It just won't run any discs, It opens and closes, but refuses to read. I have had the problem for a while but It never really bothered me... Until I just tried to install Morrowind. Now it's personal, and needs to be fixed. My parents will not do anything about it because "it doesn't concern them, it's not their PC." If anyone has any Ideas or has experienced this, please help me fix it.

Hmmm. Maybe time to go shopping... Does it showup in MyComputer? What is your OS?

P2E


It just won't run any discs, It opens and closes, but refuses to read. I have had the problem for a while but It never really bothered me... Until I just tried to install Morrowind. Now it's personal, and needs to be fixed. My parents will not do anything about it because "it doesn't concern them, it's not their PC." If anyone has any Ideas or has experienced this, please help me fix it.

Windows XP, and yes it shows up in My computer.

If the drive came with your PC, then try going into Device Manager and removing the drive then rebooting and see if it will redetect it. If not, then it may be time for a replacement.

Insert any CD. Open a DOS (Start>Run>CMD-OK) session.
Enter WinMSD at the DOS windows. Check Hardware Resources for possible hardware conflicts. Also, under Components, select CD-ROM, check all details (e.g, media loaded, name, status, driver.

If everything looks kosher, you are likely looking at faulty hardware
> Insert screwdriver & remove PC case, delete cd drive, insert replacement drive, reload PC case. Load CD driver, test CD and move on to the next problem... ;)

P2E


It just won't run any discs, It opens and closes, but refuses to read. I have had the problem for a while but It never really bothered me... Until I just tried to install Morrowind. Now it's personal, and needs to be fixed. My parents will not do anything about it because "it doesn't concern them, it's not their PC." If anyone has any Ideas or has experienced this, please help me fix it.

Have you tried using a CD lens cleaner? A dusty or smoky environment can cause problems reading the drive when the hardware is detected. You can get these cleaning kits from most PC shops (they usually are a CD with a small brush attached which wipes the lens as the cd spins). If this does not work, can you try the drive in another machine?

Hi, I'm having the same problem! My computer just stopped reading all discs one day (not sure when, awhile ago though). I have cycled through 5 different CD drives, and the last one worked for awhile, until today. Ive removed it form the drivers list and re-installed it, I've tried to blow the dust out, and I've tried to get into my BIOs to do all that stuff, but neither me or my computer savy friends can get into the BIOs on my computer. I run Windows XP, and the CD drives I used are

HP CD-writer Plus Model:CR-4848TE

CD-rom drive (compaq) Model:LTN-486s

ROM-400-DELTA 52X IDE Model:OIP-CD52000A

CD-ROM READER Model:CDR-273

?? (ive got this one in at the moment)

I hope this helps, and I help you can help, it appears that this is a rather large problem (google has lots of posts about it) and no-one seems to have an answer!

I know you can't get into the bios, but does it recognise the drive when booting, usually you can see a list of detected drives somewhere in the boot sequence. If the CD rom drive comes up in this list then you probably don't have to worry about the bios. If the drive doesn't however, you may have to get into the bios and set the detection to auto. My favourite technique for getting into bios is repeatedly pressing DEL or F2 as the computer starts (about once every second). Otherwise study the screen for instructions on how to enter bios.

Hi, im having the same problem! My computer just stopped reading all discs one day (not sure when, awhile ago though). I have cycled throught 5 differnt CD drives, and the last one worked for awhile, until today. Ive removed it form the drivers list and re-installed it, ive tried to blow the dust out, and ive tried to get into my BIOs to do all that stuff, but neither me or my computer savy freinds can get into the BIOs on my computer. I run Windows XP, and the CD drives i used are
HP CD-writer Plus Model:CR-4848TE
CD-rom drive (compaq) Model:LTN-486s
ROM-400-DELTA 52X IDE Model:OIP-CD52000A
CD-ROM READER Model:CDR-273
????(ive got this one in at the moment)
i hope this helps, and i help you can help, it appears that this is a rather large problem (google has lots of posts about it) and no-one seems to have an answer!

First, no one can get into the BIOS. The BIOS is a PROM chip that manages the interaction between the peripherals and the CPU. During the Boot process the BIOS reads settings stored on a CMOS chip. The CMOS is a low power RAM chip that uses battery power to maintain the data stored on it. It's the CMOS that you get into using the Setup option during boot. While some people refer to this as the BIOS, its incorrect.

Second, you don't say WHY you can't get into the CMOS. What happens when you try? How old is this PC? Did it come with Win XP? Is the CD on a spearate channel from any other drives?

Maybe more info will help us help you.

Scott,

Whoa, backup dude, the BIOS not a PROM & it is accessible. By function, the BIOS is either EEPROM or Flash EEProm of which both are electrically programmable via pgm or keyboard ($debug) cmds. As the BIOS contains the initial I/O functionality (firmware) for the PC, the customized aspects of individual PC's (e.g. date, time, drive config, etc) are stored in a small (64 to 256 byte) "scratch" memory area, referred to as "CMOS". As you mentioned, it is programmable.

Dis'G,

There is little to no information regarding CD(s) in the BIOS or CMOS. It is the driver that is critical to CD functioning properly in Windows. Since windows see the CD drive(s), check/upgrade your CD drivers...

P2E

P2E


First, no one can get into the BIOS. The BIOS is a PROM chip that manages the interaction between the peripherals and the CPU. During the Boot process the BIOS reads settings stored on a CMOS chip. The CMOS is a low power RAM chip that uses battery power to maintain the data stored on it. Its the CMOS that you get into using the Setup option during boot. While some people refer to this as the BIOS, its incorrect.

Second, you don't say WHY you can't get into the CMOS. What happens when you try? How old is this PC? Did it come with Win XP? Is the CD on a spearate channel from any other drives?

Maybe more info will help us help you.

Scott,

Whoa, backup dude, the BIOS not a PROM & it is accessible. By function, the BIOS is either EEPROM or Flash EEProm of which both are electrically programmable via pgm or keyboard ($debug) cmds. As the BIOS contains the initial I/O functionality (firmware) for the PC, the customized aspects of individual PC's (e.g., date, time, drive config, etc) are stored in a small (64 to 256 byte) "scratch" memory area, referred to as "CMOS". As you mentioned, it is programmable.

Dis'G,

There is little to no information regarding CD(s) in the BIOS or CMOS. It is the driver that is critical to CD functioning properly in Windows. Since windows see the CD drive(s), check/upgrade your CD drivers...

P2E

P2E

Yes, the BIOS is usually an EEPROM, but that doesn't change what I said. An EEPROM is a type of PROM. PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory. The EE just indicates how the chip can be programmed. That doesn't make it not a PROM. And no, the BIOS is not accessible in the context of the original question. Its true that most modern BIOS chips can be "flashed" to upgrade them. This involves running a program that changes registers on the chip. But that's not what the question referred to.

Yes there is little info on CD in the CMOS. Since almost all CDs are IDE drives now, its just listed as another drive. About the only other setting would be to make the CD bootable.

I wouldn't consider the CMOS "programmable". All you are doing ius editing the settings through the interface.

Not sure why you want me to "whoa" or "backup". Everything I said in my response was accurate. That he can't get into the CMOS Setup may be indicative of other problems which is what I asked about it. But I agree that is more likely a drivers or hardware issue.

I think I might have misguided this search in to the bios, forgot it was recognised in my computer!

Anyway one way to check if it's OS related or hardware is to put a bootable CD in. Ultimate boot disk works for me but if you don't have anything else you may need to use your winxp disk.

Be careful not to start re-installing windows though!

This all depends on whether you can set your computer to boot from CD first (sorry back to bios here).

If you definitely can't get it to boot from CD use a win98 boot floppy and enable cd support - see if you can DIR the D: drive.

Ok, I can't get into BIOs or whatever because it never gives me the option, and I never get to see a screen where it lists all the stuff. I know that it isn't a hardware problem, considering I switched 5 players in and out of it. Does anyone think its possible that it could be a Virus or something, I have lots of problems with that stuff.

Ok, i can't get into BIOs or whatever becasue it never gives me the option, and i never get to see a screen where it lists all the stuff. I know that it isnt a hardware problem, considering I switched 5 players in and out of it. Does anyone think its possible that it could be a Virus or something, i have lots of problems with that stuff.


The time to get into the CMOS is during the boot process. You should briefly see a message to press some key to enter Setup. If you don't see that message you have to find out what key is used. This should be listed in your User manual. Common keys are Del, Esc and F1, F2, F10.

If you have used multiple drives, it could still be a hardware problem. Bad cable, misconfigured drives, bad motherboard, etc. Getting into the CMOS settings and seeing if the drive is recognized is one way to help diagnose the problem.

Ok, I CANNOT get into any of the startup crap, so that is out. (do not try to get that to work, as it is not a problem, and just wastes time that could be spent on the actual problem). I just tried to get it to work again, I am using my Diablo II CDs to get it to work, and it would read all of the CDs except for the play disc, I KNOW the play disc works, it has worked on this computer before, it still works on a friends computer. I have bought and used a CD cleaner cd thingy, it played the audio that was on it. It appears that since my CD-drive reads discs, just not certain ones, that it would be a virus or some other malicius programing. Im scouring Google to no avail, and I'm very tired of this. If you could PLEASE help me get it to work, I'm on my last straw. :mad:

It appears that since my CD-drive reads discs, just not certain ones, that it would be a virus or some other malicius programing. Im scouring google to no avail, and im very tired of this. If you could PLEASE help me get it to work, im on my last straw. :mad:

I doubt very much is this is software related. My suspicion is that there is some physical damage to the disk that some drives aren't picking up.

If this problem is software related, if you have not already, do the following

1, Run up-to-date virus scan (do you have antivirus program installed)

2, Run up-to-date spyware scan - I recommend MS Antispyware Beta (2k & xp only)

3, Check your system files using start -> run -> sfc /scannow
(you will probably need your XP CD - hope it works!)

One other observation I have made is that some computers with XP on that have not installed service pack 2 correctly have had problems with drives working intermittently. Unfortunately I don't have a cure other than the following:

1 Backup any thing you might miss!

2 Try to remove & re-install SP2

3 If that fails Nuke it and re-install OS.

If anyone else has seen this XP problem with SP2 and knows of a better fix please post here!

Oh! Good Luck :rolleyes:

Hi I am having the same problem with my computer the cdrom just stopped readind cds and my floppy drive won't read either. I tried uninstalling them and rebooting, but that didn't do it. I'm using XP it came on the computer.The device manager informs me that both drives are working properlyand it shows when I put a disk in . It just thinks it blank. Any help would be appreciated.THe floppy is generic and the cdrom is lite on lite.thanks

Did you try the suggestion about service pack 2? Make sure you back-up though :eek:

I can't back up anything with floppy and cd not working. Also my machine will not allow me to update any more either I tried all the hot fix suggestions from Microsoft etc. I run anti virus and spyware protection and everything says its clean. I'm getting to my witts end here thanks

Do you know that your floppy and CD rom drives work properly? e.g. can you boot from floppy and cd?

If they work fine, it might be best to re-install the Operating system. You will need to backup your information first though. Do you know anyone who would be able to remove your hard drive and copy the contents onto another machine by plugging it into theirs? If not you might have to go to a shop :mad:

Anyway once you have backed up, wipe the hard drive and re-install using your CD's. Try to ensure that you have as many of the driver disks as possible before you start. Also go to device manager and take a note of your devices - graphics, sound, network drivers etc. This way if you don't have the disks you at least know what drivers you need to download.

Sorry I can't be more help with this problem, as I said earlier, I think this might be caused by Service Pack 2 problems but I don't know the solution :confused:

I need help my computer is working fine accept my cd drive it won't even try to run the disk it doesn't spin or nothing it doesn't even know it is their any suggestions?

And when I go to My Computer the cd sighn is not their

So the cd tray opens and closes but the drive doesn't try to read the disc?

I would try cleaning the lens on the drive with a kit - they usually have a cd with a small brush attached which wipes the lens as it spins. Also have you tried a few different CDs in the drive to make sure its not the disc?

I need help my computer is working fine accept my cd drive it wont even try to run the disk it dosent spin or nothing it dosent even know it is their any suggestions?

And when i go to My Computer the cd sighn is not their

Well this is a better posting choice, but since this is an old thread it would still be better to start your own thread. Also its not a good idea to post the same question in multiple places.

One point, you added the info the CD drive is not appearing in MY Computer. This indicates the drive isn't being detected, either by your PC or by Windows. It could be the drive has gone bad and needs to be replaced. But we still need more info like whether it's a burner or a ROM and the other info I suggested.

Again I suggest starting a new thread in the Hardware category with more info.

OK mines doing the same thing, and it says my media isn't loaded what does that mean?

My drive is doing the same thing and when I went to system info it says media isn't loaded what does that mean?

My cd-rom was not working and not showing up on My Computer. After trying literally everything to get my computer to see the device, I did a RESTORE back to when I remembered my cd-rom was working.

It worked. I don't know if this will help you but its worth a try.

Good luck.

That indicates it is probably a driver or adapter issue/incompatibility - crap, I'm having the same issue, but have been for weeks. I really don't want to restore. Is it possible to restore BACK after restoring? (in the event that the initial restoration doesn't resolve the issue, I mean)

Hi Jake,

The Windows XP system restore function will go back if it does not fix your problem. However, be careful, if you use the manufacturer's system recovery function (like a boot cd or an option when booting) this will wipe the system completely clean and reset the computer to how it was when purchased.

To be sure, always read carefully any boxes that come on screen when doing a recovery. If it is going to wipe out all your documents it should tell you this and make you agree before continuing.

Always make a backup of any important documents & files before performing any large maintenance task such as this.