CD reading problems

If you notice the performance of your CD/DVD ROM drive has decreased dramatically over time or that it has problems reading discs, it may very well be that your laser lens is dirty or smudged.
CD/DVD ROM drives operate much like normal music CD players.
Normally the lens shines a laser light onto the disc which bounces back up into the lens, allowing your drive to read any data which is stored on a disc.
If this becomes dirty or smudged, it can result in skipping or jittering on a CD player.
Sometimes this problem can be corrected with a simple laser lens cleaner disc. These are designed to be used in your normal everyday CD player but can come in quite handy for usage in a CD/DVD ROM also.
These are built in such a way that it is much like a normal music CD which you play on your CD player or CD/DVD ROM.
However, these lens cleaners have little brushes located on the bottom of the disc which slide over the lens as the disc turns, attempting to wipe off any dirt or smudges on the lens. These laser lens cleaner discs can be purchased at most music or hi-fi stores for less than $10.