DVD Drive and Video Card

[Edgie]

I have run across 2 problems recently with my build, the DVD drive makes a sound when I want to open it but does not open, even when I try to do it through the software.
Second my screen flickers and comes back, error message on the side tells me that it has recovered from a driver issue. I'm hoping I can get an older driver but I cant seem to access them through the Nvidia software, if that doesn't work then I guess my video card is going bad.

[orinthia]

How old is the hardware?

The drive not opening but making noises like it's trying is pretty common among any drive getting along with age or disuse (my dad seems to have a lot of luck picking up old stereo systems with messed up drives that act like that). You could take a flat screw driver and pry it open as you press the button, the drive might start to move on its own with some pulling/pushing, but I'd toss it if it stays stuck.

The vid card crashing and driver-recovering could be it overheating and the gfx crashing out when it tries to not-cook itself, or it just not aging well (if it's older). Sometimes the card can overheat gracefully, just making everything slow, and other times it's a full crash that the driver can sometimes isolate so you don't get a bluescreen. Or the card is giving up the ghost and the driver is doing what it can to prevent bluescreens.

[Edgie]

If I recall correctly I put everything together around August of 2010. All the components were bought new, but I don't know how long they were out on the market. I guess I need to start saving for new components, starting with a new card and external dvd.

[Niya]

For the stuck DVD drive you could first try the "emergency eject". All drives have a tiny hole somewhere below the tray, use a paper clip or something similar and push it straight into the hole. You should feel some resistance after a bit, push with slight force and the tray should open.

[Edgie]