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CD ROM & DVD Drive missing

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6 replies

by shaun_j_johnston

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I recently bought and install a Seagate External HD. I followed all instructions on installing software too. About a week later I tried to use my DVD and CD ROM drives and found out they no longer are recognized and I am unable to load my drivers back from the CD. Restarting from the CD also doesn;t help. I have since removed the external HD/software, but nothing works. Any thoughts?

6 replies

by nepenthe0

What does your Device Manager have to say about the health of your optical drives? If no trouble flag is present, the hardware and drivers are probably OK. If you see a trouble code, visit the following Microsoft web site for an analysis of the code:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310123/en-us

To access the Device Manager:

Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Mangement > Device Manager > DVD/CD-ROM drives

Microsoft has a Knowledge Base article about disappearing optical drives:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

These Registry edits are easily done. To access the Registry, drag a shortcut to your Programs folder from the Windows application:

C:\Windows\System32\regedt32.exe

Before performing a Registry edit, [i]export[/i] a copy of the Registry to a USB flash drive or an external hard drive. That way, should some serious glitch occur, you can recover the Registry by [i]importing[/i] the backup copy.

If nothing else works, you can probably recover access to your optical drives by repairing Windows. Back up all your personal files, run Files & Settings Transfer Wizard and save this folder to a USB flash drive (or external hard drive). Boot the computer from the installation/recovery CD and run in [i]repair[/i] mode.

Please post back and let us know what worked for you.

Rick/Portland, OR

by oh smeg

If you have a M$ Branded Install Disc follow these directions for a Repair Install

http://tinyurl.com/g4bv8

If you have a Makers Recovery Disc you may be required to reinstall the OS from Scratch.

Col

by shaun_j_johnston

This is what I receive -
Code 39
Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

I tried the following Recommended resolution to no avail, it won;t read the driver CD in the DVD or CD ROM drive after I uninstall and try to re-install, so looks like I'll have to back up everything I have and reload Windows XP.

Reasons for this error include a driver that is not present; a binary file that is corrupted; a file I/O problem, or a driver that references an entry point in another binary file that could not be loaded.

Uninstall the driver, and then click Scan for hardware changes to reinstall or upgrade the driver.

by nepenthe0

I suppose you have attempted to reinstall the driver from the Device Manager (the [i]search online[/i] option).

Before you reinstall the OS, I have one more suggestion:

Go online to the computer manufacturer's [i]support[/i] website and look for a device driver. Download it and attempt to install it.

This has occasionally worked for me when the CD that shipped with original hardware contained a corrupted driver.

I appreciate the [i]thumbs up[/i] vote. Good luck...

Rick/Portland, OR

by oh smeg

Try logging onto the Computers Makers Web Site or the Web Site of the M'Board Maker and downloading the Chip Set Driver and reinstalling it.

That may work and if it doesn't all isn't lost if you have a M$ Branded Install Disc you can perform a In Place Install which will recover most things like this in a much shorter time fame.

http://tinyurl.com/g4bv8

If you have a Recovery Disc this option isn't available to you however if it is remember to do a complete Backup of all your Data before proceeding with anything else.

Col

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