CD Drives missing

David Waldmann

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Yes, I've misplaced my CD Drives. At least, Windows thinks so.

The computer knows they're there, because I can boot from them, but they don't show up in Windows Explorer.

I don't know exactly when this happened - it was a while ago and I didn't have time to address it then. Now I can't think of what I might have done to make it happen. There is one thing I do know, one drive had its letter re-asssigned.

This is/was my setup:
A:\ local floppy
C:\ local HD
D:\ supposed to be local CD-ROM
E:\ network HD
F:\ network HD
R:\ supposed to be local CD-R/RW
Y:\ network CD
Z:\ network HD

I'm running XP Pro on an NTFS SCSI drive.

Disk administrator only shows C:\ and a small (31MB) un-labeled FAT partition - I believe that was used by XP during installation.

Device Manager says "Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)" The troubleshooter is completely worthless, as it often is.

Any suggestions?
 
When I recently installed a new photo printer, which had a bunch of built-in memory card readers, several drive designations got switched. This raised havoc with some programs, since they were installed on an external hard drive.

One thing that seemed easier with previous Windows versions was changing drive letter designations. The only way I could do it in XP was to go to 'HELP' and search for 'change drive letter.' There were step-by-step instructions and links to some obscure utility (which I have been unable to find by any other means) which - after a reboot - did the trick.

If Windows isn't recognizing the device(s) at all, I wonder if it would make sense to run the 'add hardware' utility from the control panel.

Where the **** is Mike this morning, anyway? Sleeping in? :D
 
Good morning,

Ron just called and woke me up.

It sounds like it might be getting confused with the network drive letter assignments. That device would normally want to be at E: Most networks generally start at F:. What kind of network are you running?

If "Scan for hardware changes" doesn't find and re-assign the drive, after erasing it in the device manager, you can always try:

administrative tools -> computer management -> storage -> disk management.

Scroll down and see if your missing drive is listed there and if it says "HEALTHY".

In the bottom window, scroll down to the appropriate drive, right click on it, and you'll be able to re-assign the drive letter back to R: Reboot the computer and see if it works.

If this doesn't fix it, let me know and we can dig a bit deeper.

Mike
 
I'm running an NT4 server with Windows networking. I have a database application that runs on drive E on the server and the easiest way to get the workstations to run it was to map the network drives as E as well. That worked fine until I got the computer with two CD drives. So I re-assigned the drive letter and that took care of it. That was two years ago and worked fine until recently.

administrative tools -> computer management -> storage -> disk management = what I was calling Disk Administrator, I guess they renamed it in XP. As I mentioned it only shows Disk 0 which is C and the un-named partition.

I have removed the drives from device manager and then done "Add new hardware". It finds them but says it can't complete installation and I have the same situation as before.
 
Good morning, Mike. 'Bout time!

administrative tools -> computer management -> storage -> disk management.
Hey, thanks for that. That's exactly where Windows Help would take me to change drive letters, but it refused to disclose how we got there. In previous Windows versions, there were several quick-and-easy ways to get to the device manager.
 
BTW, I always have trouble using my USB flash card reader. For some reason Windows makes it drive E but then can't read it - E continues to be the network drive. So in order to use it I have to disconnect my network drive E, use the reader, and then reconnect to the network drive.
 
Originally posted by Ron Eggers:

I think continuous Mac use makes you weak and ill-equipped to deal with the trials and tribulations of the real world.
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Hi

That's odd. Did this all start happening when you added the USB reader to the equation? It might help to erase those drivers also, then try re-detecting/rebooting the machine.

So you're not seeing either drive listed, yet the CDROM still works as D:?

When you boot the computer, does the BIOS see and identify both cd disc drives? (is it configured to?)

Have we tried all the above with the network disconnected?

If all else fails, we may have to test this drive in another machine to make sure it's ok.

Someone else will hopefully jump in with suggestions too. What do you think, Steve H and Steve K?
 
That's odd. Did this all start happening when you added the USB reader to the equation? It might help to erase those drivers also, then try re-detecting/rebooting the machine.
No, it was before the USB reader. Actually, the USB reader would probably work now because there is no D:\, but I haven't tried (and I don't have it with me).


So you're not seeing either drive listed, yet the CDROM still works as D:?

When you boot the computer, does the BIOS see and identify both cd disc drives? (is it configured to?)
The CDs don't work in Windows. I can boot from drive D. The BIOS shows both enabled, but there is no message displayed when I boot that they have been found (like you might see in a DOS autoexec startup).


Have we tried all the above with the network disconnected?
Guess I'll give that a shot now.
 
By any chance, did you recently remove "ROXIO EASY CD CREATOR" software from the machine? There is a known problem and fix, if so. It sounds suspiciously similar. If so, here is the fix:

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

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

2. Locate the UpperFilters value under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

3. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

4. Locate the LowerFilters value under the same key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

5. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

6. Quit Registry Editor.NOTE: After you remove the Upperfilters value and the Lowerfilters value, if you notice lost functionality in a particular program, such as CD recording software, you may need to reinstall that software. If the problem recurs, consult with the software vendor for assistance.

7. Restart your computer.
 
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That did it!

In fact, I had been fooling around with those values because of a Roxio problem. I had been unable to get Roxio to work right and ended up uninstalling it. It was definitely after unstalling Roxio that they disappeared.

Thanks so much!
 
I'm very happy to hear the good news!

If looking for a replacement for Roxio, I suggest NERO. It's a great program, and very easy to learn.

Have a great weekend,
Mike
 
After the past 3 weeks, I could use a full day of sleep.

My father has been sick and has been in a special hospital in Vermont for three weeks. (We have to go get him tonight)

My mother has advanced alzheimer's and requires 24 hour care, and he is her caretaker. Unfortunately, I can't take care of her and work multiple jobs, too. We had to find a nursing home for my mom during this temporary period. (we are bringing her home in the morning)

While they were gone, my brother and I went through their house and gave it a good cleaning and remodelling. (rugs, landscaping, paint, etc) We've been visiting my mom multiple times daily to make sure she's ok.

He's either going to be thrilled or really upset tonight when he sees the house.

Can I sleep all weekend?


I didn't mean to burden you with all that. The grumble is a nice diversion from reality.

Mike
 
The only way to ease that kind of burden is to share it with some friends.

Mike, you contribute so much to The Grumble that I think we sometimes take you for granted.

I wish your parents a happy homecoming and you a few good nights' rest.
 
replacement for Roxio? NERO is / was / going to be the same company.

Best one I have ever run across is a program called Alcohol 120.
It can do t/raw DAO and a million other options that no other program can do. I think it is $20!!
 
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