Cd/dvd drive troubles?

[hp]

It seems my PC (desktop with win XP x64) looses the optical drives at
times, the CD-RW and the DVD-RW sort of disappear off the list in
windows explorer. At times it seems they need to wake up to be listed,
I have begun to test this theory, and so far if I use hardware manager
to scan for devices they get relisted, next time I will see if an
attempt to use one also re-finds them.

Is there something in Xp x64 that might offer a clue?? or am I looking
at a mommyboard beginning to poop out?

This MB is at the cusp of change, IDE for the opticals, only 4 SATA
ports, and of course I have them all populated.
I might have to give up the external SATA port on my ANTEC hotswap slot
if I need a new DVD drive?

 

[Flasherly]

It seems my PC (desktop with win XP x64) looses the optical drives at
times, the CD-RW and the DVD-RW sort of disappear off the list in
windows explorer. At times it seems they need to wake up to be listed,
I have begun to test this theory, and so far if I use hardware manager
to scan for devices they get relisted, next time I will see if an
attempt to use one also re-finds them.

Is there something in Xp x64 that might offer a clue?? or am I looking
at a mommyboard beginning to poop out?

This MB is at the cusp of change, IDE for the opticals, only 4 SATA
ports, and of course I have them all populated.
I might have to give up the external SATA port on my ANTEC hotswap slot
if I need a new DVD drive?

Shouldn't be a MB, although that was my problem. Not only losing DVD
units, but some nasty-assed crashes when I'd use them. The whole MB
thing actually had turned into an unimaginable nightmare, I'd least
suspected could go that far for destructive ramifications. A MB
supposed to break, not tear the hell out of other equipment or run up
power consumption.

Aside from that, I've never quite trusted DVDs since passing along an
old NEC standard into these newer units. Sometimes, granted, firmware
issues for old disc recognition are suspect, other times. . .well,
suffice it's just not the same. Put it this way, if I run into
something important in dealing with DVDs, I don't really think it's so
unusual if I have to partially tear apart a computer to change out for
one several spare DVD units, I keep around, or an interface controller
in order to get a disc functional.

Like USB<>SATA HD docking stations, that would be just peachy, except
I happen to like a few older boot models on DVDs that don't like being
thrown a curveball.