Help! DVD-RW Drive problem: Keeps saying it's a CD drive; REFUSES to burn files

eskimo

I've had my Dell Inspiron 1501 Laptop since June 2007 with Windows Vista Home Basic. It has a DVD-RW drive. I've always been able to burn files onto dvds, I've made plenty of dvd discs and burned/ripped plenty of dvds. However, as I've found with all Dell computers, sometimes there were major problems, such as the computer refusing to recognise discs completely.

It wasn't until I switched to XP a few weeks ago that the laptop now just 100% refuses to open discs that I put into the disc drive, and it most certainly won't burn them for me. Also, it labels the drive as a "CD Drive." Can anyone help me with this?

My full spec are attached below. The first screen-grab is a summary of the computer general spec, the second is of the dvd drive. As you can see, it here too calls it a CD drive but as you can see it's actually a DVD-RW drive.

Any help appreciated thanks, it's getting annoying now!!

Overheal

sounds as if you need to find and install the correct Firmware/Driver for your drive.

monkeypants

If you look in Device Manager, are there any bangs there (yellow exclamation marks) or any codes listed? A code would help diagnose what Windows thinks the problem is.

I did see this Link but it involves editing the registry, so be careful and make sure to back it up first.

eskimo

monkeypants wrote: »

If you look in Device Manager, are there any bangs there (yellow exclamation marks) or any codes listed? A code would help diagnose what Windows thinks the problem is.

I did see this Link but it involves editing the registry, so be careful and make sure to back it up first.

Cheers. I had already tried that though, to no avail.

Re: Device manager: Nothing apparently wrong I'm afraid. I've attached the device manager window and the drive properties..... Hmmm... still a mystery....

Overheal

its probably using a Generic Driver, not the correct one.

DublinWriter

eskimo wrote: »

It wasn't until I switched to XP a few weeks ago that the laptop now just 100% refuses to open discs that I put into the disc drive, and it most certainly won't burn them for me. Also, it labels the drive as a "CD Drive." Can anyone help me with this?

Make sure you have all the updates for XP & check the Dell site for XP driver updates for your laptop.

Did you install XP from a Dell CD? If not then you're probably missing a lot of device drivers for your hardware.

Overheal

Absolutely. The Manufacturers website has a Supprt and Driver page for each model of Computer they have ever built and sold.

Dell Inspiron 1501 Support and Driver Homepage: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&ServiceTag=&SystemID=INS_PNT_1501&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=

eskimo

Cheers guys. Yeah I installed XP from the Dell CD.

I've been on the Drivers page for my Inspiron 1501 laptop but it doesn't list my DVD-drive model in the CD/DVD drivers section at all.... :-/

Edit: I'm going to try this one even though it's not my exact model: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R185336&SystemID=INS_PNT_1501&servicetag=&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=15207&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=3&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=32&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=253097

EDIT: Yeah that wouldn't let me install lol, coz it said it couldn't find the drive that I was claiming was there.

patchrick

Download and install each one of the drivers under the CD/DVD section here....

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&s=dhs&ServiceTag=&SystemID=INS_PNT_1501&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=

I know none of them seem to match but one of them might do the trick.

To be sure you are looking for the right driver google for the PCI_VEN code which is found under the details tab of the driver properties in device manager. Just search using the first two sets of digits e.g. 8086 and 1234 (or whatever) and you should be able to get the right hardware type.

eskimo

patchrick wrote: »

To be sure you are looking for the right driver google for the PCI_VEN code which is found under the details tab of the driver properties in device manager. Just search using the first two sets of digits e.g. 8086 and 1234 (or whatever) and you should be able to get the right hardware type.

I can't seem to find the PCI_VEN code. I've attached a screengrab of what I'm looking at... can you help me locate it please?

yoyo

Try right clicking on the drive in device manager, and uninstall the driver, then reboot the pc, and see if it loads the proper driver, it should do this automaticly, and windows should pick up its a DVD RW drive right away, on the off chance windows got confused with the driver, try this it may sort it, not heard of optical drive manufacturers making drivers, just firmware upgrades

Nick

eskimo

I uninstalled the currently-installed CD/DVD drive and then restarted the laptop. When I went back into the Device Manager, the same driver was back again, as if it had automatically re-installed itself in the background somehow since I logged on...

I then installed every driver on that Dell webpage - i.e. each of the 13 drivers listed on the Dell website for the CD/DVD drives for the Dell Inspiron 1501. On installation, each of them said "Target drive not found."

None of these answers worked. Cheers for the suggestions though guys, much appreciated.

Anyone got any other ideas?? Isn't it pretty strange how the Dell website doesn't list any driver or firmware for my dvd drive?

MunsterCycling

Try this:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314060


Found it via google.

MC

eskimo

MunsterCycling wrote: »

Try this:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314060


Found it via google.

MC

Thanks Munster No luck though, I've tried that twice already unfortunately.

patchrick

eskimo wrote: »

I can't seem to find the PCI_VEN code. I've attached a screengrab of what I'm looking at... can you help me locate it please?

Looking at the screenshot I can see that the drive is being recognised as a DVDRW correctly. Your problem may be with software.
Try CDBurnerXP (free cd/DVD burning app) instead of the one you are using at the moment.
http://cdburnerxp.se/

Patrick

eskimo

patchrick wrote: »

Looking at the screenshot I can see that the drive is being recognised as a DVDRW correctly. Your problem may be with software.
Try CDBurnerXP (free cd/DVD burning app) instead of the one you are using at the moment.
http://cdburnerxp.se/

Patrick

Cheers Patrick I will try that. The only thing is that I'm not using any burning software - I can't because the computer is not recognising any discs that I insert.

I'll download that and see what happens anyway. Thanks.

eskimo

eskimo wrote: »

Cheers Patrick I will try that. The only thing is that I'm not using any burning software - I can't because the computer is not recognising any discs that I insert.

I'll download that and see what happens anyway. Thanks.

Ok so I installed that program. I then inserted a DVD-RW (re-writable dvd disc) and opened that program. I chose "Erase disc." The dvd drive then made a normal noise for about five minutes, after which a message popped up saying "Disc erasing complete."

I then chose to "Create a data disc." A new window opened. The window remained entirely blank and about a minute later the program crashed and I had to end it using Task Manager.

While this was all happening, the disc drive was making constant noise, like it was trying to load the disc but kept failing and trying again - this was constant and was cyclical on a 6-second (approx.) basis.

I then went into My Computer to check on the dvd drive. I took a screen-grab of what was showing up in My Computer and I've attached it below.

I'm still totally lost. I still can't understand why the Dell website wouldn't include the drive for my laptop's disc drive, especially when it's only just over two years old.

Jibberilins

I agree with overheal. i had the same problem. kind of. my laptop would not see the dvd drive. I found out it was an update that was corrupted. a lot of people had the same problem. I rang techguys anyway in the end.
Jibberilins

encryptix

if i remember correctly, xp cant burn dvd's itself. it can only burn cd's. additional software is needed to create dvd's (otherwise they come up as a cd when its tried)

eskimo

encryptix wrote: »

if i remember correctly, xp cant burn dvd's itself. it can only burn cd's. additional software is needed to create dvd's (otherwise they come up as a cd when its tried)

Can you recommend any software?

Overheal

you can try the sticky at the top of this forum called "Essential Free Software"

tech77

patchrick wrote: »

Looking at the screenshot I can see that the drive is being recognised as a DVDRW correctly. Your problem may be with software.
Try CDBurnerXP (free cd/DVD burning app) instead of the one you are using at the moment.
http://cdburnerxp.se/

Patrick

^OP I had the same problem a couple of years ago and this software did the job.
Edit: just seen from the thread that this may not have worked for you- sorry.