Desktop Not seeing CD or DVD Drive

AJ · 07-01-2007

Recently our Dell desktop just stopped seeing both of our CD/DVD Drives. The top one is just a standard reader for both CD & DVD while the bottom is the recording drive. Neither read CDs or DVDs anymore, and you can't see them under my computer at all.

Any ideas wtf happened?

clean2g · 07-01-2007

I think there's a built in hardware test on the Dell's, but I forget how to get to it. I think you have to restart and press a key combination or something, but I'm not sure what the key combo is. Try checking out support.dell.com.

Matt D. · 07-01-2007

Bad drive and/or bad cable.

**scheides** · 07-01-2007

Shut down, pop side off. Unplug and re-seat cables going to drives as well as where they plug into the motherboard.

Who was asking about dell products recently?

Matt D. · 07-01-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by scheides

Shut down, pop side off. Unplug and re-seat cables going to drives as well as where they plug into the motherboard.

He fat fingers the site often enough I didn't even dare mention this to him.

gstjoker · 07-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by scheides

Shut down, pop side off. Unplug and re-seat cables going to drives as well as where they plug into the motherboard.

Who was asking about dell products recently?

I was.

A//// Guy · 07-01-2007

Call support and talk to india for a while! haha... Or do what others have said already.

92EvilTalon · 07-02-2007

Or you can uninstall the drives from the Device Manager. If they do not show up there. Do what Scheides said. If that does not work. You are picking up one of this 24" IDE ATA three connnecter. Or ask anyone on the boards if they have extra's. I sure do...but it take a few days to send it.

Onefast99gsx · 07-03-2007

Just out of curiosity, does the BIOS see the drives?

AJ · 07-03-2007

DEE DEE, wtf is the BIOS, DEE.

92EvilTalon · 07-03-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSMStyle

DEE DEE, wtf is the BIOS, DEE.

First off: What is BIOS on Wikipedia.

But I did a google search. To enter your Dells BIOS by either hitting F2 or Del key. In the boot up. You have to do it before the WinXp splash screen.

NOT THE BLUE LAMPSHADE · 07-04-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSMStyle

DEE DEE, wtf is the BIOS, DEE.

BASIC INPUT/OUTPUT SYSTEM!!!

But seriously, it's prolly something unseated, jumpers not set correctly, BIOS battery dieing perhaps, software/driver issue

Onefast99gsx · 07-03-2007

^ what he said.

some systems (depending on the BIOS) will tell you what key will get you into the BIOS. Others should be like F2 or Del key. Some systems you can change the boot order by pressing F8. That would be if you wanted to attempt to boot from the floppy or the CDrom before booting from hard disk. You could try that to see if your CDrom's show up in that list.

The fact that it's both drives makes me a little bit leary about the integrated IDE controller on the motherboard.

x-pride · 07-04-2007

You might have a virus on your PC. Do an emergency virus scan from a boot disk.

Jana · 07-08-2007

We checked all the connections in the computer & they were all tight, but still not reading the drives... Any other suggestions on what to try or look for?

And I doubt I have a virus. I use this computer about once a week, if that... and AJ's never on it.

Jana · 07-08-2007

I tried uninstalling & reinstalling the driver as the troubleshooting said to do, but it still shows up like this:

Jana · 07-08-2007

And also, I just checked in BIOS and it is reading my drives... and they are both "on"... so I have no clue at this point.

Would it really make a difference to unplug & replug the connections inside the case?

Jana · 07-14-2007

Anyone???