🚀 go-pugleaf

With a CDROM drive, as with a CD Player, the area in the 
mechanism that causes problems is the stepper motor/gear train 
combination that moves the laser back and forth in it's cradle. The 
symptoms you describe are what you would get if this mechanism started 
playing up.
	The mechanism can bring the laser back to the centre of the 
disc, where the data track is, so it can read the FAT, but when it has 
to seek out further from the centre, it is unable to do it  without load 
being placed on the motor, which feeds this back to the electronics, 
which fails the seek.
	What you may be able to do is dismantle the CDROM drive, and 
check that the gear mechanism is not fouled by dust gathering on the 
gear lubricant, that none of the gears have chewed up teeth, and that 
none of the gears are able to move around in their bearings. Other than 
that, you'll probably have to replace it.

W.