dvd rom and cd rw problem

[willstephens1]

Recently, i went to record a cd on my writer and discovered that it is no longer listed on "my computer". I went to the control panel and looked at the system and under cd drives it has my dvd drive listed but not my cd rw. Also under my system, my ieee 1394 bus host control wont start (error code 10), dont know of this is of any relevance. I tried unplugging the ide from the dvd drive and plugging it into my writer but still it wont detect it. The cd rw drive ejects ok so there is def power to it. And since i noticed this, my dvd rom appears under "my computer" but every so often, xp tells me that it has found new hardware, my dvd rom drive, and it installs it for me. I have used the dvd rom with a data cd and it seems to work ok. Anybody have any suggestions?

[Gizmo]

The first thing that popped into my head was spyware for some reason. Have you done any spyware scans recently? This might not have anything to do with it but since you said that XP occasionally tells you that new hardware has been detected, it could be that something keeps uninstalling it.

Some more members here to help? Slap me if I just spilled out a load of garbage.

[willstephens1]

Well funny enough i did have spyware last week but i formatted my pc yesterday and reinstalled xp so i doubt i would have spyware now, i havent really installed anything.

[willstephens1]

Ok i just ran a spyware check and it found 2 files and removed them. I rebooted but still it's not detecting my cdrw drive. Could it be that the drive is broken or would it still detect it, ive checked the cables and they seem ok.

[willstephens1]

Great, now my dvd rom drive has dissapeared off "my computer", not having a good day, and its my birthday, typical.lol

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Happy birthday!

Is the DVD-Rom in Device Manager now?

[willstephens1]

Yes, its just re-appeared, but it did go and now its back, and when i put a data cd in it, it sometimes lets me access all the folders but other times it comes up with little squares and funny characters and when i try clicking it it says that the folder is not available.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Have you updated windows fully? There may be an update that fixes this.

[willstephens1]

I havent, i installed SP1 but thats about it, and the dvd drive hasnt got its drivers loaded, just the generic ones, does that matter? And do you think this will make my cdrw come back? lol

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

You should put on proper drivers, stock windows ones can cause problems. Install them for both drives, then reboot and see if this problem has gone.

[willstephens1]

Well i can only install them for my dvd rom drive as my cdrw drive isnt there, its just not appearing anywhere, even when you first boot the pc up and it detecs the drives it doesnt find it then.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

What brand is the CD-RW, put the disk wiht drivers on and see if it has an install program that will install the drivers.

[willstephens1]

hmm, i havent got a clue what make it is or anything, same with my dvd, and typically i dont have the cd's anywhere.lol

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Take the case off, is there a sticker on top of the drivers with the brand on?

[willstephens1]

ahh good thinking, i'll switch off for 5 minutes when this windows update has finished, be back soon.

[Gizmo]

Another weird question but I guess every little helps. Is the drives model, number, codes etc properly stated in the BIOS and is it actually recognised?

You can take the case side off and have a look at the stickers like WhatsThisBoxFor said(if any are there, which there should be) to determine what should be written in the BIOS in order for it to be recognised. You could also just re-type the details about the drive into the BIOS and then reboot and see if anything happens in your drivers list.

EDIT: Ahaaa, Windows Update could do the trick. Nice thinking there WhatsThisBoxFor

[glc]

Originally posted by WhatsThisBoxFor? You should put on proper drivers, stock windows ones can cause problems. Install them for both drives, then reboot and see if this problem has gone.

No, optical drives run with stock Windows drivers. They haven't needed specific drivers since the DOS days. However, have you installed the motherboard drivers?

Time for some system details, please.

[willstephens1]

Ok my dvd rom seems to be ok now, it hasnt dissapeared since, but my cdrw is nowhere to be seen. I checked the bios that it was on autodetect but it just doesnt detect it. I tried swapping the cables around and still nothing. Im presuming the pins in the back are ok because it was working ok 1 minute then it jsut went. I checked my system and its not listed there, and i still have that error message about the ochi compliant 1394 host controller having an error code 10.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Maybe its not getting enough power? Just a stab in the dark, as GLC said what are your system specs? What brand is your psu? Try using another power connector.

[willstephens1]

Well i swapped the cabled from the dvdrom to the cdrw and it still didnt work, so surely if it was a power problem then this would have solved it as the dvd works ok

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Well its unlikely but your psu might not be giving out enough power, I don't know if this is the sympton to the lacking if powerm but what brand is your power supply and what are your specs?

[willstephens1]

Is there a quick way i can find out the specs of my machine? Is there a program you can run that tells you.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Everest will tell you, but not the psu, for that you will have to look for a label on it (normally on top).

Get everest at:
http://www.lavalys.com/products/down...ng=en&pageid=3

[willstephens1]

Well im off out for a meal in half an hour (its my birthday) so i will sort it out tommorow when i get back from work, will get the specs then. Thanks for the help.

[willstephens1]

Well ive no idea what it was i did but i rebooted my computer and the cdrw is working now. I did install the aspi drivers so it could have been that and i also downloaded more windows updates so it could have been that aswell, but its working now. I still have a problem with my 1394 host controller but i have no idea what that is and what it does so im not really bothered.lol Thanks for all the help guys.

Will