# Can't access cd's



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I may just be having a brain fart, but I can't seem to access anything that I put into my CD drive. 
I recently had a trojan in my system and got help here to get rid of it, I am afraid that I have inadvertantly gotten rid of one thing to many. 

It used to be that when I inserted a CD with music or pictures, a program would automatically open up to access those Pics or music. Ie Corel photo album or Windows media player. Now there isn't anything coming up. 

I went to "my computer" and every drive I click on; E,F,G,H says "please insert disc into drive"

Having a major panic. Ihope I haven't messed things up badly.
Like I said....... I could just be having a brain fart, but I really can't seem t access things and I don't think that I am doing anything differently.

Thanks OHgirl


----------



## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

Is there any activity from the CD drive whatsoever, i.e., noise, a light, etc...


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Look in Device Manager to see if the cd is listed and/or has a yellow ! in front


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

um... I can't find my device manager. Can you walk me through the path that I should take to find it? I'm not really sure. Is there something else it could be called? I was looking in "my computer"


----------



## nickster_uk (Feb 7, 2005)

Try loading a CD, then right click on your CD drive in My Computer and select Explore. Does that open up the contents?

It is possible that you have simply disabled the autoplay functions and that is easily fixable but we need to work out if your computer can actually see the drive first.


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

In my computer I see "local drive C, drive E:,F:,G:,H:". I have even noticed I: and J: before (although those aren't showing now) I don't know if one of these is supposed to be my CD drive, but "explore" brings me the same reply on all of them " please insert a disk" 
I *dohear the drive making noise as though it is reading, but my computer isn't hearing it.*


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Now that I think about it, I seem to recall two icons having previously been listed under "hard disc drives". Now there is only C:. Now I am starting to worry. Our computer had been running really slow for a couple of days and my husband and I were having trouble with it. I am worried that someone could have clicked one time too many somewhere. I have seen this happen before. Accidental right click and release at the wrong time and then next thing you know, as you watch the computer catch up with your actions, you are watching an unstoppable mistake. My husband wouldn't have even know what he was seeing if this were the case.


----------



## n10sity (Jan 10, 2008)

Go to Start > Run and type compmgmt.msc and click OK
Click Disk Management 

Tell me how many CD-ROMs you see listed there and whether or not media is present if you have a CD in your drive. Let us know if there are any discrepancies between the number of CD-ROMs list in Disk Management and the ones you actually have.


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

5 total I think.
Disk 0 - online
Disk 1 - no media
Disk 2 - no media
Disk 3 - no media
Disk 4 - no media

I am not 100% certain of how many I am supposed to have. I know that is awful, but I am honestly just learning to use them (I came from the world of Apple II ) these new disc drives are a bit foriegn to me. I have:
1 that we put a cd into, 
2 that we can put a "flash drive" or Mp3 into (USB?),
1 that I put the card from my camera into, 
and three that I have never used. 

In "my Computer" I do not see the ones that I used for our Mp3 last. But I am not sure if those should show all of the time or if they are only visible when they are in use.


----------



## n10sity (Jan 10, 2008)

You have a CD in the one you use for your CDs at the time you checked Disk Managment?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

OHgirl0728 said:


> um... I can't find my device manager. Can you walk me through the path that I should take to find it? I'm not really sure. Is there something else it could be called? I was looking in "my computer"


Right click on *My Computer *. . Select *Manage* . . *Device Manager*


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Thank you. 
Ah Ha! Big fat exclamation point!
Yes there is a CD in my CD Drive.
~Dana~
Sorry it took me a bit. I missed the email for reply.


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

There is a yellow exclamation point in front of the cd drive in my device manager. What would my next step be in restoring whatever has disrupted it?


----------



## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

right click on it's listing and choose uninstall
right click again and scan for hardware changes
then check if the yellow has gone


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

it said "an error occured during installtion your device may not work properly"


----------



## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

check the ide cable is secure
try a new ide cable


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

what is an ide cable?
I am sorry I don't know


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)




----------



## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

it's the data cable that goes from the m/board into the drives
it needs to be an 80 wire with the
blue 
grey
black plugs
http://freepctech.com/pc/001/installing_ide_devices.shtml


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

The ide cable appears to be secure. Do these things generally go bad? Is there a chance that a file or some type of driver may have been removed by mistake when I was dealing with the trojan mentioned before? Would that cause something like this?


----------



## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

yes they do and they are cheap to replace
to check the system files run
sfc /scannow


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Where do I go to run sfc /scannow?


----------



## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

just copy and paste
sfc /scannow
into the run box and press enter


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I ran the scan and it is asking me to insert a CD2 of Windows XP Professional. After extensive searching, it appears that the disks were misplaced while we were moving last month (our luck) I have everything but this one. I have a friend who has the same version of windows. Would her CD work for this situation? I swear that I did have my own that came with the computer.... I just can't find it right now. UGH....
Let me know if the other will work, meanwhile I will keep looking for mine.

Thanks; sorry for the headache.
OHgirl


----------



## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

yes it will just repair the files from the disk
if this does not fix and a new cable does not,can you check the drive on another computer to check if it is the actual drive that has gone


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I think at that point I would have to give up the effort until I can go to a repair shop. We only have one computer of our own and I would hate to practice a new skill on someone else's machine. I will be back with an update after I try running the disk this evening. 

Thanks for your time.
OHgirl


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

OK.
I have a Dell. It came with Microsoft WindowsXP Professional Edition 2003 already installed. Then we got Microsoft Office Small Business Edition for Excel etc. I can't find a disk for WindowsXP and the disk that my friend had wasn't the right one. Are you sure that Dell sends these disks? I mean I know that they should, but I am not really sure that I got one now that I really think about it. 

When I run the scan the message that I get is "Insert Windows XP Professional CD 2 now" 

What should I do?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

It depends on when the Dell was shipped . . some were shipped with discs, some were not. You can get a replacement here: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I am there but really don' tknow what I am looking for. When I click CD/DVD, there is a dropdown list. Mine doesn't appear to be there. 
I tried calling DELL for support ... in any form... and lets just say I'd better not tell you how I feel about that conversation.

I looked at my CDrom under device managers and it was listed as 
HL-DT-ST DVD+ -RW GWA4164B

Should I even be looking at that or should I be looking for something directly related to XP?


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Hey it looks like I am talking to the person who was helping me with my "trojan" issues before. Am I right? Here I was worried that I might have inadvertantly deleted something needed for my CD rom. 
I have also considered the possibility that it was coincidence that it stopped working at the same time that I was having all the trouble with the trojan pop up.

Additionally I am wondering... When I go to "run> sfc /scannow" as instructed above, and it asks for the windows XP disk. Is it trying to re-immage my computer? I want to avoid that at all costs and I am really hoping that I wouldn't have to do that just for a CD rom. Can you tell me if that is what I am facing now?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

OHgirl0728 said:


> When I go to "run> sfc /scannow" as instructed above, and it asks for the windows XP disk. Is it trying to re-immage my computer? I want to avoid that at all costs and I am really hoping that I wouldn't have to do that just for a CD rom. Can you tell me if that is what I am facing now?


SFC just replaces any missing or corrupted system files . . it does not format or reinstall the Operating System.

For the missing C D . . try this:

IN Device Manager, remove or uninstall the CD/DVD drive and the secondary controller . . reboot to let Windows "discover" them and load the right drivers


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Re boot the computer? Right after I uninstall? 
Before, I think that I did "uninstall" and then "scan for hardware changes". Maybe I did it wrong then. I just want to be sure that I am understanding and following your directions exactly.

Also, another small concern.... I am currently using myMP3 drive to load music onto my daughter's MP3 (she has to give them to a DJ for her B-Day party tonight)
I pulled up device manager to take a look (so that I could make sure I accurately described my previous actions) and noticed that there is now another icon under CD/DVD and it has an exclaimation point too! AMT MP3 Player USB Device. Everything seems to be working ok for now... but I didn't know if that might be an indication of what might have happened to the other one.


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

OHgirl0728 said:


> Re boot the computer? Right after I uninstall?
> Before, I think that I did "uninstall" and then "scan for hardware changes". Maybe I did it wrong then. I just want to be sure that I am understanding and following your directions exactly.
> 
> *You can do either . . I prefer a reboot . . it seems to work better.*
> ...


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I tried this. I got a message that it was found. Then I got the error "Windows cannot load the decice driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing."

I didn't seem to have trouble with the MP3 thing. When I unplug it, the yellow exclamation point goes away. When I plug it in, it comes back, but doesn't seem to interfere with operation.

How can I replace the missing/corrupted driver? Even if I do have the correct driver on CD, How would I load it with the CD Rom not working? Is there a website that I can get it from? If the website is Microsoft.... how do I get through all of the sales & promotions to find the driver that I might need? 

I tried using an update wizzard too. It said "Windows couldn't find a better match for your hardware than the software you currently have installed." Then it gives me the option of finishing or selecting a driver from a different location ie CDrom : (


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Did you run sfc?


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Yes.
It asks me to insert Microsoft Windows XP Professional CD2.
I don't have this CD. 
Dell told me that I wasn't given a CD for windows, it is on my hard drive. 
I also noticed that when I read the sticker on my tower, it says that I have "Windows Media Center Edition 2005".

What should I do from here?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Media Center is XP Pro with the Media Center addon . . when it asks for the disc, point it to the I386 folder on the C: drive


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I am not sure how to point it to the folder. There isn't a drop down. 
There are 3 options
Retry
More Information and 
Cancel


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

More information brings up another screen that says:
"Possible reasons for this problem
*You have inserted the wrong CD
*The CD ROM drive isn't working

Is this scan set up to only work with the CD ROM it seems like I am caught in a catch 22


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Just a note. Not sure if relavent or not... but if this were are part of the solution, I already tried...

Out of curiosity, I did a search on the sfc scan and dllcache. I found an advice article about this anoying request for a CD. http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html There was info about checking in regedit to see that the source path was entered as C:\ and not CD ROM. I checked both locations suggested and they were ok. The article said:

"If the problem persists and you have the correct path for your I386 folder then the I386 folder is corrupted. To solve this problem copy I386 folder from the CD-ROM to your system restart the system and then perform sfc /scannow again."

Still stuck in the catch 22... as I don't have a backup and my CD ROM isn't working. 

Thanks again for your time... 
I will be anxiously waiting to see if you have any recomendations to get around this. I am beginning to feel pretty hopeless.
OHgirl


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Some of the MCE DVD's that were sent with the pc from Dell were defecitve . . you can request a replacement here


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

Thank you for the link. I have had a terrible time trying to get around that site. I called that company and they weren't any help at all.

I sent a request to the link that you gave me. If they send me complete backup CD's, how am I to load them? I am learning a lot more about computers as I go along here, but I am really still just a novice. I have only had my tower open once and I am really shy about trying to figure out how to get around this whole thing. Tax season is here, I do taxes for our business on this computer, and I can't load my disk : (
OHgirl


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

I just received the backup CD's from Dell. They also gave me a link to their site so I could get a download copy of the drivers I am supposed to need. I tried to download and when I attempted to "run" I got an error. "Cannot initialize 2815" I looked the error up and found a windows error list that said 2815 was "control condition table has a row without condition for the dialog" Can I get advice what to try from here?
Thank you OHgirl


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

To reinstall: 

enter BIOS ( Setup ) and set the first boot device as CD/ROM. Put your XP Disc in the drive and disconnect all external peripherals except the monitor, keyboard and mouse, and be sure those are not USB, or wireless. Any internal USB card should also be removed.

Once you set your BIOS to boot first from cd . . when it restarts you will see a black screen with a prompt "*Press any key to boot from CD*" . . do that and you will be able to delete any or all partitions and recreate one or more, then proceed to formating and installing XP. 

That message can pass quickly, so have a finger on the keyboard when you boot. This will delete all data on the drive so be sure you have your important data backed up. The prompt will appear after every reboot, but do not press any key on subsequent reboots. The setup process will continue with no action required from you.

If you do not get that message, and if you have another optical drive, try the XP CD in the other drive.

If you are installing on SATA drive, there is an additional step:

http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp_on_a.htm

You can get a reinstallation guide specific to your Dell here
http://support.dell.com/support/top...install/en/index?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

This is a great guide for reinstalling on a Dell: http://www.djdenham.com/Install Procedures.htm

This is a site that walks you thru a simulated XP installation:
http://www.echoproject.net/en/software/catalog.html

These are good guides to reinstalling XP . . you might want to print one for reference during the install.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f214/full-format-and-reinstall-windows-guide-209975.html
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
http://www.socrtwo.info/cleanxpinstall.htm
http://www.theeldergeek.com/xp_home_install_-_graphic.htm

You will likely have to reload drivers (Chipset first) and applications, If your XP installation disc does not include SP2, after the installation, you will need to download and install SP-2, while windows is clean. Prior to connecting to the internet be sure you enable the XP firewall.

For help entering BIOS: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

This is my only option from here?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

What would you like to do?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

OK . . I think you want to repair the installation . . start with sfc

Put the installation disc in the dvd drive, cancel the installation . . Click on *Start* . . *Run* . . type *cmd* . . at the >prompt, type *sfc scannow*

If that does not do the trick, you can do a Repair Install . . it should not effect data or applicatons, but you will have to reinstall a hundred or so Windows Upates. These are good guides to performing a repair install

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
http://www.informationweek.com/windo...leID=189400897


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

ok I guess that reinstalling is the best way to go. Thanks for your advice. I am sorry if I have been difficult. Hardware is really what I understand the least. The sfc scannow didn't seem to do anything. I am assuming because my CD ROM is what I am having trouble with. I don't think that I want to go through a hundred or so updates either. Just not experienced enough. I would indefinately miss something. 

Thanks again. Your help has been truly appreciated.
OHgirl


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

You will have to go thru the 100 or so updates whether you do a reinstall or a repair install. . and you will have to reinstall any applications . . so I'd try the repair first


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

OH, ok. I am going to print and read over all of this stuff to hopefully get prepared to do this. I am not familliar with any of this, so I want to ask... Do you feel that from the different responses my computer is giving me, it is definately something that is going on with windows? Just to double check ... 
When I insert a cd, it lights and makes "thinking"sounds. I can uninstall and reinstall, but When I look at the Properties I get this message "Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)"
OHgirl


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Have you tried removing it in Device Manager and rebooting to see if windows discovers it and loads the drivers? . . Can you see the drive in BIOS? ( if not, you will not be able to repair or reinstall )

The drive may have failed


----------



## OHgirl0728 (Jan 10, 2008)

i have removed and reinstalled. The computer finds the new hardware, and then says that it can't load the driver and that it may not work properly
What is BIOS?


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

BIOS = Basic Input/Output System it is the very first thing that loads when you turn the pc on . . it loads the devices and tells the system how to work with them. . when it completes, it turns things over to the Operating System

When you first turn your Dell on, you should see a brief message to Press F2 ( or some other key ) to enter Setup . . do that and you should see some options . . look around for drives and see if the cd is recognized

For help entering BIOS: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm


----------

