[Alex4147]

So I turned on my computer today and got a message that Windows had found new hardware, installed it, and needed to reboot. I haven't installed any new hardware so I was a little confused. I didn't reboot just yet, pulled up the Device Manager and found 4 IDE Channels for all 3 types listed. So 4 Primary IDE channels, 4 Secondary, and 4 Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE controllers. Out of all that, 12 total, 2 Primaries and 2 Secondaries are flagged with the little yellow icon saying something is wrong. Each of the flagged ones are listing an IRQ conflict with the working, nonflagged entries. Windows no longer sees either of my DVD drives and I figure I'd pop in here and see if I can get more knowledgeable help before trying anything myself.

Attaching a hardware Everest report as a text file, hopefully it should have most of my system specs in it.

Attached Files

•  Hardware.txt   246.37KB   133 downloads

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There are a number of issues here NOT immediate to this problem but one is that you have only SP2 on XP. SP3 is critical as you now no longer have security updates they have finished for XP without SP3.
Secondly you have IE6. I strongly recommend that when the current problem is sorted you install IE8 it has far better inbuilt safeguards.
What anti-virus are you running and WAS the Found New Hardware definitely the official Windows message.
This has all the indications of an infection.
I have two immediate advices for you.

1. Scan with your normal anti-virus and scan with MBAM Malwarebytes available on this forum.
I am NOT authorised on this forum for Malware matters if anything is found go to the Malware Self Help, work through that and if necessary post there.

2. If nothing is found Load and try a system restore point. Do NOT go immediately too far back, as of course if it restores and you still have the problem all restores points forward of that will no longer be there.

Edited by Macboatmaster, 10 September 2010 - 03:05 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

There are a number of issues here NOT immediate to this problem but one is that you have only SP2 on XP. SP3 is critical as you now no longer have security updates they have finished for XP without SP3.
Secondly you have IE6. I strongly recommend that when the current problem is sorted you install IE8 it has far better inbuilt safeguards.
What anti-virus are you running and WAS the Found New Hardware definitely the official Windows message.
This has all the indications of an infection.
I have two immediate advices for you.

1. Scan with your normal anti-virus and scan with MBAM Malwarebytes available on this forum.
I am NOT authorised on this forum for Malware matters if anything is found go to the Malware Self Help, work through that and if necessary post there.

2. If nothing is found Load and try a system restore point. Do NOT go immediately too far back, as of course if it restores and you still have the problem all restores points forward of that will no longer be there.

Edited by Macboatmaster, 10 September 2010 - 03:05 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

Have you by any chance
-
1. Installed new software
2. Used a registry cleaner - booster programme.

[Alex4147]

Well I don't know why IE 6 came up, but I'm using Firefox. I've done no new installs of hardware or software recently and I'm running CA Internet Security Suite for my antivirus software, and I haven't used any registry cleaners or anything like that. I'll post again if MBAM or my antivirus find anything they don't like.

[Broni]

Uninstall all primary and secondary channels.
Restart computer. They'll be rebuild automatically.

[Alex4147]

Went through 2 scans each with my antivirus and with MBAM, nothing found with either of them. Went ahead and uninstalled all Primary and Secondary channels then rebooted. The channels were rebuilt by windows but look exactly the same as before and I still have no indication that I even have my 2 optical drives.

[Broni]

One of these may help:
1. Uninstall the drive through Device Manager.
Restart computer. The drive will be automatically reinstalled.
or...
2. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116
Restart computer.
or...
3. Download, and run Restore Missing CD Drive patch
Double click on cdgone.zip to unzip it.
Right click on cdgone.reg, click Merge.
Accept registry merge.
Restart computer.

[Alex4147]

I can't uninstall the drives through the Device Manager because they no longer show up in the Device Manager.
I had neither of the two registry entries that the Microsoft support article referenced.
And I've downloaded and merged the cdgone.reg file provided then restarted my system with no effect.

Neither my D: or E: drives, the two dvd drives I have are showing up in My Computer, the Device Manager, or even by trying to access them through the command prompt. They both do however show up properly in my Boot Device priority list, and when I enter Bios both drives are present.

[Macboatmaster]

Try a System Resore point as per my first post.

[Broni]

I've seen cases, where two optical drives didn't want play nicely with Windows XP.
You can try to remove one drive.

[Alex4147]

I generally avoid system restore except as one of the very last things to try, bad experiences with it when it was first introduced. However I went ahead and used it, my drives are now back and functional. Just wish I knew what happened to make them up and vanish according to Windows. But anyway, thank you both for the help.

[Broni]

Good news

[Macboatmaster]

As Broni said - Good News.
However my other point I made still remains - running with only SP2 is bad practice.
Install SP3.
If you have any difficulties see this
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950717

Edited by Macboatmaster, 12 September 2010 - 09:25 AM.