DVD shows as CD-ROM in device manager

redqueen

My problem is that my DVD drive does not work. When I put a DVD in it it spins, but in explorer it says to insert a disk in the drive.

My DVD drive is working properly according to the properties in device manager. However, the drive shows up under CD-ROMs, and under device type on properties it also shows CD-ROM.

I serached for information on this, and found one post which said that it was normal for Windows to show DVD drives as CD-ROMs. Is this correct? If not, could someone please instruct me on how to check the drive settings in the BIOS, or otherwise provide some hopefully helpful advice?

yoyo

redqueen wrote: »

My problem is that my DVD drive does not work. When I put a DVD in it it spins, but in explorer it says to insert a disk in the drive.

My DVD drive is working properly according to the properties in device manager. However, the drive shows up under CD-ROMs, and under device type on properties it also shows CD-ROM.

I serached for information on this, and found one post which said that it was normal for Windows to show DVD drives as CD-ROMs. Is this correct? If not, could someone please instruct me on how to check the drive settings in the BIOS, or otherwise provide some hopefully helpful advice?

Try going in to Device Manager (Right click "My Computer" in start menu>Properties>Hardware>Device manager in XP) and expand CD/DVD Rom devices, find your device>Right click it and choose "Uninstall". Reboot computer and the drive should be recognised by Windows. It can happen with DVD drives that the DVD Lense dies, but the CD one remains ok, so it could be a hardwar problem!

Nick

redqueen

Thanks, Nick. I just tried it, and there was no change. Same everything. I didn't get any messages about new hardware though, which I expected. I did get the dialog asking for my confirmation that I wanted to uninstall it, and clicked ok, then rebooted, but I seem to be back where I started.

Apologies for not mentioning this sooner, it only just occurred to me that it may affect the way these things work. I'm running XP in safe mode at the moment due to malware issues.

yoyo

redqueen wrote: »

Thanks, Nick. I just tried it, and there was no change. Same everything. I didn't get any messages about new hardware though, which I expected. I did get the dialog asking for my confirmation that I wanted to uninstall it, and clicked ok, then rebooted, but I seem to be back where I started.

Apologies for not mentioning this sooner, it only just occurred to me that it may affect the way these things work. I'm running XP in safe mode at the moment due to malware issues.

I have come accross viruses which f*ck up the disc drive on XP, so it could well be a software issue, use something like malwarebytes, super antispyware, eset online scanner and download Microsoft Security Essentials after to protect your machine, if its a bad infection you may choose to format and start again

Nick

redqueen

Thanks again. I can't get malwarebytes or ad aware or virus scan to run. I can download and start mbam but it shuts down after a few seconds, same thing with ad aware. I was trying to copy the them saved under different names off the dvd... maybe a flash drive would work.

yoyo

redqueen wrote: »

Thanks again. I can't get malwarebytes or ad aware or virus scan to run. I can download and start mbam but it shuts down after a few seconds, same thing with ad aware. I was trying to copy the them saved under different names off the dvd... maybe a flash drive would work.

Download RKILL and use the version named explorer.exe. Save this onto your desktop, and then open it (in safemode which i assume your still in), a black DOS window should open. See if you can run Mbam after. If you can't post back (do try opening rkill's explorer.exe a couple of times though)

Nick

redqueen

Thanks again.

I had several versions of rkill on the DVD I made from a clean computer, I never thought to just download it and run it. I had to run it a few times, it said it stopped two istances of explorer.exe from the desktop. I then tried mbam and it again stopped working. (Just FYI I didn't re-download mbam. I had a copy of the download which I saved under a different filename.)

Also during the rkill process, I got the Windows message from startup again, alerting me that I was in safe mode and asking if I wanted to continue in safe mode or not.

I then rebooted and went through the process again. This time rkill didn't seem to find/stop anything, but again I got the Windows message about being in safe mode during the process. And once again mbam shut down after about 18 seconds/420 files scanned.

yoyo

redqueen wrote: »

Thanks again.

I had several versions of rkill on the DVD I made from a clean computer, I never thought to just download it and run it. I had to run it a few times, it said it stopped two istances of explorer.exe from the desktop. I then tried mbam and it again stopped working. (Just FYI I didn't re-download mbam. I had a copy of the download which I saved under a different filename.)

Also during the rkill process, I got the Windows message from startup again, alerting me that I was in safe mode and asking if I wanted to continue in safe mode or not.

I then rebooted and went through the process again. This time rkill didn't seem to find/stop anything, but again I got the Windows message about being in safe mode during the process. And once again mbam shut down after about 18 seconds/420 files scanned.

OK, Time to try something else. Download the Kaspersky Rescue Disk and burn it onto a CD on a working pc. Now put this disc into your computer and boot off it as if to install an OS/Sometimes you can press [F12] or similar key to access boot menu, others you need to change boot priority to CD first in BIOs.
When you run the live disc make sure to upgrade Kaspersky, click the Update tab. Once done run a scan. This will remove crap you can't remove from within Windows.
Next boot into Windows and fingers crossed some of the infections have been nuked. Now run your Malwarebytes scans,Super Antispyware, and also Eset online scanner,

Nick

PapaSierra

redqueen wrote: »

My problem is that my DVD drive does not work. When I put a DVD in it it spins, but in explorer it says to insert a disk in the drive.

My DVD drive is working properly according to the properties in device manager. However, the drive shows up under CD-ROMs, and under device type on properties it also shows CD-ROM.

I serached for information on this, and found one post which said that it was normal for Windows to show DVD drives as CD-ROMs. Is this correct? If not, could someone please instruct me on how to check the drive settings in the BIOS, or otherwise provide some hopefully helpful advice?

I dont think it's a virus or anythink like it.

Try this:
support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

FSL

It's probably a dirty lens. At the moment I can't find my disc cleaner and my DVD drive will read some DVD's and not others even though a visual compare of the DVD's shows hardly any difference.

yoyo

PapaSierra wrote: »

I dont think it's a virus or anythink like it.

Try this:
support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

FSL wrote: »

It's probably a dirty lens. At the moment I can't find my disc cleaner and my DVD drive will read some DVD's and not others even though a visual compare of the DVD's shows hardly any difference.

OP can only boot into Safe Mode and can't run any anti malware app, so could well be malware problems, I've seen it before on badly infected systems

Nick