Article Number: 000134006
Affected Operating Systems:
Microsoft Windows 11
Microsoft Windows 10
Microsoft Windows 8 or 8.1
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows XP
This article has information about how to troubleshoot issues that are related to the CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray drive on your Dell Desktop or Laptop computer. The instructions below help you diagnose and resolve issues if your CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray drive is not being recognized in Microsoft Windows or other applications.
There could be several reasons why a CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray drive is not detected or recognized by Microsoft Windows or other applications. Below are some instructions that might help you resolve the problem in some instances if the drive has not failed completely.
Use the troubleshooting instructions below if your CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray drive is not seen in File Explorer or My Computer (it was called Windows Explorer in Microsoft Windows 7 and earlier versions of Microsoft Windows), and the drive is marked with a yellow exclamation point in Device Manager. In Device Manager, you may also notice one of the following errors is listed in the Device status area under the Properties tab. To view Device Manager: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog box, then press Enter key to view Device Manager.
The instructions below can be used for both internal and external CD, DVD or Blu-Ray drives but some of the fundamentals might be a little different.
Click the troubleshooting steps below for more instructions. If the issue is not resolved, go to the next troubleshooting step.
Ensure that the drive is recognized in the BIOS/System Setup. This step is applicable for computers with internal drives only.
The optical drive diagnostic may require you to have certain types of optical media available, such as a CD-RW, DVD-RW, or Blu-Ray disk. Before beginning the diagnostic, ensure you have the proper media that you want to troubleshoot.
To run a Diagnostic on your CD, DVD, or Blu-ray drive, browse to the Optical Drive Diagnostic and follow the instructions.
You can run the Windows Hardware and Devices troubleshooter which is built in to Microsoft Windows. The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter is available in Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 only.
To run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter:
Microsoft Fix it is a diagnostic software that is developed by Microsoft which allows detecting potential troubles which may affect a computer running on Microsoft Windows.
To automatically fix common issues with CD or DVD drives, click the Run now link below, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
Drivers for your CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray drive is included within the Operating System and hence does not require you to install a specific driver. Uninstalling the driver and restarting the computer reinstall the driver which resolves most issues that are related to the device driver.
To uninstall and reinstall the driver, follow the instructions below:
For any other issue with the CD, DVD or Blu-ray drive on your computer, reference the Dell knowledgebase article Troubleshooting CD/DVD or Blu-Ray Drive Problems in Microsoft Windows.
Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS, Retired Models, Fixed Workstations
29 Apr 2022
6
Solution