Help!!! my HL-DT-ST DVD+RW GCA-4040N is not being recognised

Question

Hey i hope you all can help. I have an INSPIRON 8600 and it is not seeing my HL-DT-ST DVD+RW GCA-4040N drive. I have tried to update the drive but dont know where to look. I have uninstalled and re-installed the driver but still not working. I have tried a system restore but still no good. Any one have any idea what I did/ Oh and every time i try to use the trubble shooter it tell me the comp cant see the drive. Thanks in advance for any help!     Brian

DELL-BobT · Answer

Brian,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

Please try the following steps to resolve the issue with the CD drive:

Try reseatting the drive.
Were there any hardware or software changes to the system right before this problem started?
For example, have any PCMCIA or USB devices been added to this system? Has memory been upgraded? Have any software programs been recently installed?
Is the drive seen in Windows?
Check My Computer to see if a drive letter has been assigned for the drive.
See if the drive can be accessed outside the Operating system, in a DOS environment.
To do this you can boot from a diskette, such as the Windows98 installation diskette, or Dell Storage Diagnostics, or you can try to boot directly to a bootable CD, such as the Windows NT/98 CD, or the Dell Resource CD.
During boot enter CMOS and reset BIOS defaults.
Restart your computer and when the Dell logo appears on the screen, press [F2] to enter it. Hold [Alt] and [F] simultaneously or press [F9] to reset the BIOS to the factory default configuration. Press [Esc] or [F10] to save the changes and exit the BIOS.
Troubleshoot using Device Manager.
- Right click on My Computer, and select Properties from the Menu that appears.
- Go to the Tab that says Device Manager in the System Properties, and look for any device with "X" or "!" next to it. If you find a device that is marked, remove it from the Device Manager and physically from the system if possible.
Note: It is normal for the IDE Controllers to indicate a problem since the system is running in MSDos Compatibility Mode when booted to Safe Mode. Check the Performance tab in System Properties. If the MSDos Compatibility Mode message is accompanied by a message indicating Master Boot Record Modified, then the system has a virus, and the customer will need to get a virus scanner to clean it. Clear NVRAM before trying to reboot the system normally. If Windows 95 boots normally, try reinstalling the affected Device or Driver.
Trouble-shoot using msconfig.
- Go to Start | Run. On the Command Line in the Run window that appears, type msconfig and click OK.
After a few seconds the System Configuration Utility will appear.
On the General tab, choose Selective Startup and remove the check marks from all of the Check boxes below. Note: Some items under Selective Startup may be grayed out so that you cannot select them. This indicates that the corresponding file does not exist. Click OK at the bottom of the System Configuration Utility.
When prompted, select Yes for the dialogue asking if you wish to restart Windows.
If the problem you were trouble-shooting has been resolved, go back into the System Configuration Utility by going to Start | Run and typing msconfig, again.
Put a check mark back into one of the check boxes you cleared on step C.
Click OK on the System Configuration Utility, and click Yes to reboot the system when prompted.
Repeat steps E through G, adding a check mark for each item under Selective Startup, until the problem returns.
Once you have identified which item is causing the problem by using Selective Startup, Select Normal Startup on the General Tab, and then select the Tab that corresponds to the file that is causing the problem you are trying to trouble-shoot (ie, System.ini, Startup, etc.).
On the tab for the specific file, you should see a number of check boxes, corresponding to the items that are loaded by this file. By removing the Check mark for an item, and rebooting, you can determine exactly which item is causing the problem.
Note that on the System.ini and Win.ini tabs, each item has a "+" next to it. By clicking on the "+" sign, you can see what is loading in each section of the file. Lines that have a small Windows98 Symbol beside them are necessary for the system to boot correctly, so removing the check mark from one of these lines will make the system load the default value for that line on the next boot, instead of the possibly different value listed in the System Configuration Utility.
Once you have determined exactly which item is causing the problem, the affected item can be left unchecked if it does not affect system operation, or it should be corrected

If these fail, you should consider contacting Dell Support for a solution.

ALOTAHP92GT · Answer

No windows has not signed the drive a letter. It was E:\ before it stopped working. Windows is unable to load or read the drive when I re-insert the cdrom back into the notebook. But it does try to recognise and install the drive. I then get an error message. (a problem occured when trying to install the hardware, it may not  work properly)     Brian

Raicard · Answer

if it was working fine before why don't try system restore and select a date that you know that it was working.

bacillus · Answer

Have a look in device manager and report back if you see any exclamation marks or error messages.

bnells · Answer

my cd/dvd drive is not being recognized either...I have anInspiron 8200..it was working fine yesterday..haven't installed anything new...there is an (!) next to that drive in device manager...under my computer there is only the c drive showing and the cd/dvd drive was e before I think..... oh and I get this message: Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41).... I searched for code 41 and found some older messages but they were not complete so I didn't know what to do...

any advice?

Message Edited by bnells on 12-29-2004 08:52 PM

bnells · Answer

an update...I contacted Dell Tech Support...my system is still in warranty so I was reluctant to do much on my own...this is only the 2nd time in 2 years I've had to talk to tech support and I want to say Maddie was a huge help...very patient and he solved my problem...thanks Maddie!..as has been written in other threads we had to go in and delete the upper and lower limits in the registary I think it was...anyway my cd/dvd rom is back...

BNells

charliefarley · Answer

Hi All and Bob,

I recently installed some new software (Digidesigns MBox) with an external sound processor USB processor. Everything was fine until I installed the factory bundle of instruments which comes with a USB dongle, and (I also had added a powered USB expander hub to handle the extra USB devices).

It seemed to be after installing the factory bundle that the HL-DT-ST DVD+RW GCA-4040N (on my Inspiron 8600/Windows XP Pro) stopped being recognized.

When checking the device driver, it had a "!" next to it, and of course the trouble-shooting wizard does not help, as it goes into a loop.

I tried restoring, and updating the CDROM device driver - however I can't as the CDROM is not being recognized... and I can't find the driver on the Dell site. Updating the firmware seems risky (as I assume this is different to the device driver).

You had asked another user on your check list if they had installed a new USB device? If so what is the resolution?

Otherwise how do I re-install the driver (without CDROM access to the original installation disk) and will this help?

Also there was mention of another user fixing the registry values? I know how to use regedit if you have any pointers on checking this also I would appreciate it.

Sometimes now when I boot up with the DVD/CDROM drive in the Bay, it seems to be on and spinning during the boot cycle and stays on - I have sinced removed it (after trying to reseat it).

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Message Edited by charliefarley on 01-05-2005 08:52 PM

Message Edited by charliefarley on 01-05-2005 08:53 PM

bnells · Answer

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_cdrom&message.id=36082   Charlie, try this link...I am not sure about the usb angle but the info about what to do with the registry is detailed here...this is exactly what the dell tech had me do to restore my cd/dvd drive....hope this helps....my computer is still under warranty so I was reluctant to do anything on my own..I am not very knowledgable about this so I called Dell support...as I mentioned earlier it was a very positive experience...Maddie, my tech guy , even called me at work yesterday to make sure my computer was still working well....I know there are lots of complaints here about tech support but I am very impressed...I've had this system going on 3 years and this is only the 2nd or 3rd time I've had to call..I was less than satisfied one of those times but was able to resolve that issue myself Bobbie Message Edited by bnells on 01-06-2005 07:28 AM

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