My Computer can't find DVD drive

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers NEC / Optiarc Writer
#1

Hello, Club CD Freaks!

I recently tried to install a new hard drive into my computer, but once installed my DVD drive immediately stopped working. I had made no changes to my DVD drive during this installation so I was a bit perplexed. I tried all the different jumper settings to no avail. I have since removed the new hard drive and the problem persists. I even used System Restore back to the installation of Windows XP Professional when I knew the drive to be working.

The drive reads at boot and lights up when I insert a disc in Explorer, but refuses to spin up and read the media. It is also absent from My Computer. I checked Device Manager and believe Other Devices - Unknown Device to be my DVD drive, but none of the available drivers remedy this problem.

Thinking that it might just be a Windows problem, I tried booting from my Windows install CD but after the drive spins up I am met with an eternal black screen. Has my poor drive seen the last of it’s days? :<

My drive is a NEC ND-3550A which I bought OEM about a year ago along with the rest of my computer. I have had no problems with this or any of my devices until attempting to install that new hard drive.

#2

Welcome to the forum :slight_smile:

If it’s not possible to do a boot from a disc, then the drive is damaged :frowning:

Try to buy a new IDE cable, just to be sure that it is not a cable problem. Try also to use a different molex plug, to exclude a PSU problem.

Another test you can do is to install the drive on a different computer. If it is not working, then the drive is definitely damaged :frowning:

#3

Hi there !
Just run into it occasionally :wink: I’ve not been here for more than 3 years or so.

Well, back to the business,

  1. This subject is not new, there are lotta answers regading it.
  2. Check the cable or if you have a chance, just change it.
  3. If you have Nero installed, check the ASPI status using Nero’s InfoTool > ASPI

Do the search for ForceASPI, there lotta threads/answers regarding this issue.
If you have KProbe installed, check for its own ForceASPI in your C:\WINDOWS\ForceASPI, then click on INSTASPI.exe

  1. Try uninstalling your DVD player in Device Manager,
    then it will appear on boot again, as fresh as never :wink:

Hope this helps !

BoSkin

#4

What kind of computer do you have? I had same problem with my Dell computer.

#5

[QUOTE=Ogregon;1687869]Hello, Club CD Freaks!

I recently tried to install a new hard drive into my computer, but once installed my DVD drive immediately stopped working. I had made no changes to my DVD drive during this installation so I was a bit perplexed. I tried all the different jumper settings to no avail. I have since removed the new hard drive and the problem persists. I even used System Restore back to the installation of Windows XP Professional when I knew the drive to be working.

The drive reads at boot and lights up when I insert a disc in Explorer, but refuses to spin up and read the media. It is also absent from My Computer. I checked Device Manager and believe Other Devices - Unknown Device to be my DVD drive, but none of the available drivers remedy this problem.

Thinking that it might just be a Windows problem, I tried booting from my Windows install CD but after the drive spins up I am met with an eternal black screen. Has my poor drive seen the last of it’s days? :<

My drive is a NEC ND-3550A which I bought OEM about a year ago along with the rest of my computer. I have had no problems with this or any of my devices until attempting to install that new hard drive.[/QUOTE]

Hi Ogregon Gordonp here . You have just described my problem and how it happened . new hard drive reinstalled windows (xp) and I have had the same problem since. Tried everything from microsoft nothing worked and they finished up saying they couldn’t help me further.

The drive is new optiarc ad-7280s dvd/cd-rw cant put it on my old spare computer as haven;t got sata on that one , the old one is ide but have taken the dvd -rw which is writing fine out of the old one and tied it in the main working one with the problem .That one wont write either same as new one.

That’s why I tried microsoft as it is fairly obvious its a windows problem It is the same windows operating system on the old computer. as I just left everything intact and built a new machine and before having to reinstall windows again for the new hard drive it was writing to the drive with no problem

Hope someone is able to help us Cheers Gordonp

#7

Hi gordonp,

What computer/mobo are you using? The drive can read discs OK? Have you tried Imgburn to write a disc?

#8

One other thing, what mode are your sata channels operating in your bios?

#9

The two threads are almost the same & maybe a mod could join them to avoid confusion.

This is my first suggestion :
Uninstall the drive in Device Manager & reboot .
This gives it a chance to find the correct drivers if they are there.
You can check to see what drivers your drive has in Device Manager
by selecting “Properties” for the drive.
Then “Driver” tab & Driver Details.
Mine shows this but I have AnyDVD installed:

C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\AnyDVD.sys
C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\cdrom.sys

#10

[QUOTE=gordonp;2667340]

That’s why I tried microsoft as it is fairly obvious its a windows problem It is the same windows operating system on the old computer. as I just left everything intact and built a new machine and before having to reinstall windows again for the new hard drive it was writing to the drive with no problem

Hope someone is able to help us Cheers Gordonp[/QUOTE]

Hi Gordon,

I am not so sure it is a Windows problem. Have you tried unplugging extra hard drives and the DVD writer to see if this helps with the freezeup problems you are having? It could be that you have a power supply that is getting too weak to handle everything you have installed.

#11

Normally its a [B]BIOS settings problem[/B] regarding the SATA controller entries, especially IDE/native/SATA RAID modes or the AHCI settings are wrong.

#12

[QUOTE=deanwitty;2669090]Hi Gordon,

I am not so sure it is a Windows problem. Have you tried unplugging extra hard drives and the DVD writer to see if this helps with the freezeup problems you are having? It could be that you have a power supply that is getting too weak to handle everything you have installed.[/QUOTE]

Hi Dean thanks for reply Read the article about power supply being weak sounded as if the problem there was showing itself in his hard drives (the same ones as mine seagate st325031) Idont have a problem with my two hard drives though I have tried the suggestestions and disconnected second drive and and the troublesom dvd drive after running without either I reinstalled DVD then rebooting with just C drive and the DVD writer Using windows and a blank disk writer windows still wouldnt recognise disk as writable nor would Total Media. I then installed IMGBURN as you suggested last week and was able to copy a film and write it so nothing wrong with writer. Puzzle is what is missing!! prior to reinstalling windows both windows and total media were able to write to disk. At least I am able to write using IMGBURN now, but still dont know what has happened.
Ps PSU is new 550watt PPs have just read suggestion from chef about BIOS settings for SATA I think they must be ok as IMGBURN worked with no alteration to settings. Thanks for your help with this gordonp

#13

ImgBurn to the rescue! :clap::bigsmile:

What type of disc are you writing to?

#14

I also have seen some writing speed problems with (Optiarc) dvd burners.

Issues came from installed St*rforce and similar crappo drivers.
You can kill them in the devicemanager, enabling the view of hidden drivers. :wink:

#15

[QUOTE=deanwitty;2669675]ImgBurn to the rescue! :clap::bigsmile:

What type of disc are you writing to?[/QUOTE]

Hi Dean thanks for cheerfull reply. Writing to bog standard -R unbranded. ben usimg them for years never had any trouble and very low failure rate use them on my liteon LVW-5006 from my tele think I have only had two or three failures out of a couple of hundred disks. gordonp