Dreamcast-Talk.com

Once upon a time, I got a Dreamcast as a present from a friend. Fast forward a few months later, upon receiving both the unofficial AC and AV cables, I plugged it in, and it booted the BIOS, good as new. Then, I decided to get the homebrew software, "Dreamexplorer", for taking a cute little game of my choosing on the go with me on my VMU. After using this software a bit, my Dreamcast started to make a sound like it was scratching the CD. Then, upon finally getting Soul Calibur (the real deal), my Dreamcast didn't boot anymore. One time it went halfway through the intro, but then crashed. Now, when I start it, only the fans start going a bit, and the red light turns on, but nothing else. I have come to the conclusion that it was the CD's responsibility, but what actually went wrong? How can I fix it? Please help! Thanks for and if any help!
(PS my Dreamcast is a HKT-3020, manufactured August 2000, Sega Sports edition.)

If the disc doesn't spin anymore, the motor in your GD-ROM drive probably failed. This has nothing to do with using a CD-R; your friend's Dreamcast was just worn out. It's time to look on eBay for another used one or a semi-broken one that you can salvage for parts.