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neither dvd drive is working in dimension 3100 E310 XP sp3
How likely is it that both CD drives won't read a disc?
All I have in my device manager is my sigmatel audio....everything else in the Sound, Video & Game controllers has disappeared
The diagnostics tell me that I need to change my file folder so it isn't read only so they won't load.....I have no idea what that means
The F12 diagnostics won't run and I can't download the ones on this website and since my disc won't run I can't do anything
HELP
DELL-Amogh G
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July 29th, 2013 12:00
Hi Rhondar,
You may click ‘Start’-> ‘My Computer’ and check if any of the CD drives is getting detected or not. Please check if the CD drive is listed under ‘Disk Drives’. You may check in system BIOS if any of the CD drives is listed or not. Please follow the steps below:
If the drives are not getting detected in BIOS, you may try reseating the optical drives. For Owner’s Manual, please refer to the link: http://bit.ly/13hfpPn.
Keep me posted with the findings. I will be glad to assist further.
Rhondar
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July 29th, 2013 15:00
Ok the drive is recognized both instances. Do I have to get mother board or other hardware from Dell or can I use any brand in case it's a hardware issue?
osprey4
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July 29th, 2013 18:00
Hi Rhondar,
The drives in your 3100 are IDE drives. It's not uncommon for a failure of either drive to cause both to be inoperable. The way to tell is to disable one drive to figure out which one is working and which is not.
Here's how to do this. You don't need to remove either drive. Open the case and find the wide ribbon cable. One end will be connected to the motherboard, the middle cable to one drive and the other end to the other drive. Usually the top drive is at the end of the cable. Disconnect the middle connector from the bottom drive. Boot to the BIOS, verify only one DVD drive is present, then boot to Windows and see if that drive works. If it does not work, try the other drive (end of the cable).
osprey4
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July 30th, 2013 17:00
I'll just add that Dell does not appear to carry any IDE DVD burners. Ebay is the best place to shop for them. You can get a nice, high speed DVD burner for $10-15. Yes, there are SATA-to-IDE adapters, but most of them cost more than the drive.
DELL-Amogh G
1.5K Posts
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July 30th, 2013 17:00
Hi Rhondar,
@osprey4: Thank you for the inputs; appreciate it.
You may try the troubleshooting suggested by osprey4. In case it’s a hardware issue and you are residing in the US, you may contact dell spares at 1-800-372-3355 or you can get it from a local store.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to reply for any further assistance.