unknown drive not found

Question

hi,   occasionally when I turn on my computer, I get one of the following three prior to starting Windows XP: 1. A blank screen with a blinking cursor at the upper right corner  (will not start Windows); 2. A screen stating that 'Drive 5 not found, Parallel ATA, PATA 1, PRI IDE Slave' (Will not start Windows) 3. #2 with the option of F1 to continue or F2 to enter setup   I have a Dell Dimension 8400 MCE.    I am not sure if Drive 5 is the HDD, CD-RW or DVD-RW.  I do however remember on one or two occasions not seeing DVD-RW as an icon under 'My Computer'.   Any way to rectify the situation?   Thank you.

osprey4 · Answer

Please tell us what cd drives you have. One or two? Have you opened the case and checked your cable connections?

ctdesign · Answer

I have a Samsung CD-RW and a Philips DVD-RW.  I have not opened the cover or checked the cable connections for fear of messing something up.

osprey4 · Answer

Your service manual is here. Bookmark this. Follow the instructions to remove the cover, then check the IDE and power cables to your drives.

kcoan3 · Answer

i am having the same problem with drive 4 not found and drive 5 not found... i opened the case and checked the cable connections and the problem still exists. my dvd or my cd drive are not available in my computer.. what should i do???

osprey4 · Answer

kcoan3:

Please clarify where you see and where you do not see your drives. Check the BIOS first, then check device manager. If you see your drives in the BIOS, but not in device manager, then you should follow this procedure.

Storage, Drives & Media

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