Disappearing Driver

[Chris]

Hallo every each.
I don't think anyone has the right answer to this issue
but I challenge anyone to give me it! In fact, I'll offer
a small donation to the guy who comes up with the right
answer!
I recently installed an external CD writer using Nero
software. For a while the PC would let me operate the
internal CD-Rom and the CD-Writer. Now only the CD Writer
is operational. I tried uninstalling the external CD
software in the hope that the computer would wake up to
the fact that it has a CDRom of its own. It never took the
hint.
I've searched the Internet and asked around but nobody
seems to have a clue how to fix the problem. One guy
advised me to load a CD-Rom driver from a floppy. Yeah,
right! The MSCDEx.exe file is not corrupt. The registry is
fine. The config and autoexec profiles are fine.
Another guy suggested a specific driver from Oak
Technology. Tried that. Done that. No T-shirt.

Evidently, I don't really want to reinstall Win 98 if I
do not have to. I can say that I've looked up my bible
(thanks Bill!) called "Answers" (Matthews) published by
Osborne. p.39 is the relevant chapter. The computer had
failed to assign a separate port to the new bit of
hardware which had caused a conflict. I was told that on
boot-up Win 98 grabs the D drive for its 'ramdrive'
shoving the CDRom into a temporary E slot. Nice one.
I reassigned the drive letters as advised. Still no joy.
I reconfigured (using 'rem') just so that I could access
the desktop because I kept getting 'OE Exception" messages
on attempting to boot up. The computer was confusing its
own pre-loaded drivers with the one saved to the autoexec
and config files.
The man-hours I've given to this probably quite simple
issue must be already running easily to the hundred mark.
I must admit that it is a comfort to know that even geeks
don't have all the answers.
May I point out to all my fellow bunny rabbits and to 'Mr
G' himself that I am just an ordinary bloke with some
knowledge but obviously not nearly enough knowledge of the
inner workings of this monster. It deprives me of more
sleep than did my children when they were babies.
I have a love-hate relationship with my PC.
Ilove it when it behaves itself. I hate it when it does
this to me. The following resolutions seem possible either
independently or in conjunction with each other.

1 I can obtain a splitter cable as one can gets for a hard
disk and operate both the internal and external hardware
from it using an automatic or manual switching device.
2 I can reinstall Win98 in a separate folder having first
saved my own personal files to CD. This might possibly
restore function to the internal CD Rom. I can then make
sure that I provide a separate drive letter for the
external drive - if I want to risk reinstalling it.
3 I can replace the existing internal CD Rom with one
whose spec and driver comes with its own installation disk
If the issue is not resolved that way then I know that it
is almost certainly an OE issue.
4. None of the above are very elegant resolutions of the
issue. I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath
water. If you can provide the correct one - then I shall
be very pleased indeed.
For the geeks among you here are some spec details.


Microsoft Windows 98 4.10.2222 A
Upgrade using Full OEM
CD /T:C:\WININST0.400 /SrcDir=E:\WIN98 /IZ /IS /IQ /IT /II
/NR /II /C /U:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
IE 5 6.0.2800.1106
Uptime: 0:01:21:02
Normal mode
On "OEMCOMPUTER" as "Default"
Second Byte Computers
GenuineIntel Pentium(r) II Processor
128MB RAM
41% system resources free
Windows-managed swap file on drive C (2800MB free)
Available space on drive C: 2800MB of 9748MB (FAT32)

Look forward to hearing from you

Chris

 

[Don]

Try uninstalling BOTH the external And the internal CD drives.
Do this by going to Control Panel | System | Device Manager.
Highlight each one and select Remove.
Then shutdown the PC, Disconnect the External CD drive from the machine.
Reboot, the system should find the internal drive again, Then reinstall the
external one in the normal way according to the instruction that came with
it.
It does not work, check that your bios is reading the internal drive.
It is also possible that the internal CD drive is malfunctioning and may
need replacing.

Incidentally, This is an XP hardware news group. It's been a long time since
I used 98.

 

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 13:09:16 -0700, "Chris"

I recently installed an external CD writer using Nero
software. For a while the PC would let me operate the
internal CD-Rom and the CD-Writer.

I see further on this is Win98xx, tho you are posting to an XP
newsgroup. Also, you don't mention PC hardware - is this a "real" PC
or a laptop? If laptop, is the CD internal or on a USB cable?

Now only the CD Writer is operational.

Define "not operational". Do you mean:
- does not appear in Windows Explorer
- appears in Windows Explorer but does not read CDs
....? Does it appear in Device Manager, and if so, is it bonged ("!")?

I've searched the Internet and asked around but nobody
seems to have a clue how to fix the problem. One guy
advised me to load a CD-Rom driver from a floppy. Yeah,
right! The MSCDEx.exe file is not corrupt.

MSCDEx should NOT be loaded under Windows! That is quite likely to be
the problem. I suggest you start by renaming away C:\CONFIG.SYS and
C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT (say, to *.TXT) and restarting Windows.

boot-up Win 98 grabs the D drive for its 'ramdrive'
shoving the CDRom into a temporary E slot. Nice one.

False; that's the standard Win98 Emergency Boot Diskette.

I reassigned the drive letters as advised. Still no joy.

How are you re-assigning drive letters? Via MSCDEx or Device Manager?
The two systems can clash, causing the same drive to appear on
multiple letters or a drive to be masked. Use MSCEx *ONLY* in DOS
mode, and use only Device Manager management in Windows.

I must admit that it is a comfort to know that even geeks
don't have all the answers.

CD drive problems like this are quite simple, usually.
Maybe you need better geeks?

The following resolutions seem possible either
independently or in conjunction with each other.

1 I can obtain a splitter cable as one can gets for a hard
disk and operate both the internal and external hardware
from it using an automatic or manual switching device.

Er... no.

2 I can reinstall Win98 in a separate folder having first
saved my own personal files to CD. This might possibly
restore function to the internal CD Rom. I can then make
sure that I provide a separate drive letter for the
external drive - if I want to risk reinstalling it.

Er... rather not

3 I can replace the existing internal CD Rom with one
whose spec and driver comes with its own installation disk
If the issue is not resolved that way then I know that it
is almost certainly an OE issue.

OE? Modern CD-ROM do NOT need special "drivers" in Win9x, they just
work. If they don't just work, it's either because something botches
them, or they are defective, or they aren't cabled correctly.

For the geeks among you here are some spec details.

Microsoft Windows 98 4.10.2222 A

CD /T:C:\WININST0.400 /SrcDir=E:\WIN98 /IZ /IS /IQ /IT /II
/NR /II /C /U:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I dunno what all that is...

IE 5 6.0.2800.1106

Is that IE 5 or IE 6?

GenuineIntel Pentium(r) II Processor
128MB RAM

OK, so it's young enough to have built-in PCI xIDE controllers

Right; let's get started.


Zeroth thing: Unplug from mains when doing all open case work.

Your PC prolly has an ATX PSU and those dribble power into the system
even when "switched off". It won't hurt you, but could kill the PC.


First thing: Check the drive is correctly jumpered and cabled

There are three cables that apply; the power connector (without which
the tray won't open), the IDE data cable, and the audio feed to the
sound card (without which it works, but audio CDs won't be audible).

The IDE cable is usually where things go wrong, and ties in with the
jumper setting (you may need to pull the CD drive out to see these).
The red line on the edge of the data cable must be closest to the
power connector and corresponds to "Pin 1". This must be correct at
the CD, HD and where the cable goes to motherboard/controller.

If the same data cable goes to both HD and CD, then the CD must be
jumpered as Slave, unless the HD is jumpered Cable Select. If HD is
jumpered Cable Select, then the CD must also be Cable Select. If the
CD is alone on its own data cable then Master is best setting to use.


Second thing: Check the IDE channel is enabled in CMOS

This applies only if the CD is alone on its own data cable, i.e. on
the Secondary IDE channel. If that channel is disabled in CMOS, or
clashes with an add-in, the drive will vanish from Windows Explorer.


Third thing: Does the drive work?

Test in DOS mode, using either the drive's own .SYS driver or the
OakCDROM.SYS that comes with Win98, together with MSCDEX.EXE
Note: This is the ONLY time you want any of these drivers in effect;
when in DOS mode. Not Windows, not for DOS window sessions running
within Windows either. If the drive fails here as well as in Windows,
test it in another PC and half-expect it to be a duff drive.


Forth thing: Are you in DOS compatibility mode?

Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Performance tab. If that
states you are in DOS compatibility mode, then the CD will NOT be
natively seen in Windows at all - it will work only if DOS .SYS driver
is present, and badly at that. You must resolve DOS compatibility
mode before doing anything else, as some causes are not innocuous.

See http://users.iafrica.com/c/cq/cquirke/doscompat.htm


Fifth thing: Have you tried suppressing Config.sys and Autoexec.bat?

Windows is supposed to automatically suppress CD .SYS driver and
MSCDEx in these files, but doesn't always. When this DOS stuff is
stinking up Windows, you may see DOS compatibility mode (s-l-o-w) or
problems with drive letter assignments.


Sixth thing: Do you have drive letter conflicts?

MSCDEx can be a problem here, as can LAN drive letter mappings and
other things that occupy drive letters. Suspect this if the drive
works in DOS mode, appears fine in Device Manager, but doesn't appear
in Windows Explorer as a drive letter.

Good luck, feed back yer mileage

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