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Missing disk drive

  • 16-01-2010 12:52pm
    #1
    New.White.Socks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭


    Hello,

    I've got a laptop running XP with a broken CD/DVD drive. I've been searching around the net to try find out why it doesn't appear in 'My Computer' anymore.
    When I right-click 'My Computer' and go to manage, and 'Disk Management', the drive doesn't appear there at all, which apparently it is supposed to. Also, in Device Manager the driver for the disk drive seems to be installed properly and all. Finally I found my way to the microsoft support site for the issue 'Your CD drive or DVD drive is missing or is not recognized by Windows or other programs'. From here I ran the Microsoft Fix It program that's supposed to diagnose and fix the problem, but this simply couldn't even find the drive, giving the message 'CD/DVD drive is not detected'.

    So basically I'm pretty sure it's broken. If anyone has any other ideas on how it might be fixed then I would really appreciate it.

    I haven't got an external drive, but do have another laptop. Is there anyway I can connect the computers and use the functioning one as an external disk drive? It's running Windows 7 ultimate.

    Thanks in advance for any help.


Comments

  • #2
    Kevster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,980 ✭✭✭Kevster


    If I was in your situation, I'd look up the driver for the drive online. I don't know why it would have just vanished, except for if (as you say) it's 'broke'.


  • #3
    The_Thing
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭The_Thing


    It wouldn't hurt to check the laptop's BIOS to see if your optical drive has been disabled somehow.


  • #4
    New.White.Socks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭New.White.Socks


    Unfortunatly it doesn't seem to be the driver, and the drive hasn't been disabled as far as I can see.

    Is it impossible to use another laptop as an external disk drive?


  • #5
    Amalgam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,026 ✭✭✭Amalgam


    Does the drive spin up at all, have you tried booting a live Linux OS from the laptop?

    Download an maybe install Ubuntu onto a USB stick and see will Ubuntu see the drive.

    What laptop is it?


  • #6
    New.White.Socks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭New.White.Socks


    Yep the drive spins when a disk is put in, but not as much as it normally would, and the computer doesn't register anything as having happened.
    It's a Dell Inspiron 640m, a couple of years old now.
    No I never thought of installing Linux, is that complex at all? I wouldn't be any sort of an expert about these things. Would that involve getting rid of XP or how would that work?
    Also, if it does work in Linux, do you know is it possible to install windows 7 from Linux?

    I appreciate the help!


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  • #7
    rudedog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27 ✭rudedog


    Hi,

    this sounds to me very like an issue where the drive letter is not being assigned to the drive, this would explain why it is not appearing in My Computer.

    Try this from the MS support site and see how you get on: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844

    May or may not be the issue, but i have seen similar problem many times down through the years and it always turned out to be this.


  • #8
    New.White.Socks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭New.White.Socks


    Already tried that rudedog unfortunately.

    The disk drive doesn't actually show up in the disk management section.


  • #9
    rudedog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27 ✭rudedog


    Hi, yeah i just noticed now that you mentioned that, didnt read the post correctly the first time :o

    I assume that you have completely deleted the drive from Device Manager and restarted the machine to see if detects and reinstalls it again on startup? Just a thought. No question, it is an odd one :confused:


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