hello. i have noticed a lot of threads on other forums and some on this forum where people had troubles with their psp not reading their UMD. this tutorial will show you what you need to do to fix this problem and save $30 because you think your umd drive is messed up.
First, we have a topic on llama.com showing several ways to fix this problem. You can find it here
http://www.llamma.com/PSP/repair/PSP_UMD_Not_Reading_Discs.htmbut i havent found using this to be any help, you may though, you never know. so now i will show you exactly what i did to fix my UMD drive and get my psp up and working again.
First you need to remove the umd door. you can use this video to help you accomplish that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=C32QEAFIQYA be careful when you do this, i broke my umd door while doing this. next you need to remove the metal piece. simply grab it with your pointer and thumb and move it to the right (with the usb port facing away from you). it sould easily come off. next you want to look at the laser. about 3/4 of an inch under it you should see a screw. now slide the laser to the left a bit and then with a screw driver tighten the screw as much as you can. before you put your psp back together test it out by placing a umd in there and see if your psp reads it. if your psp does not read it, tighten it some more. if it wont tighten it anymore, then you need a new umd drive.
i hope this helps!