Advice sought: Windows can't see my CD drive

[ciphergoth]

Summary: Windows 98 still can't see my CD drive. Do I have any option besides a reinstall?

One day, without cause that I can figure out, I booted Windows on my laptop and found that the CD-ROM drive was no longer listed among the drives. Linux can still see and use the drive just fine, but even if I disable and re-enable it in the BIOS, Windows doesn't see it.

I found this out when trying to re-install network drivers under Windows, so I don't currently have Windows networking either.

If you had such a problem, where would you go for advice?

many thanks in advance...

Comments

[elfgeek.livejournal.com]

First place I would ask for advice would be on any of the geek communities (pcgeeks, etc.), from my experience they are usually very happy to help. In terms of other help, maybe on the website of your PC manufacturer or one of your local custom-made-PC shops?

Sorry, not very helpful

[babysimon]

That happened to me once. I can't remember how I solved it, or if it just went away.

You have, of course, looked in detail through the Hardware Manager tree thingy to see if suddenly you've got some sort of IRQ conflict? PnP under Windows can be a bit icky like that.

Re: Sorry, not very helpful

[babysimon]

But of course, you wouldn't care, being "a fundamentalist stallmanite" or whatever it was you said :-P

Re: Sorry, not very helpful

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Probably "not quite a fundamentalist Stallmanite" :-)

I haven't used my Windows partition for weeks, but Alison wants it working for various BiCon applications.

Re: Sorry, not very helpful

[babysimon]

Fair enough. Anyway, did you get any luck out of the Device / Hardware Manager?

[grahamb.livejournal.com]

Which particular strain of Windows?

Try...

[kingginger.livejournal.com]

The obvious of add / remove hardware (detect new hardware)

Also - Go in under safe mode, go into the devices, make sure they are all listed, and delete the CD Rom reference in the device manager. Reboot, and see if it redetects the thing... (automatically or via an add new hardware route).

It is helpful if you have a copy of Windows 98 CD on the HD first - Just in case.

Oh - And does the thing work under DOS? (assuming that this is an IDE CD-ROM rather than a PCMCIA device).

(Windows 98 boot disks will generally pick up most CD-ROM devices on the system automatically - errm, if you have one - failing that I could probably send you an image that you could burn for a bootable CD - odd as it may seem, another way to test it if you can!).

Laterz - My 2 pence as an IT Tech.

Re: Try...

[selectnone.livejournal.com]

Communic-8 on South Clerk Street sells Windows 98 boot-disks.

Nice, could maybe do with one :)

Re: Try...

[kingginger.livejournal.com]

Well - You can just "make" one with Windows 98 in the Add / Remove programs part of the control panel... 3rd tab along after windows components (bloody odd place to leave it but there ya go!!)

Laterz

Re: Try...

[selectnone.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but not everybody -has- 98 to make such things with, Win2k/XP people or the Linuxen. I think they sell the things to get old games to work, which is a good idea.

Re: Try...

[skx.livejournal.com]

OR if you're trusting go to bootdisk.com and download one..

Re: Try...

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Oops, it's Windows 98. Fixed now.

I shall do everything people have suggested so far, even the things I *think* I've tried, since I know how common "...oh. that didn't work when *I* tried it" syndrome is. Back with results soon. Many thanks!

Re: Try...

[kingginger.livejournal.com]

No problems

Any time...

Failing that - Bring it to Bicon and we shall see if we can fix it there LOL!!

See how many IT Techs there are wanting to have a go...

Re: Try...

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

maybe you could run a workshop on it?

'IT for Bisexual Beginners'

too many jokes about partitions and double-booting...

Re: Try...

[kingginger.livejournal.com]

Hummm Bisexual Beginners? LOL

Yeah... I could imagine... The problem is you would get all the *nix geeks waffling on in the background distracting confusing and probably scaring the newbies...

Their ought to be an LJ for beginners, but heh, IT for beginners might be too scary.

Not to mention I would want to be paid for it!!

LOL

[ex-meta.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's the new RIAA-approved DRM system from Microsoft?