Help! DVD/CD-Rom Drives Lost!!!

[Lou]

I installed Jump Start Educational Software on my
computer for my kids on 01/01/04. This was the last
major installation completed on my computer. And
everything seemed to be fine until today 01/04/04. All
of a sudden, upon turning on the computer it appears as
if both the DVD/R-W and the CD/R Rom Drives are lost!!!
I have contacted Dell and they have basically pointed the
finger at Microsoft and told me that my Windows XP Pro is
the culprit. Afterall troubleshooting for 4 hours, they
have confirmed that my system is no longer recognizing
these hard drives. (No explanation is provided: the
inference is that it is another mysterious bug of
Microsoft operating systems). They have advised me to
back up the nearly 1.5 GB of programs and files and other
data on my computer onto FLOPPY disks (the only
accessible drive I still have) and they will then assist
me in basically erasing my entire computer and starting
anew by reinstalling the Windows XP remotely. Is there
anything at all that can be done short of such a drastic
and time-consuming solution??? Afterall, how is this
computer making my life any easier if I have to f***
around downloading programs and files to floppy disks
because something is afoul with the DVD and CD-Rom drives
or the drivers that lead to them. This will take days to
accomplish...

 

[Michael_L]

Did Dell suggest trying to boot from your Windows XP CD
and running a repair? If you can boot from the CD the
setup process will recognize your current installation and
give you the opportunity to run a repair on it. Just read
the screens closely to make sure you don't accidently
format the drive and create a new install.

When you first turn on your computer it will count memory
and catalog the drives. You should be able to see this if
you set the system to show the startup screens. If those
drives do not appear on the startup screen with your hard
drive then something is physically wrong with the drives,
cable, cmos settings or motherboard.

The first thing I would want to know is if the systems
sees the drives prior to booting XP. If the system
doesn't see the drives then XP won't either.

Michael

 

[Guest]

Hi,

No matter what method you want to choose to repair the OS, I would suggest you to backup the data files first.
If your PC have USB 2.0 or Firewire port, I would recommend you to install an external hard disk and save all the data to it.
It is foolish to use floppy disks for backup as the backup speed is too slow and some files may be too big for a floppy disk to save it. Of course, you can install an internal slave drive provided that you have space inside the chassis to mount the slave drive and you need to have the technique/knowledge to do this.

Try to boot into BIOS and check that the CD rom and DVD rom can be recongnised by BIOS.
If they can be seen in the BIOS, backup the data files first and then boot from the original XP CD to perform a repair install of XP. (Note: the recovery CD can only rebuild the OS but all data files would be erased.)
If they cannot be seen in BIOS, check the 12V power cables that connect to them ( it may be the culprit as it is very rare that both the CD rom and DVD rom became faulty at the same time). You can use a multi tester to check the voltage of the power cable to ascertain that the ATX power supply is not faulty. If the voltage is normal, replug the power cable and ensure it is firmly connected. Check the IDE cable as well to ensure they are not losen. Boot into BIOS again, if they still cannot be recongnised, it is possible a faulty mobo.

BTW, why not call Dell Support to have a physical check on your Dell machine?
It is more safe though you may need to pay for if the warranty period of the Dell machine is expired.

Peter


----- Michael_L wrote: -----

Did Dell suggest trying to boot from your Windows XP CD
and running a repair? If you can boot from the CD the
setup process will recognize your current installation and
give you the opportunity to run a repair on it. Just read
the screens closely to make sure you don't accidently
format the drive and create a new install.

When you first turn on your computer it will count memory
and catalog the drives. You should be able to see this if
you set the system to show the startup screens. If those
drives do not appear on the startup screen with your hard
drive then something is physically wrong with the drives,
cable, cmos settings or motherboard.

The first thing I would want to know is if the systems
sees the drives prior to booting XP. If the system
doesn't see the drives then XP won't either.

Michael

 

[squidfoot]

don't have a cow dude. this is quite common. i lose em all the time. it's
typically code 39. see MS article #314060 or go to marfers notes at
www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/xp_notes.htm or see doug knox stuff

squid

 

[Michael_L]

I agree with Peter. You could purchase an external USB
hard drive for around $100.00 and copy your whole system
out to it. I like to use them on file servers as part of
a redundant backup system because they are so cheap
compared to the value of the data.

-----Original Message-----
Hi,

No matter what method you want to choose to repair the

OS, I would suggest you to backup the data files first.

If your PC have USB 2.0 or Firewire port, I would

recommend you to install an external hard disk and save
all the data to it.

It is foolish to use floppy disks for backup as the

backup speed is too slow and some files may be too big for
a floppy disk to save it. Of course, you can install an
internal slave drive provided that you have space inside
the chassis to mount the slave drive and you need to have
the technique/knowledge to do this.

Try to boot into BIOS and check that the CD rom and DVD

rom can be recongnised by BIOS.

If they can be seen in the BIOS, backup the data files

first and then boot from the original XP CD to perform a
repair install of XP. (Note: the recovery CD can only
rebuild the OS but all data files would be erased.)

If they cannot be seen in BIOS, check the 12V power

cables that connect to them ( it may be the culprit as it
is very rare that both the CD rom and DVD rom became
faulty at the same time). You can use a multi tester to
check the voltage of the power cable to ascertain that the
ATX power supply is not faulty. If the voltage is normal,
replug the power cable and ensure it is firmly connected.
Check the IDE cable as well to ensure they are not losen.
Boot into BIOS again, if they still cannot be recongnised,
it is possible a faulty mobo.

BTW, why not call Dell Support to have a physical check on your Dell machine?
It is more safe though you may need to pay for if the

warranty period of the Dell machine is expired.

 

[Michael_L]

Very good Mr. Squid. The knowledgebase to the rescue
again.
Michael

 

[I dont agree]

Why should someone have to go to the addded expense of
purchasing another hddrive to fix and obvious WinXP
problem. I think Microsoft needs to address the issue and
fix it once and for all. It is there program and as I
have seen all over the internet everyone is having
problems with XP loosing CDrom and dvd etc drivers
consistantly. There has to be a way to permanently fix
it. This is an issue we shouldnt even have to be stressed
over, We purchased their product and it doesnt work
right, They need to fix it and I personally would like it
fixed NOW.

 

[squidfoot]

your welcome

Very good Mr. Squid. The knowledgebase to the rescue
again.
Michael