CD-RW and DVD-ROM inaccessible

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brian Meadows
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Brian Meadows

Dell Precision 410 dual CPU server with a Promise ATA/66 controller, 512 MB RAM,
Windows 2000 SP4. There are two hard drives on the primary controller of the
Promise, and a CD-RW and DVD-ROM on the secondary. The motherboard IDE
controllers are disabled because there's a SCSI card installed - I can't change
that, the BIOS setup is such that either I have to lose the SCSI card (used for
an external drive) or else the motherboard IDE controllers are disabled.

The BIOS finds everything on boot up, and according to the device manager the
CD-RW and DVD-ROM are present and functioning correctly. They don't appear in
the Computer Management | Disk Management display, though, I can only see the
two hard drives there, and (not surprisingly) the CD and DVD are inaccessible
from within Windows.

The drives *are* connected correctly - I've tried uninstalling them from the
device manager, and when the PC is booted again, some part of the startup is
identifying the drives correctly, i.e. the model number etc. is being retrieved
from somewhere. When the Promise displays the devices connected to it, all four
drives appear in the listing.

Everything was OK yesterday, I used the two drives to copy a CD, no problems
whatever, and there has been no software or hardware either added to or removed
from the PC since then.

I've tried reinstalling the drivers for the CD and DVD too - no change.

Anyone got any ideas on how to fix the problem?


Thanks,

Brian.
 
Brian - on a holiday not many people may be around, so I'll post
this fairly vague note in hopes it helps - I recall several posts
a few years ago about W2k and the Promise controller. There's a
chance that an updated BIOS and/or driverset from their website
might help. Both are there, but dated 2000 and 2001. Still...

Also, a tech support call might help.

Here's hoping some better-informed guru will post a specific solution
ASAP. Good luck, and happy new year :-)
 
Brian - on a holiday not many people may be around, so I'll post
this fairly vague note in hopes it helps - I recall several posts
a few years ago about W2k and the Promise controller. There's a
chance that an updated BIOS and/or driverset from their website
might help. Both are there, but dated 2000 and 2001. Still...
Click to expand...

Possible, I guess, although the Promise BIOS is actually finding the drives.
They're also visible in the device manager, and I don't understand how that
could be the case if there was a controller BIOS problem.
Also, a tech support call might help.
Click to expand...

I'd refer you to your first sentence ;-)
Here's hoping some better-informed guru will post a specific solution
ASAP. Good luck, and happy new year :-)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Can but hope. I don't think the problem is with the Promise controller,
though, partly for the reason above, but also because the setup has worked just
fine for a couple of years now.


Brian.
 
Brian - still fishing, harrumpf - :-) - perhaps some associated
software that was executing has been corrupted/lost? so various
reinstalls may help? Interesting that the config worked for a time.
then doesn't...some change occurred...still vague I know...anything
at all changed in the system, other apps, etc...pls post solution if
any for us dummies...
 
Brian - still fishing, harrumpf - :-)
Click to expand...

I appreciate the efforts....
- perhaps some associated
software that was executing has been corrupted/lost? so various
reinstalls may help?
Click to expand...

Umm. If I were to do that, I think the first reinstall would be Windows itself,
and that's a LOT of work on this PC. It's not just my CD-writing software that's
having a problem, Windows Explorer can't find the drives, the logical disk
manager can't find the drives... Nothing on a higher level than the device
manager can see them (that I've found so far).
Interesting that the config worked for a time.
Click to expand...

Yes. Something has obviously changed. I just have no idea what, which is why I'm
hoping someone might recognise the symptoms. I really do *NOT* want to have to
do a full reinstall if I can possibly avoid it. Windows itself is trivial, it's
the other stuff I have on here that will take the time - particularly the
various versions of Delphi, I've yet to get the installed components to survive
an OS reinstallation, and reinstalling those is a day's work on its own.
then doesn't...some change occurred...still vague I know...anything
at all changed in the system, other apps, etc...
Click to expand...

I have tried to think of something that's changed - but since the drives were
last successfully used, on New Year's Eve, I've used the PC for nothing except
to collect e-mail and look at a couple of news sites (the BBC and a couple of
British national daily papers, unlikely to have been responsible, or at least a
hell of a lot of people will be seeing the same symptoms if they were). I use
Agent for e-mail as well as news, so there's nothing nasty sneaked in through
something like Outhouse Excess, Agent does *nothing* without I explicitly tell
it to.
pls post solution if
any for us dummies...
Click to expand...

If/when I find it, I will....


Brian.
 
Brian said:
Dell Precision 410 dual CPU server with a Promise ATA/66 controller, 512 MB RAM,
Windows 2000 SP4. There are two hard drives on the primary controller of the
Promise, and a CD-RW and DVD-ROM on the secondary. The motherboard IDE
controllers are disabled because there's a SCSI card installed - I can't change
that, the BIOS setup is such that either I have to lose the SCSI card (used for
an external drive) or else the motherboard IDE controllers are disabled.

The BIOS finds everything on boot up, and according to the device manager the
CD-RW and DVD-ROM are present and functioning correctly. They don't appear in
the Computer Management | Disk Management display, though, I can only see the
two hard drives there, and (not surprisingly) the CD and DVD are inaccessible
from within Windows.

The drives *are* connected correctly - I've tried uninstalling them from the
device manager, and when the PC is booted again, some part of the startup is
identifying the drives correctly, i.e. the model number etc. is being retrieved
from somewhere. When the Promise displays the devices connected to it, all four
drives appear in the listing.

Everything was OK yesterday, I used the two drives to copy a CD, no problems
whatever, and there has been no software or hardware either added to or removed
from the PC since then.

I've tried reinstalling the drivers for the CD and DVD too - no change.
Click to expand...

What drivers? there is no need for Special drivers in Windows.

Look into the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and disable the driver entries
for the CD-ROM and DVD (********.sys in the config.sys and MSCDEX.EXE in
the Autoexec.bat) bei set an REM at the beginning of the line. also
please look in the system.ini if there is any entry for an ********.386
File coresponding to your drives and disable them by entering an ";" at
the beginning of the line at last delete all CD and DVD entries in
secure mode.
Anyone got any ideas on how to fix the problem?


Thanks,

Brian.
Click to expand...
Till then,
Jan-Peter
 
On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 10:23:43 +0100, Jan-Peter Rühmann

What drivers?
Click to expand...

Go to the device manager, right click on the device, select 'Properties', then
'driver'. Try updating the *Windows* driver, and if a new one can't be found,
you will be given an option to reinstall the current drivers. I wasn't
especially hopeful, but I tried it. No effect (not too surprisingly).
there is no need for Special drivers in Windows.
Click to expand...

I don't think I said anything about a *Special* driver (my emphasis).
Look into the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys
Click to expand...

I have neither of them.
and disable the driver entries
for the CD-ROM and DVD (********.sys in the config.sys and MSCDEX.EXE in
the Autoexec.bat) bei set an REM at the beginning of the line. also
please look in the system.ini if there is any entry for an ********.386
File coresponding to your drives and disable them by entering an ";" at
the beginning of the line
Click to expand...

There are none. system.ini contains a few lines of font information and a couple
of drivers, neither of which are related to the CD or DVD.
at last delete all CD and DVD entries in
secure mode.
Click to expand...

I assume you mean safe mode. Been there, done that, no change in the problem.

Thanks for the attempt, though. Anyone else want to try?

Brian.
 
Brian - that's quite a set of system problems to pop up all of a sudden,
absent significant new software installs. I appreciate the difficulties
that attend a complete reinstallation of the system and apps...but
there's always the chance that there's a failing drive. You probably
know that drive manufacturers have downloadable drive diagnostics for
their products? These things are bootable floppy images; quite
independent of the stuff on the disk. If you determine the disk is
failing, you can generally arrange a warranty replacement, and have the
replacement drive shipped to you first, so you have a shot at slaving
the bad drive, installing W2k fresh on the new drive, and possibly
moving valuable files from old to new...then shipping the old drive back
in the handy packaging the replacement arrived in.

In some cases these diagnostic utils can restore the bum drive, for at
least a while...long enough to clone the contents.

Yeah, another shot in the dark!

I'm assuming you've tried the built-in W2k tools, like safe boot and
recovery console.
 
Brian - that's quite a set of system problems to pop up all of a sudden,
absent significant new software installs.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, I don't understand this. There's just one (well, two if you count
them individually) problem at the moment, my CD-RW and DVD-ROM have
'disappeared' from within Windows.
I appreciate the difficulties
that attend a complete reinstallation of the system and apps...but
there's always the chance that there's a failing drive.
Click to expand...

I suppose - but there doesn't seem to be any other problem, and I find it hard
to understand why a failing drive would just result in the disappearance of the
CD and DVD, but no other effects (well, not so far, anyway).
You probably
know that drive manufacturers have downloadable drive diagnostics for
their products? These things are bootable floppy images; quite
independent of the stuff on the disk. If you determine the disk is
failing, you can generally arrange a warranty replacement, and have the
replacement drive shipped to you first, so you have a shot at slaving
the bad drive, installing W2k fresh on the new drive, and possibly
moving valuable files from old to new...then shipping the old drive back
in the handy packaging the replacement arrived in.
Click to expand...
The last hard drive I bought had a one-year warranty - yes, that's buying it
retail, not as part of a system.
In some cases these diagnostic utils can restore the bum drive, for at
least a while...long enough to clone the contents.
Click to expand...

Backups are not a problem. I write database software for a living, I have all my
important stuff backed up in at least two different ways.
Yeah, another shot in the dark!

I'm assuming you've tried the built-in W2k tools, like safe boot and
recovery console.
Click to expand...
Removing the drives in safe mode and rebooting gets me nowhere. I'm not sure
what you're suggesting I'd do from the recovery console.


Brian.
 
Dave you been in Disk Manager and give them a Letter?
Click to expand...

That's the problem, Bob. The drives don't appear there. I can see them in the
device manager, and it tells me they're working properly, but I can't see them
to (re)assign drive letters. They did have them, I was able to access them, but
sometime in a 24 hour period between my last using them and trying to use them
again, the drives have disappeared from everything but the device manager. The
BIOS routines find them OK, the device manager sees them OK, but nothing else.

Brian.
 
Brian said:
That's the problem, Bob. The drives don't appear there. I can see them in the
device manager, and it tells me they're working properly, but I can't see them
to (re)assign drive letters. They did have them, I was able to access them, but
sometime in a 24 hour period between my last using them and trying to use them
again, the drives have disappeared from everything but the device manager. The
BIOS routines find them OK, the device manager sees them OK, but nothing else.
Click to expand...

I don't know what is causing it to happen, but since the middle
of December I have been seeing occasional instances of optical drives
- all sorts - being being spuriously disabled in one or more of the
hardware profiles, usually the default profile.

Go back to Device Manager and right-click on the drives to get
to the Properties. Make sure either "Enabled in this hardware
profile" or "Enabled in all hardware profiles" is selected.
 
I don't know what is causing it to happen, but since the middle
of December I have been seeing occasional instances of optical drives
- all sorts - being being spuriously disabled in one or more of the
hardware profiles, usually the default profile.

Go back to Device Manager and right-click on the drives to get
to the Properties. Make sure either "Enabled in this hardware
profile" or "Enabled in all hardware profiles" is selected.
Click to expand...

Both drives are (and were) enabled.

Brian.
 
Ok try this fix then(filter removal)

Cannot Access CD-ROM and "Code 31" Error Message in Device Manager After
You Remove Adaptec Easy CD Creator from Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;270008
Click to expand...

Well, I'm not getting any kind of error message from the device manager, never
mind a code 31, and I haven't just removed an early version of Easy CD Creator,
so I'm a little sceptical about the chances of this fix working - but OK, I took
a look with regedit.

The values for UpperFilters and LowerFilters are exactly the same as they are on
another box I have which is also running Win 2K, and the CD/DVD drives on that
one work just fine, so I think there are too many things suggesting that I don't
try removing these keys, at least not at the moment.

Thanks for the suggestion, though. If things get really desperate, I might come
back to it.

Brian.
 
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