I have a TSST DVD-ROM and when I put in a cd or dvd it will do quite
a bit of noise while reading. It seems to me that it used to be
almost silent and it started doing it recently. I can't be certain
though.
Is this possible?
Sure, the motor bearings, gears, pulley belt or top might be
worn out. If these discs have uneven printing on the top
that can cause the disc to be imbalanced, you might try with
a disc having no printing or 100% 1-deep color label
(opposed to a solid background color and then a large
different color on a large part of the top) coverage to rule
this out.
They're not user servicable, not reasonably at least, so
it's probably time to replace it if the noise is annoying
enough or if further degradation interferes with readings
the discs.
You might also try slowing the drive down with Nero
Drivespeed,
http://www.cdspeed2000.com/go.php3?link=nerodrivespeed.html