Why is XP trying to read an empty CD Rom drive

[Guest]

Everytime I load windows there is a very long wait while the activity light
on my PlexWriter 401240a starts flashing away trying to read a non existing
disc. After a very long wait the system eventually loads but slows right down
and will not access the internet.
The only way to get things working normally is to open the CD Rom drawer and
leave it open.
I can open and close the drawer at will while windows is loading but once it
is fully loaded, I can only open the drawer but it will not close.
I have been to the Plextor Website and updated drivers software and firmware
but to no avail. As I type this, the drawer is open and the activity light is
still flasing away.
If I put a CD into the drawer before windows completes loading, it reads it
and seems to act normally. But Once I open the drawer. it won't shut.
I have asked about this before but did not explain the problem clearly enough.

Any help would be appreciated
Troy

 

[Whatsit]

Everytime I load windows there is a very long wait while the activity
light
on my PlexWriter 401240a starts flashing away trying to read a non
existing
disc. After a very long wait the system eventually loads but slows right
down
and will not access the internet.
The only way to get things working normally is to open the CD Rom drawer
and
leave it open.
I can open and close the drawer at will while windows is loading but once
it
is fully loaded, I can only open the drawer but it will not close.
I have been to the Plextor Website and updated drivers software and
firmware
but to no avail. As I type this, the drawer is open and the activity light
is
still flasing away.
If I put a CD into the drawer before windows completes loading, it reads
it
and seems to act normally. But Once I open the drawer. it won't shut.
I have asked about this before but did not explain the problem clearly
enough.

Any help would be appreciated
Troy

What happens if you disconnect the drive?
Check the connections, is the drive on the same IDE cable as the system HDD?

I think I had a similar strange problem that if a PC wouldn't reboot it
there was no CD in the drive, or something strange along those lines.

It might be simpler to get another drive

 

[Guest]

What happens if you disconnect the drive?
Check the connections, is the drive on the same IDE cable as the system HDD?

I think I had a similar strange problem that if a PC wouldn't reboot it
there was no CD in the drive, or something strange along those lines.

It might be simpler to get another drive


If I go to Device Manager and uninstall the drive then the drawer opens and closes normally, until I re-start the PC. Windows then finds new hardware and reloads the drive the problem then returns.

If I disconnect the drive cable but leave the power cable attached then the
drive drawer opens and closes as normal, but, of course it is then useless.
(Incidentaly It's the Slave drive).

 

[Lem]

Everytime I load windows there is a very long wait while the activity light
on my PlexWriter 401240a starts flashing away trying to read a non existing
disc. After a very long wait the system eventually loads but slows right down
and will not access the internet.
The only way to get things working normally is to open the CD Rom drawer and
leave it open.
I can open and close the drawer at will while windows is loading but once it
is fully loaded, I can only open the drawer but it will not close.
I have been to the Plextor Website and updated drivers software and firmware
but to no avail. As I type this, the drawer is open and the activity light is
still flasing away.
If I put a CD into the drawer before windows completes loading, it reads it
and seems to act normally. But Once I open the drawer. it won't shut.
I have asked about this before but did not explain the problem clearly enough.

Any help would be appreciated
Troy

A couple of possibilities --

Check to see what applications and services are loaded at start-up. This may give
you a clue to what is trying to access the CD drive. Some applications check for
the presence of a CD as a form of copy protection (they'll only run if the CD is
there). Try Autoruns http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html

Use msconfig to clean boot and add back the items one at a time
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/

This used to happen frequently with floppy drives in connection with various
antivirus apps. The solution is to disable the option to "Scan all removable
media" or the like. I've never heard of this happening with optical drives, but
....

It could be something in a MRU (Most Recently Used) list. Try MRU Blaster
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/mrublaster.htm

You may have attempted to burn something and files are left in an output queue.
Analogy is a print job that stalls for some reason (e.g., printer is disconnected)
and thus remains in the print spool. When Windows reboots, the job tries to print
again. Try disabling all burning apps from autostarting.

Finally, it may be faulty hardware. Check with Plextor support.

 

[Certifiable]

Everytime I load windows there is a very long wait while the activity light
on my PlexWriter 401240a starts flashing away trying to read a non existing
disc. After a very long wait the system eventually loads but slows right down
and will not access the internet.
The only way to get things working normally is to open the CD Rom drawer and
leave it open.
I can open and close the drawer at will while windows is loading but once it
is fully loaded, I can only open the drawer but it will not close.
I have been to the Plextor Website and updated drivers software and firmware
but to no avail. As I type this, the drawer is open and the activity light is
still flasing away.
If I put a CD into the drawer before windows completes loading, it reads it
and seems to act normally. But Once I open the drawer. it won't shut.
I have asked about this before but did not explain the problem clearly enough.

Any help would be appreciated
Troy

Is this drive set as the boot drive in the BIOS?