my Saturn says "Drive Empty" with a game disk insi

[Anthony1]

I have a Sega Saturn that has a broken open button. I have to use a little screwdriver to pop open the pop up lid to put a game in there. When I turn it on, I get the menu thing that pops up when you have a dead battery. After I bypass all that, it then says, "Drive Empty".


Now, normally, with a Saturn that has a dead battery, you can still play the games, it's just you can't save them, and after you bypass the date and year screen, the game loads up. But with this one, it says "Drive Empty". I'm wondering if that has something to do with the fact that the eject button isn't working. Any ideas?

[Richter]

check to see if the cd drive cable is still attached to the motherboard

[shadowkn55]

Take off the cover and hold the lid closed mechanism. You might need a new case if that is the problem.

[SuperShark]

If the open/eject button dont work, then how do ya open it?

Well, IDK if this could work with a Saturn, but I remember a RLY RLY long time ago on here a few peeps complaining about Sega CD systems (mostly modle 1 i tihnk, might have been some 2s) that always said either 'drive open' or 'no disk' or something along thoses lines. Someone else on this site then responded to their plees for help and took pics to help them too.

They pointed out the dive open/shut detection part on the boards inside the system (and now to get to is) and showed how soddering a wire between two close points would cause the system to always no matter what think that the drive was closed and that would make it, or force it, to check for and read the disks placed in the system. One slightly dangerous thing about this though that I remember is that as the system always thought the drive was closed, the laser was always on and ya had to turn off the system to safely changed disks (and for all I know this could screw up playing a game like PD:Saga on the Saturn if ya got it... I dont :( ).

I dont know if anyone knows if something like this could be done on a saturn though, but if someone finds that ages old thread that I just discussed, it is quite interesting and might possably help. I dont know, i could maybe.

SuperShark

[shadowkn55]

You take off the screws from the bottom and take off the entire top half of the system. There should be a silver post type thing stick up near the cd drive. If you squeeze it together, the saturn will think it is closed.

[phreak97]

i dont think it's the lid button thingo.. try it out first, but i dont think itll make a difference. you probably have a dead laser.. try cleaning the lense with a cotton bud.. i think theyre known as q-tips in america, im not sure, crazy foreigners.. but anyway, do that. and check the ribbon cables inside are in their slots nicely and all.. does the disc spin at all? if it does then it's definately the laser and not the lid button.
crap gotta go, ttyl