DVD Drive Problems

Hi,

I'm using a Compaq laptop. For some time my DVD drive hasn't worked properly. I was convinced for a while that it was a hardware problem, so, on ebay I bought a replacement DVD drive, but it also does not work completely, and is producing the exact same symptoms as my previous drive.

When I enter a CD in the drive, I can access the data, but the drive groans a lot, and it sounds like it is spinning really fast. When I enter a DVD movie in the drive, I can watch part of the movie, but then it starts freezing and coming back on. Eventually I give up, and pull the disc out. Usually the disc is very warm.

Is this a dust related problem? If I take the case off my laptop, and clear out all the dust, will this fix the problem? It was pretty easy to remove the disc drive, and replace it, but I've never removed the case from my laptop, and am unsure how easy that will be. That's why I'm writing here.

Thanks for your help.

Peter