Windows won't acknowledge DVD Rom as present!

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Guest

OS - Windows XP Home
BIOS sees DVD Combo drive as Secondary Master but when Windows fires up, it
is not visible in My Computer. Device Manager shows it with the yellow
warning exclamation mark and refuses to install it properly. I've tried a
different CD/RW and encountered the same problem. I've tried swapping the
ribbons on the IDE Controllers on the MOBO, still the same problem. I've even
reinstalled the Chipset and IDE MOBO drivers, still the problem exists! In
the Device Manager, the properties for the Combo drive show the following
message:
Windows cannot initialize the device driver for this hardware. (Code 37)
Can anybody help with this please? I'm trying to fix it for a work colleague
and it's his home PC so I need to get a solution asap.
Many thanks in advance.
 
Thanks, but still no change!

Jay said:
http://www.dougknox.com/

Lok for a utility called XP_CD-DVD-Fix.exe under XP Fixes.

[ Direct link to the utility for download:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/XP_CD-DVD-Fix.zip ]

Cannot say whether this will help. But worth giving it a try.

HTH

Jay



jvk57 said:
OS - Windows XP Home
BIOS sees DVD Combo drive as Secondary Master but when Windows fires up,
it
is not visible in My Computer. Device Manager shows it with the yellow
warning exclamation mark and refuses to install it properly. I've tried a
different CD/RW and encountered the same problem. I've tried swapping the
ribbons on the IDE Controllers on the MOBO, still the same problem. I've
even
reinstalled the Chipset and IDE MOBO drivers, still the problem exists! In
the Device Manager, the properties for the Combo drive show the following
message:
Windows cannot initialize the device driver for this hardware. (Code 37)
Can anybody help with this please? I'm trying to fix it for a work
colleague
and it's his home PC so I need to get a solution asap.
Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
In Device Manager, under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, do you have both a
Primary and Secondary IDE channel? You may have to locate and install the
motherboard chipset drivers. These should contain an UltraDMA IDE driver.
 
You have set the jumpers on the drive, right?
See if this has any bearing..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307128

Also, Nero burning software and others may add unsigned drivers to the
C:\windows\system32 folder and may be interfering with the original XP signed
cd drivers. Uninstalling the burning apps completely from the system as well
the drive and then rebooting may work..
In device manager, dvd/cd drive, right click the combo drive, properties and
click on update drivers, advanced, don't search, uncheck show compatible
hardware and see if you can id the OEM for the device or just use standard
cd-rom devices, install manually. If a setup disk is available click have
disk and install the drivers from there..Keep trying until an updated driver
is accepted, if necessary..
If in driver details you can see cdrom.sys and others list them, then browse
in the hardware update wizard to c:\windows\system32\cdrom.sys or try another
driver etc..
j;-j
 
Under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers, it has the following:

Inter(r) 82801BA Bus MAster IDE Controller
Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel

As I mentioned previously, I have already downloaded and reinstalled both
the Chipset & IDE drivers from the Gigabyte website.

Thanks and regards
 
It's a Gigabite mobo, ok, what model # are we talkin about? And the DVD combo
drive your trying to install, what make, model #?
Under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers, mine has the following:
Intel(R) 82801DB Ultra ATA Storage Controller -24CB
Need more specs..
These will help with ID(ing) hardware specs.. (both free)
Everest formerly Aida32 here.. Way more details and info, really great
diagnostic app..
http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?pid=1&lang=en Little utility
WCPUID here as wcpu330.exe (scroll on down to find) extract it in a folder,
quick & easy.
http://www.svrops.com/svrops/dwnldoth.htm
j;-j
 
It's a Gigabyte GA-8SMILNF Rev 2.0 mobo.
The combo drive shows is automatically recognised in the bios and in Device
Manager, as a Lite-On Combo LTC-48161H.

It has not been uninstalled or removed but, apparently, just stopped working
properly. It has always been there since the PC was bought. Also Roxio Easy
CD & DVD v6 Basic was installed but I have uninstalled that so that AVG would
work.

Apparently, the first indication that something was wrong was when the user
was attempting to print some photographs from camera, the printer had
"disappeared" now it seems so as the rom drive!!

I am 99% conivnced that this is a Windows problem rather than a hardware
problem. Does XP Home work in the same way that XP Pro does in as much as, if
I boot from the installation CD, will I get the option to repair rather than
reinstall WIndiows? The last thing that I want to have to do is to reinstall
everything again!!

Thanks and regards
 
You may need to uninstall the AVG software and merge the cdgone.reg then
reboot and reinstall Roxio (reboot if required), then update Roxio and see if
that works, then reinstall AVG's updated version if available or needed..

Is the AVG ver?? freeware? If not it too may need an update..
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/40/lng/ww

Update Roxio ver 6 here..
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/software_updates.jhtml

If needed see link below.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx
Hope this can help..
j;-j
 
AVG was installed AFTER the problem had first been detected.
Roxio was uninstalled because AVG found it and reported a possible bug that
it wouldn't like, and wouldn't install until Roxio had been upgraded or
removed.
AVG is the free version and is totally up to date. In fact, it was only
downloaded and installed just prior to my first posting on this subject. User
has advised that he doesn't use Roxio anyway so it won't be missed!
 
I have installed the Everest program that you menmtioned.
Exactly what information are you afetr from it?
 
In order to use the drive for DVD/CD burning you need Roxio or another
updated third party burning app.. AVG free version is limited and has no tech
support, for answers to why it won't work with the Roxio software you need
the full version..If it was infected with a virus and the virus was removed
or cleaned, causing a problem in itself with Roxio, then re-installation
should resolve the problem..
Compare both versions here..
http://files2.grisoft.cz/softw/70/filedir/presale/cmpsheets/mm_pfp_cmp_us_2_20050726.pdf
Read up here about CD/DVD burning in XP..
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpcd.php
Use the Nero infotool to id the current firmware version for the combo drive..
http://www.nero.com/en/Info_Tool.html
Find the firmware update here and compare it to the current version to be
sure it is in fact a new update..Use this as a last resort and heed all
warnings..
http://www.liteonamericas.com/us/download_combo.htm
Were you able to reinstall the printer? The info of interest in Everest
would be under Storage, Optical drives , ASPI or SCSI if available or
applicable...Also, the report from the Nero infotool, your call..
j;-j
 
I realise that third party burning app could be used for CD/DVD burning but
so can WinXP. In any event, even if the third party app was reinstalled,
Windows still doesn't recognise the drive! AVG is working fine and is not,
and never was, the problem. The printer is a Lexmark but installs as an Agfa
now which is obviously not correct. Unfortunately, I do not have the printer
here. only the PC so he'll have to sort that part out himself. Details from
Everest are as follows:

Optical Drive Properties
Description LITE-ON COMBO LTC-48161H
Manufacturer LITE-ON
Type DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Interface ATAPI
Writing Speeds CD-R 48x CD-RW 24x
Reading Speeds DVD-ROM 16x CD-ROM 48x

Then there are THREE of these, although I don't know why!

Description H + DVD-ROM DVD-41SD SCSI CdRom Device
Manufacturer H+H
Type CD-ROM
Interface VIRTUAL

Hope this helps.
 
Ok, the virtual drives are related to the burning software and they may be
what is causing the problem.. Did you merge the cdgone.reg file? Can you see
these virtual drives in Device Manager or in Computer Management, -Storage,
Removable Storage or Disk Management? These drives should be removed by using
the cdgone.reg method or if they can be uninstalled using Device Manager in
safe mode perhaps.. You may need to reinstall the burning app to be able to
delete, mount or unmount those virtual drives..?
j;-j
 
The virtual drives appeared at the same time and in the same way as the
"real" drive. If all of them are uninstalled in Device Manager and the PC is
rebooted, all four reappear. This has been the case whether Roxio was
installed or not. Yes, I can see them in Device Manager. I cannot merge the
cdgone.reg file because when I click it, it just opens a notepad window. I
read the readme file that came with it and it says that I should right click
and select merge, only merge does NOT appear in the context menu when I right
click!! Funny thing, in safe mode the three virtual drives appeared under
SCSI but in normal mode they appeared together with the actual drive.
However, I've just uninstalled the three virtual drives in Safe Mode, as you
suggested and they have now disappeared. Unfortunately, the Combo drive still
doesn't install properly.
 
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