CD-RW/DVD rom drive problems

[Warmel]

Ok, Im having a huge problem with my CD-RW drive and my DVD-rom drive. I just baught one of those rounded IDE cables for my computer and hooked it up to my CD-RW and DVD drives. I hooked it up correctly, with my dvd-rom in the slave and my cd-rw as master. I had this set-up working just fine previously with the regular flat IDE cable. Anyways, for whatever reason, windows now just doesnt want to recongize the two drives anymore. If I go to my controll panel and click on the add hardware, both drives show up. However it says

"Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device (Code 41)".

It says this for both drives. What I dont get too is my motherboard recongizes it because when I start my computer it shows both of them.

I tried to do some troubleshooting by going back to the original cable but now I get the same problem. Windows still cannot find the devices with the flat IDE cable I had in before I switched. I also hooked up my new rounded IDE cable to my hard-drive and it see's that so I know the cable isn't bad.

If there is anything anyone can think of it would be greatly appreaciated as im all out of idea's. Thanks

Here are my Specs:

P4 2.8c 800fbs
DFI PS83- BC/BL
ATI 9600 XT
PNY 512mb 3200 ram
Western digital 120gb hard-drive
Memorex CD-RW drive
LG DVD-ROM drive

[glc]

Verify proper cable orientation and jumpering. Ultra ATA cables are designed to be used as Cable Select, and it matters which connector goes where.

[Warmel]

I tried switching around IDE cables, still have the same problem.

Now that I think about it, I installed the new cable on monday and I was using my cd rw drive on Tuesday. So this is just something that came up out of the blue yesterday. So now im even more confused that I was before.

[glc]

Disconnect one drive at a time as a test - it's possible that one drive has gone bad, and this will often knock out the other drive on the same cable. So will improper jumpering with respect to the cable. If you are using standard 40 wire cable, you use master/slave, one of each. Position of the drive on the cable doesn't matter. if you are using 80 wire Ultra ATA, both drives should be set to Cable Select, and master/slave is determined by which connector you use, master is the end connector and slave is the middle connector. Make sure if you are using 80 wire, the correct end is plugged into the motherboard, that does matter.

[Warmel]

Well, i tried switching around to see if one of my drives were bad, but both didnt show up when I tried them one at a time. This is the cable that I baught http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/rnd-01.html
What I also find strange, is every time I use a new set-up with the drives to try and pin-point my problem, it says that my computer has dectected new hardware, but yet it doesnt show up.

[glc]

Open your device manager and see if any IDE controllers are flagged.

[Warmel]

Both drivers are flagged.

[glc]

Are the DRIVES flagged or are the CONTROLLERS flagged?

Have you by any chance installed or uninstalled any CD burning software lately - does Roxio ring a bell? What version of Windows?

[Warmel]

The DVD/CD-ROM drives is not flagged but both my cd-rw and dvd rom are flagged, im sorry, I was a bit confused. To answer the second part, no I have not. I have Windows XP home

[glc]

Let's try some more - the "controllers" are in "IDE/ATAPI Controllers". Is everything kosher in there?

Read this article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314060

[Warmel]

Everything seems fine in that area. I read the article and I'm not sure the problem applys to me. In my case the driver was successfully loaded but it cannot find the hardware device (code 41). By the way I really appreciate what your doing glc.

[Warmel]

Well I compleatly went back to my old set-up, right down to the same screws that my cd drives were screwed into and im still having the problem. Should I maybe uninstall my drivers and try to see what I can do with that?

[GrfxArt]

...are you using WinXP by chance?? I had a similar problem, just one day my CD drive wasn't being seen. I had been meaning to reinstall WinXP clean, so I did...and the CD drive was back...

[Warmel]

Sounds exactly like my problem, I think it just kicked the bucket. Did you try and uninstall the drivers before you reinstalled windows?

[GrfxArt]

Originally posted by Warmel
Did you try and uninstall the drivers before you reinstalled windows?

...no I didn't, just reinstalled Windows...

...what happens when you put a CD in the drive...it opens right?... does it spin or anything..any drive lights??...

....are you sure that new rounded cable you bought can be used for CD drives? You mentioned it worked for a HDD...I don't think there's a difference, but maybe this one might be wired differently and fried your CD drives or corrupted winxp/software ??.....??

[Warmel]

When I put in CD's it the light blinks and it spins but nothing happens. I dont think I fried anything because it still works, just windows XP wont see the drives but my mobo does.

[glc]

Have you tried the registry edit referenced in that article?

[Warmel]

yes I did, didnt get results

[glc]

Try each drive in another computer - try a different drive in yours - it's time to troubleshoot by component substitution.

[Warmel]

Heh ok, I was affriad I would have to do that. It's Going to take a whole lot of convincing from me to try and get my friends to let me borrow there cd dives, but if that is what has to be done, then so be it.

[Warmel]

Ok, well, my friend agreed to switch cd-rom drives for a little bit, but wont happen for a while. So I got bored and thought what the hell, I will just uninstall the drivers. So I did and restarted my computer. Then after in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, it did that whole new hardware found for both of my drives, yet I still have the same problem. So nothing new really.

[Warmel]

Ok, I think my problems just got a whole lot bigger, my friend let me borrow his cd drive that worked on his computer, but it's not showing up on mine. I tried re-installing windows the other day, but it wont let me. When I put in my windows Xp CD, and restart my computer it says, to boot from CD-drive press any key to continue. Doesn't matter what key I hit, it just boots up normally.

[GrfxArt]

...is your cd-rom set to be the first to boot in your bios? My old pc was set to search the HDD first and even though i had the WinXP CD in the drive and the "boot from CD press any key" message would come on for a split second and I'd hit any keys, the computer would still boot to the existing OS on the HDD.

[glc]

You have improperly jumpered drives, a defective or incorrectly installed IDE cable, or a defective IDE controller - that's about all it can be if you are using a known good drive. Try slaving a CD drive to the hard drive on the primary controller.

[Warmel]

Ok, to answer your question, GrfxArt, yes I did have it boot from my CD-rom first. My computer almost acts like it begins to boot up from the CD, like my screen flashes a few times, which it doesnt normally, but then just loads windows normally. Well, I tried putting my hard-drive as my master and my CD drive as slave, both mine or my friends CD drive did not work . I tried switching up the IDE ports, still same result.