cd drive will open and shut but computer does not recognise there is a drive on computer
This question was answered on March 4, 2005. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.
CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive appears to be missing after you install Windows XP
Article ID : 320553
Last Review : June 2, 2004
Revision : 1.0
This article was previously published under Q320553
Important This article contains information about modifying the registry Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
On this page
SYMPTOMS
CAUSE
RESOLUTION
MORE INFORMATION
SYMPTOMS
After you install Microsoft Windows XP, the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or CD-ROM R/W drive may not be visible in the My Computer window Additionally, there may be question marks on the devices that are listed under CD-ROM drives in Device Manager
CAUSE
An incorrect device driver was installed for the CD-ROM device
RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, use the following methods in the order that they are presented in
Method 1: Remove the registry entry
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
1 Click Start, and then click Run
2 In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK
3 Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/Class/{4d36e965-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
4 On the File menu, click Export
5 In the File name box, type savedkey, and then click Save
6 Click the REG_MULTI_SZ data type UpperFilters, and then click Delete on the Edit menu When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes
Note If this data type is missing, go to Method 2
7 Click the REG_MULTI_SZ data type LowerFilters, and then click Delete on the Edit menu When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes
8 Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer
Method 2: Replace the existing driver
1 Click Start, and then click Control Panel
2 If Control Panel is in Category view, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
If Control Panel is in Classic view, double-click System
3 On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager
4 Click the drive with the question mark next to it
5 On the Action menu, click Uninstall When you are prompted to confirm the removal, click OK
6 Repeat steps 4 through 5 for any other drives with question marks
7 On the Action menu, click Scan for hardware changes
Note If Windows XP cannot locate the driver for your device, the device may not be supported by Windows XP To see the list of supported devices, see the most recent Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) at the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp
About the author
Posted by Eramilde of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 4, 2005
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