?page=dc9

Otherwise, Dreamcast consoles are getting super-duper cheap on ebay these days. Either way, keep trying, anything is worth it to own a Dreamcast if one has never owned one before. I love DC.

Mr.Denny
June 18th, 2007, 14:20
GD-rom replacements can be baught at this link if it ends up becoming unfixable

http://ps2modchip.com/search.php?page=dc9

Otherwise, Dreamcast consoles are getting super-duper cheap on ebay these days. Either way, keep trying, anything is worth it to own a Dreamcast if one has never owned one before. I love DC.

Thanks for the link, that would be a good last resort.

However, when I booted up the Dreamcast I noticed that depending on how I turn the screw the beeping inside the system happens quicker or sooner. If I knew exactly when the system should beep in conjunction with the swirling animation I could tweak it so it's just about right. Is that worth a try?.

If so, when should it make the beeping noise?.