** DVD / CD-ROM drive disappeared **

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kumaran
  • Start date Start date
Gerry said:
Answering messages six weeks after they were posted is rather pointless
as the other person is unlikely to read them!
Click to expand...

As is replying to someone who posted a message in reply to a six week
old thread ...as is replying to someone who replied to someone who .....

"I'm so dizzy my head is spinning....
 
My favorite definition from the "Devils DP Dictionary"
Recursive: See Recursive

Sort of reminds me of that one !!
 
LOL Can't carry a tune in a bucket, huh? That's why I always liked
listening to Bob Dylan or Neil Young. Those guys can't sing either.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
OMG THANK YOU. I've spent hrs messing with this problem...and your solution
worked in about 10 seconds (including d/l time and me dbl clicking). If I
wasn't married I'd ask you to marry me ;).

Thank you thank thank you!!!!!
 
Hi,

It's pretty common, and while there's no precise cause the fix is nearly
always the same.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
I have had a similar problem. My CD/DVD Drive
shows in Bios but not in My Computer or Device Manager.
The retracking disk shelf works but nothing else.
I've tried "cd_dvd_fix.vbs; xp_cd_dvd_fix.vbs; cdgone.zip".
None have installed in registry or Windows Explorer. Can you
tell me a reason why? Spyware; Spybot scans show no errors.
Thank you for your help.
 
Before you go too crazy, search the MS Knowledge Base. I had the same
problem when I uninstalled Roxio EZ CD Creator v6 & 7.5 even tho I left
Roxio 8 intact. Sorry, but I don't remember how I found the fix.

Many times CD/DVD writing software subs its own driver for the original XP
drivers; if something happens to the software's driver, the original is no
longer referenced in the registry. It's a relatively easy registry hack to
restore them.

HTH
 
When you say, " I've tried "cd_dvd_fix.vbs; xp_cd_dvd_fix.vbs; cdgone.zip". None have installed in registry or Windows Explorer."
Do you mean the files refused to run, install or just that the files did not fix the problem?

You need to perform some troubleshooting steps to try and locate exactly where the problem is coming from.

Check the Event Viewer for possible information. Go to start/Run and type eventvwr and press OK. Click the Application menu item on the left and look for any "X" error messages that coincide with when you last saw this behavior. If any are found, double click the error entry to see the details, click the Copy Icon on the right side of the details dialog screen (looks like 2 pages of text) and paste the error details in a reply to this message. You only need to post the text starting with Event Type: and ending with the Description:. You can omit the Data section.

ie:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: <source>
Event Category: <category>
Event ID: <ID #>
Date: <date>
Time: <time>
User: <user name>
Computer: <computer name>
Description:
Hanging application <program>, <version>, <address>
 
I mean the files refused to install. I did not find any errors in Event
Viewer corresponding
to these files nor the time they were accessed according to their properties.
 
Give us some details. What happens when you double click on one of the ..vbs or .exe files? Any error messages?
 
No error messages. No error logs in Event Viewer/Application...or
/Security...or /System. When double clicking
..vbs files I receive: "Your CD/DVD-Rom drives should now appear in Windows
Explorer." I'm not sure where to look for this, but they certainly don't
appear in "My Computer" or "Device Manager" even in "Safe Mode". When I run
"XP-CD-DVD-Fix.exe. it says "You need to reboot your computer to finish the
repair". Again nothing shows up.
 
I have had a similar problem. My CD/DVD Drive
shows in Bios but not in My Computer or Device Manager.
The retracking disk shelf works but nothing else.
I've tried "cd_dvd_fix.vbs; xp_cd_dvd_fix.vbs; cdgone.zip".
None have installed in registry or Windows Explorer. Can you
tell me a reason why? Spyware; Spybot scans show no errors.
Thank you for your help.
Click to expand...

Any virtual CD software installed? Once had this happen to me -- Installed
Windows, then installed virtual drive software. Suddenly, the cdrom drive
was entirely missing and not listed anywhere within the XP interface.
Uninstalled the virtual drive software and the drive miraculously
"returned." Changed the letter for the physical drive to something further
on down the alphabet. Then reinstalled the virtual drive software (which
insisted on taking the first available letter after hard drive partitions).
 
By "Any virtual CD software" you mean software meant for the CD-Rom Drive ,
No.
I have installed nothing.
To correct my post, the .vbs files function was to have the CD/DVD Rom
drives appear in Windows Explorer. The default WinXP drives are allready in
the System 32/drives folder. It is the cdgone.reg file that does not install
in the registry. It does enter the registry with its file address, i.e. Docs
& Settings/Admin./.../cdgone.reg.
But there is no coded file in the registry display.
I corrected a boot-up problem on this drive last Sat. The rom drive
worked then.
Sun. I downloaded 4 Yahoo Msn. files; they produced 4 consecutive errors in
Event Viewer/Application. I read on another forum a man who's kids
downloaded several Yahoo Messenger downloads and he lost his CD-Rom in My
Computer and Device Manager. The only other error in event viewer is a "date
& time" error. It never stays set at the correct time. The error msg.
indicated a waiting period of 5200 minutes before it would correct itself.
 
By "Any virtual CD software" you mean software meant for the CD-Rom Drive ,
No.
Click to expand...

No, that's not what I meant. Virtual CD software is a program that emulates
a hardware device. Even though the "drive" it creates is not physical
hardware, it is assigned a letter by Windows disk management. This virtual
drive can be used to run files that are normally located on and run from a
CD or DVD. For example, my tablet PC does not have an optical drive but it
does have virtual CD software installed. I can copy a DVD movie to the hard
drive, then use the virtual drive to view the movie.

I don't understand what you are saying about the cdgone.reg file in the
rest of your post. Other than an MRU path, the file does not "show up" in
the registry. Running that file alters values within the registry that
relate to the upper and lower filters for the cd or dvd drive. When you
install third party burning programs (Nero, Roxio, DLA, etc), they add
driver "filters" - values in the registry that work in tandem with the
physical hardware.

Sometimes these keys are damaged -or- if burning software is removed, they
are left behind. With no software to interact with the filters, the drives
"disappear." Removing the filters will, in most cases, restore the drives
to Explorer.

I've had firsthand (and successful) experience with cdgone.reg file but
have never tried the other .VBS files that you mentioned. However, the VBS
files would do the same thing as the REG file. The scripts change values in
the registry that relate to the hardware in question.

NOTE: You can open the .REG file using Notepad to see what information it
will add (or remove) to your registry.

The following MS Knowledge Base article gives step by step directions for
making changes to these changes (the scripts and reg file simply automate
this process):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320553/en-us

Sorry, I have no way of knowing if the downloaded Yahoo Messenger files
were "tainted" or not. However, missing cd drives can be a side symptom of
a malware intrusion - virus, spyware or adware but usually virus. You
mentioned having scanned for spyware already. May want to run a full system
scan with your antivirus program too. (Install the most recent definitions
for your program before running the scan.)

As for the time error: The message sounds like what one would see if the
site assigned for the Internet Time Synch is busy or otherwise not
available. Its appearance in Event Viewer is normal when the time synch
does not occur.

Are you having other problems with time besides this? Not sure what exactly
you mean by "it never stays set at the correct time." If you are referring
to your computer, when is the time wrong - right away at startup or is it
correct at first and then goes wrong after the computer has been running
for a while? If it is always wrong - all of the time - then you may have a
failing battery on the motherboard. Replace the battery. NOTE: The battery
allows the retention of system CMOS settings including time and hardware
(cdrom drives, for example) when the system is powered down. If the battery
is very weak or has failed, those settings are lost after a shutdown.
 
I see what you meant. No, I do not have "Any virtual CD software".
I do not have any upper and lower filters for the cd drive in the registry.
The following is a notepad version of my registry's "Cdrom' entry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom]
"DependOnGroup"=hex(7):53,00,43,00,53,00,49,00,20,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,69,00,\
70,00,6f,00,72,00,74,00,00,00,00,00
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"Group"="SCSI CDROM Class"
"Start"=dword:00000001
"Tag"=dword:00000002
"Type"=dword:00000001
"DisplayName"="CD-ROM Driver
"ImagePath"=hex(2):53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,44,00,\
52,00,49,00,56,00,45,00,52,00,53,00,5c,00,63,00,64,00,72,00,6f,00,6d,00,2e,\
00,73,00,79,00,73,00,00,00
"AutoRun"=dword:0000000
"AutoRunAlwaysDisable"=hex(7):4e,00,45,00,43,00,20,00,20,00,20,00,20,00,20,00,\
4d,00,42,00,52,00,2d,00,37,00,20,00,20,00,20,00,00,00,4e,00,45,00,43,00,20,\
00,20,00,20,00,20,00,20,00,4d,00,42,00,52,00,2d,00,37,00,2e,00,34,00,20,00,\
00,00,50,00,49,00,4f,00,4e,00,45,00,45,00,52,00,20,00,43,00,48,00,41,00,4e,\
00,47,00,52,00,20,00,44,00,52,00,4d,00,2d,00,31,00,38,00,30,00,34,00,58,00,\
00,00,50,00,49,00,4f,00,4e,00,45,00,45,00,52,00,20,00,43,00,44,00,2d,00,52,\
00,4f,00,4d,00,20,00,44,00,52,00,4d,00,2d,00,36,00,33,00,32,00,34,00,58,00,\
00,00,50,00,49,00,4f,00,4e,00,45,00,45,00,52,00,20,00,43,00,44,00,2d,00,52,\
00,4f,00,4d,00,20,00,44,00,52,00,4d,00,2d,00,36,00,32,00,34,00,58,00,20,00,\
00,00,54,00,4f,00,52,00,69,00,53,00,41,00,4e,00,20,00,43,00,44,00,2d,00,52,\
00,4f,00,4d,00,20,00,43,00,44,00,52,00,5f,00,43,00,33,00,36,00,00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom\Enum]
"Count"=dword:00000000
"NextInstance"=dword:00000000
"INITSTARTFAILED"=dword:00000001


The other peculiarity is in Device Manager/IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
The first controller under Properties/General/Device status says:

"A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate
driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)

Click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooter for this device."

I hope this is of some help. Btw I replaced the cmos battery and the
time and date
were corrected but it didn't show the CDROM in Device Manager.
 
I hope this is of some help. Btw I replaced the cmos battery and the
time and date
were corrected but it didn't show the CDROM in Device Manager.
Click to expand...

Even though this did not correct the problem with the cdrom drive, this is
good. There are many things within Windows that rely on an accurate
date/time and, of course, accurate hardware enumeration at boot up by the
BIOS and by the operating system. You may even see other "odd" problems
that you were having with the system disappear.
The other peculiarity is in Device Manager/IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
The first controller under Properties/General/Device status says:

"A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate
driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)

Click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooter for this device."
Click to expand...

Did you try the troubleshooter? If yes, what were the results?

Looking at the reg info I find this:

"ImagePath" - When you use the registry editor, it shows the hex values in
plain language. What does it show as the path to the cdrom.sys file? Does a
copy of the file exist at that stated location?

Reason I'm asking: In my registry editor it shows:
\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys

Our hex values match for the latter part of the path but not for the
system32 folder. The very first number after hex(2): is 73 for me and 53
for you. I've double checked the same key on another system and it is
showing 73 as well. Hex is hex and that value should be the same for the
system32 folder on all Windows systems. Questioning myself -- I can't
imagine our codepage being different here since the XP registry uses
unicode, meaning that this particular value for system32 should be
universal.

Also... under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom\Enum
you're getting a "initstartfailed" result (I am seeing my desktop's 2
optical drives listed by name). So there would appear to be a breakdown of
communication here between the drive and the rest of the system.

This failue could be because of hex value difference for the cdrom.sys
driver. Or the drive is not identifying itself at all to Windows - damaged
or failed hardware. The hardware could be the drive itself or the
controller cable or the controller on the motherboard.

The first thing I would try is exporting another key or two that also shows
the system32 folder as part of the path. Compare the hex values to see if
that stray 53 shows up on all of them or if it comes up as a 73. Reason: If
the path is damaged, the cdrom.sys file is not being found and that event
could stop the drive from being initialized. We want to make sure what
value (73 or 53) should be showing in your registry.

If you find 53 in other keys, then this is the right value for your system
(I would be surprised though). On the other hand, if you find that other
keys show a 73, then change this particular key to a 73 as well.

To do this, use your exported key. Open the reg file in Notepad. Change 53
to 73, save this reg file with a new name. (This step is to change back to
a 53 if you start getting uncomfortable about the change to 73 or
experience difficulty because of it). Double click the new reg file to
merge the info to your registry. Restart and hold your breath.

If it works, great. If it doesn't. Don't change 53 back to 73 yet.

Instead, try a different cable controller (from the drive to the
motherboard). The plastic on these can become brittle with age and snap a
wire or two - causing the cable to work partially or not at all. A
partially working cable may be enough to list the drive during POST but not
in Windows.

If still no go, try the drive in a computer that is having no problem
finding cdrom drives. And/or try a known working drive in your system.

If at this point, there's still no go - I'm out of ideas. Change back to 53
if you desire to do so.

PS: The cdgone.zip file is for removing 3rd party filters. It restores
default values in this area. Since you've never had any 3rd party filters
installed, it would not do anything - good or bad. It's just a common cause
for "disappearing" cdrom drives so gets recommended often. Since you've
seen no change after using it, I do not think filters are a part of your
problem.
 
I had the same problem with my dvd/cd-rom. Code 39 error. I tried Kellys
fix and it immediatly corrected the problem. Thanks, Joe
Joe
 
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