Optical drives not working correctly

Question

I realize there are many messages describing a CD/DVD issue like mine, and I hope people are not too sick of them to help! :smileyhappy:

The problem: When I insert any disc (CD, DVD, DVD-RW, etc) into either optical drive on my computer, I can see/hear the drive access the disc, but Windows does not detect it. The device manager shows an exclamation point next to both optical drives ( view screenshot ).

One suggestion I followed was to uninstall the affected items in the device manager. I rebooted, and Windows re-installed the drivers with the same result. I also tried downloading newer drivers from Dell. It gave me an error message, basically saying it couldn't find the drive ( see screenshot ).

Important note: I'm reluctant to mention this because I hate dealing with Symantec (bad past experience)... But, these problems all started after I uninstalled Norton Ghost 12.0. It came pre-installed on my system from Dell. No problems with it per se, but it was hogging system resources. I don't see how this could have caused the problem, but I'd bet its the culprit.

My system is:

Dell Dimension E510

Windows XP Media Center Edition, SP2
P4 CPU 3.20GHz
1GB RAM Installed
Radeon X300 SE 128MB

Two optical drives installed:

NEC DVD+-RW ND-3530A
TSSTcorp DVD-ROM TS-H352C

Thank you to anyone willing to help!

Jussi

P.S. I read the first time users faq, etc. I hope I didn't miss anything...

tr4 · Answer

Try unplugging the drive not originally installed on your computer and reseating all your cables.

Predator · Answer

Hi Jussi,Did you run the Standard troubleshooting steps for CD/DVD drives in the FAQ on this board?These cover the drivers, controller, conncetion, filters, NVRAM.Many times uninstalling some software, especially burning software and it seems anit-virus as well, it may corrupt the filters, so please do run the article on the filters in the FAQ. Try the Code 39 error link.Have you tried using a restore point to roll the system back a couple of days before the problem started?Merry Christmas ! Jeff CD/RW Link

mjdoherty15 · Answer

Predator--   Thank you *very* much for the help. I went to the FAQ in the CD/DVD Devices section of this forum and clicked on the code 39 link [ this link ]. I ended up downloading the 'guided help' software from Microsoft on that page, and it was fixed almost instantly. I should have asked a few hours ago! :smileyvery-happy:   Merry Christmas!   Jussi

Predator · Answer

Glad to hear the news Jussi !!Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas to you and your family ! Jeff CD/RW Link

Storage, Drives & Media

Optical drives not working correctly

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