[Ham-Computers] Erratic Boot from CD

[Jim Hill]

I'm having problems with erratic success when booting from a CD on my 
Dell 5160 laptop running Win XP.  BIOS is set up to be the first in 
line when booting, and it should be set up correctly, since I have 
booted successfully.   It is steadily getting worse, and now boots 
infrequently.  I'm thinking of cleaning the small lens using a cotton 
swab and alcohol. The lens is recessed, so will leave a little 
alcohol in the drive.  Is this a good idea?  The lens looks fine when 
I just look at it.  Should I purchase a cd cleaner disk, or just use 
the alcohol?   I can read CD's and DVD's but sometimes they take time to start.

Jim