I'm having issues seeing my DVD/CD-ROM Drive through windows explorer. I have a Dell Lattitude 520 Laptop. I'm running Windows XP. If I click on my cd drive, I'm asked to insert a cd even though one is in the drive. I have to go to disk management and click on explore in order to see the cd. The drive works fine in another laptop, so it must be the OS. Any suggestions?
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CD-ROM not seen
- Thread starter rev1322
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mscallisto
Technical User
could be a driver issue; have you checked to see if you have the proper drivers installed?
sam
sam
- Thread starter
- #3
mscallisto
Technical User
does the CD work on another drive?
The drive works fine in another laptop, so it must be the OS." Not necessarily. Might be an issue with the CD-to-motherboard interface, the physical connection or the firmware.
Have you tried resetting CMOS just in case corruption has crept in?
What happens if you try to boot off a known good Windows XP CD, for example?
ROGER - G0AOZ.
Have you tried resetting CMOS just in case corruption has crept in?
What happens if you try to boot off a known good Windows XP CD, for example?
ROGER - G0AOZ.
- Thread starter
- #7
- Thread starter
- #9
mscallisto
Technical User
So you put a CD in the drive and you can't see it via windows explorer yet you can boot off the same drive.
You can however see the drive and its contents thru Computer Management > Disk Management.
In disk management does the status say "Healthy" and do the other properties (layout, type, size etc.)look good?
sam
You can however see the drive and its contents thru Computer Management > Disk Management.
In disk management does the status say "Healthy" and do the other properties (layout, type, size etc.)look good?
sam
- Thread starter
- #11
Here's my routine. I attempt to open the cd in windows explorer. It asks me to insert a cd even though I have a good cd in the drive. So I go to disk management and click "explore". It opens up fine. It is also seen a s a healthy drive. I close disk management and I go back to windows explorer and click on the cd and it opens fine. It's weird but it works.
mscallisto
Technical User
in disk management, what drive letter is assigned?
have you tries reassigning the drive letter?
(rt mouse click on the drive letter and choose change drive letter)
have you tries reassigning the drive letter?
(rt mouse click on the drive letter and choose change drive letter)
How is life from Safe Mode, or from Normal Mode, but as a different user?
See if System Restore will get you back to a restore point before your problem with Explorer.
311455 - You Cannot View the Files on a Disc After You Replace a CD-R or CD-RW Drive with a DVD or CD-ROM Drive
How to Troubleshoot Issues with Reading CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD Discs
I'd recommend running SFC /Scannow from Start Run, but you need a working CD in all probabilities.
If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)
See if System Restore will get you back to a restore point before your problem with Explorer.
311455 - You Cannot View the Files on a Disc After You Replace a CD-R or CD-RW Drive with a DVD or CD-ROM Drive
How to Troubleshoot Issues with Reading CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD Discs
I'd recommend running SFC /Scannow from Start Run, but you need a working CD in all probabilities.
If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)
drjohnbullas
Programmer
find the DVD/CD in control panel / system / device manager and uninstall it - turn the machine off , and on again, if you can then enter BIOS by holding DEL down on bootup, is the DVD recognised in the device list?? .....
See if the device has reappeared in the device manager list as a DVD and not simply a CD - yellow icons with question or exclamation marks means all is not well
Try to download or find on CD the right drivers for the device and if necessary run the setup for it....
I had a dodgy DVD ROM that insisted on working as a CD .... it was faulty...
Dr B
See if the device has reappeared in the device manager list as a DVD and not simply a CD - yellow icons with question or exclamation marks means all is not well
Try to download or find on CD the right drivers for the device and if necessary run the setup for it....
I had a dodgy DVD ROM that insisted on working as a CD .... it was faulty...
Dr B
I've yet to see a separate CD driver, windows installs a generic driver...
I'd suggest that the firmware should be updated... even though it was mentioned that several CD's where tested, I failed to read in there that he tried pre burned CD's (except the WindowsXP CD, which he booted from), as there are drives out there that fail to recognize certain CD-r (+/-)... by updating the Firmware you also update the recognition table...
go to the respected manufacturers website, search for the drive and check to see if there is an update available...
if that does not alleviate the problem, or any other suggestion so far, then I would advice to go ahead and buy a new one (dirt cheap these days)...
Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
drjohnbullas
Programmer
I have had to load drivers for DVD combos before now which only appear as CDs otherwise.....
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