Why does my external USB DVD drive keep disconnecting on AV16-51PT while trying to play DVDs?

crmpizza73

I have a DVD player that attaches to a laptop via a USB cord. I tried to watch a movie for the first time on my new Acer laptop yesterday, but the DVD player kept closing itself and disappearing after several seconds, even when I didn't touch the computer at all.

I already uninstalled and reinstalled the DVD player app, tried another DVD to make sure that the disc I was playing wasn't the problem, and installed a different DVD player app, which had the same issue as the first. Additionally, this CD player worked perfectly fine on my previous laptop, and it paired well with the first DVD player app I was using.

This has led me to conclude that the problem must be my new laptop. What could be causing this issue, and how can I fix it?

Sharanji

@crmpizza73

From what you said, the problem sounds like it’s not the DVD drive, disc, or player app, but likely a hardware compatibility or USB power management issue with your new Acer laptop. Please try the below mentioned steps.

Try using another USB port or a different USB cable, if possible. Faulty connections can sometimes cause intermittent behavior like this.

Go to Device Manager you can search for it in your Start menu and look for your DVD player under DVD/CD-ROM drives or Universal Serial Bus controllers. Right-click on the device and select Update driver. Alternatively, if the issue began after an update, you could try rolling back the driver to a previous version.

Laptops sometimes turn off USB ports to save power, which could be causing the DVD player to disconnect. Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Expand "USB settings" and ensure "USB selective suspend setting" is disabled.

Turn off USB Power Management Settings. Press Windows key + X, then click Device Manager. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Right-click each USB Root Hub (there might be several) > Properties > Power Management tab. Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Click OK.

Run the Windows troubleshooter for hardware and devices: Open Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot. Click "Additional troubleshooters" and select "Hardware and Devices."

If nothing else works, an externally powered USB hub (one that plugs into the wall) can help. This ensures that the DVD player gets steady power without relying entirely on the laptop’s USB ports.

You can also try reaching out to Acer's support for additional insights. Acer Support