[diet coke]

alright i've had this problem for a while now, and due to my frustration of not being able to fix it, i'm looking for some help.

problem: i have a cd and dvd drive, my computer has stopped detecting them.

they were working perfectly then one day they just vanished.....

i've done everything i can think of to fix this. i reinstalled the drivers countless times, removed them completely and tried to get the computer to find them. the ide cables are plugged in the correct spot. i'm at a complete loss....and i really want to take a hammer to the s.o.b.

i've checked for viruses and came up with nothing....

please help me and save my computer from my hammer.....

any and all help is GREATLY appreciated.

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If you go to your device manager does it list the cd and dvd drives there and if so are there any yellow exclamation marks next to them?

[Clark76]

If you go to your device manager does it list the cd and dvd drives there and if so are there any yellow exclamation marks next to them?

[fleamailman]

Hi, welcome to this site
remember we are working blind so bare with us
to help others reply to your question
if you haven't mentioned it yet:
- what model of computer
- what os, XPpro or home
- how old is it


to topic then, have they lost the assigned letters

runbox command
- press keyboard buttons: winkey + r
- paste this in slot: diskmgmt.msc
- press: enter
- if there but not assigned give them drive letters

Edited by fleamailman, 14 November 2006 - 03:27 PM.

[diet coke]

clark-yea there is little yellow exclamation points next to them.

fleaman-i built the computer, so there isn't really a brand.

o.s. is XP pro
its about 2 yrs old.

i did the diskmgmt.msc command and it only came up with my hard drives

what next? thanks a lot for the help, if you need to know any thing else about my comp let me know.

[fleamailman]

yellow blobs means that devices are missing their drivers, when you said you reinstall the drivers, how did you do it, did you uninstall from the device manager and then reinstall them from there, or some other way,

also, do you have an XP cd, becuase even if window is not reading you drive, booting up on the cd may still be possble(bios read cd you said) and therefore I am thinking of repair with cd for recovery console

[diet coke]

i tried reinstalling thru the device manager and thru my manufact. website. still nothing.

i do have an xp cd. how do i boot with the cd??? i dont really mess with the bios, is it easy to do?

[crunch]

2 ways!
Start button > settings > system tools > System > hardware tab > device manager button > DVD/CD ROM icon- highlight or + symbol > reveals drop down of your cd drives, right click on one with yellow ! > properties > driver tab > update driver. Also can uninstall and reinstall from there. Try allow to go online, and next try select from sorce (your XP CD) enter that drive, That might not fly since the drive is the problem.

2nd way. BE darn sure you have your 25 character XP key first!!! Immediatly after turning on your PC go in BIOS, (by pressing delete usually, some get there by pressing "F1") In BIOS first screen reveals time and drives, click em, click enter, click "Esc", for all your drives just for the heck of it. You will see that BIOS recognizes them and that they are SPELLED RIGHT (misspelled is a problem) Next varies with brand of BIOS, snoop around till you find "BOOT ORDER" You will have to open main headings then search down to BOOT SEQUENCE listing, (remember to put back when done) Change "BOOT SEQUENCE" from booting first with hdd or floppy to "CDrom", Press enter on that, then press Esc, then tab to "exit" click, then select "save and exit" Be sure the XP CD is in the drive. after post, press any key to boot from "CD", then get a drink. Then scarry repair and install screen pops up in blue, select "enter" like you are going to reinstall, very soon press "F8", Then notice options* PRESS "R" go to bathroom, get another drink, turn on TV, Just keep an eye on it and follow steps as it very slowly copies, repairs, reinstalls, There's a few final steps when done. May ask for the 25 character key. And or register again, and few quick basic setups like time zone and language. Some of these steps get skipped if repair was minor. XP auto installs nearly everything, leaves all folders and files alone, does not change desktop. When done check for microsoft updates, like "windows installer 3.1", usually gets removed by repair.

Edited by crunch, 15 November 2006 - 12:59 AM.

[fleamailman]

just repeating what I said before, sometimes a cd won't be recognised(found) in the xp system but if you put it into the computer anyway it can be seen by the bios so in this case an XP cd might get you to the recovery console where you can do a repair with cd, you would not be touching the bios itself and there is no garanty that it will be recognised it is just worth a try

Edited by fleamailman, 15 November 2006 - 10:03 AM.

[crunch]

My previous reply was just detailed version of what fleamailman had to say.