PS2 Optical Drive FailureFollow

My PS2 optical drive won't recognize any form of disc I put in it anymore. I've heard from friends that this is a known problem. The official word from the Sony store is that I need to pay almost the price of a new machine to fix it. Has anyone dealt with this issue without having to send the PS2 in for repairs? And if that is my only option, can anyone suggest if I'd be better off getting a new PS2 over repairing the old one? (The difference is about $80).

I did what the first link said to do with adjusting the height of the laser and it worked like a charm. Just make sure you don't accidentally un-plug that ribbon that goes from the reset/eject button, 'tis a ***** to get back in.

Make sure you take a marker and mark where the dial was originally, just in case you need to move it back.