DVD Drive Problem

bobsalot

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Joined
5 Jun 2005
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Okay...i have 2 dvd drives.

My top one is just a DVD drive
The bottom one is a DVD RW drive.

The bottom one is okay and everything plays from it and its all good.
My problem is with my top one...i get no response from it.
The drawer opens okay...but if i stick a cd or dvd in...its like it doesnt register it. I have gone into my computer and when i double click on the drive all it says is 'please insert a disk'.

And yes i am sure the disk isnt blank.

I am wondering whether this is a driver problem maybe..but have no idea how to find out or what to do.

Thank you for your future help...
 
Long shot... something to do with registry being clogged up with rubbish? corrupted?

Haven't had this sort of problem since WinME, but then again, I usually wipe out everything and start again every 6 months with xp.
 
how do i 'unclog' my registery. iv heard you can accedently delete important computer files!!
 
Three possibilties:

1) The DVD and CDRW are not set for the correct master / slave settings. Little jumpers on the back of the drive. One should be set to master and the other to slave.

2) The DVD drive is bad, the ribbon cable is bad or the ribbon cable is not plugged in correctly.

3) There is software installed (Nero, Roxio, etc.) that is specific to the CDRW drive and it does not recognize the DVD. This si the "junked up regstry" that Ming refers to.

Check the 1 & 2 first (they are easier).

1) Power off, open the case and look at the back of the drives to see if the jumpers are installed. One will be vertical on the MA (master) and the other vertical on the SL slot. You may need to remove the drive to check which set of pins is which. There will be 3-5 pairs of pins on the drive select header. If either is horizontal it's your set up is wrong.

2) There should be 1 ribbon cable with 2 connectors on one end going from the MB to the DVD and CDRW respectively. Make sure the side with the red wire/stripe goes to the Pin 1 side of the connectors on the drives. The cables are usually keyed so the y only go on one way but I have seen exceptions. Check it and make sure the connectors are pushed all the way in.

If that doesn't work with power OFF, unplug the ribbon cable from both drives and connect the connector that was going to the CDRW to the DVD and try the computer now. If the DVD works shut down, unplug the cable and put the connector that was going to the DVD on the CDRW. If that works the cables are both good and the drives are both good.

3) The hard part. Yes you can trash your computer working on cleaning the registry. Which is why I want you to check the other things first before I have to go through a lot of typing on this answer. Check back if 1 & 2 don't help.

We will use the safe method for cleaning up the registry. Stay away from registry cleaning tools unless you know what you are doing.
 
Why would any of the cables have come out...the pc is like 2 years old now and went to be cleaned out and checked in febuary and hasnt been moved since then.
 
Why would any of the cables have come out...the pc is like 2 years old now and went to be cleaned out and checked in febuary and hasnt been moved since then.

Because multi-pin connectors are a very particular about how they are seated. It is very common to have to unplug and then reconnect these connectors to re-establish a proper seat and therefore a working connection.

Video cards are a great example of this phenomenon. I have seen many that looked to be completed seated in their AGP socket, but yet would not boot with video until they were removed and then reseated.

CipheR
 
Go into device manager and uninstall that drive. Reboot and let Windows re-install the drive then test if the drive works ok.
 
i went into the device manager and uninstalled it. When i restarted it was still there. I have found another issue. From my screenshot you will see that its says i have 3 dvd drives. I know for a fact i have 2 lol. How do i sort this out and could it be causing the problem?
 

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Try showing ghosted devices then uninstall all of your DVD drives through device manager and reboot so windows can reinstall them.

No time to type it all out for you so just follow the instructions in KB315539.
 
Alright...i went into device manager..uninstalled all 3 (though i only have 2) drives, restarted, and all 3 are back like i didnt even uninstall them, and it still doesnt work...
 
Lets start over.

When was it last working with both drives?

When did anyone mess with it physically?

What new software has been added since it was working?

Could anyone else have been messing with it without your knowledge?
 
It was working like 3 months ago maybe. No ones messed with it. Some software has bin installed but nothing out of the ordinary. And no one would mess with it.
 
Back to your earlier question. Thermal cycling or corrosion build up can make "consumer" connectors become intermittent. Removing and then re-inserting wipres the oxide off the pins and makes a solid new connection.

Back to trying to beat the monster into submission. Try uninstalling, then with power off physiclaly disconnecting the drives and rebooting 2-3 times.

Windows can be a pain about retaining or replacing information even when something is uninstalled by the user. I've found problems mysteriously cure themselves if a couple reboots occur before putting the hardware back in. It's the price we pay for system restore and rollback in windows.
 

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