Windows Vista - My CD/CD-RW/DVD optical drive is not working correctly.

  • Some procedures in this checklist may require the use of an account with administrative privileges. If so, click Continue or type in an administrative username and password during those procedures.
  • There are a number of steps that can be taken to resolve possible optical drive problems. Both hardware and software resolutions are presented in this checklist.
  • Before continuing, always clean the disc and verify that the disc is seated correctly in the drive tray with its label facing upward.

Commom first steps

  1. Restart the computer.

    1. Click the Start button, click the small arrow next to the padlock, and then click Restart.

    2. After Windows restarts, retry the music CD.

    Note: An error may state that pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL, or pressing any key, restarts the computer. If the computer does not restart by the method suggested, press and hold the power button until it turns off (about five seconds). Then press the power button to turn the computer back on. If no error is given, restart the computer in the normal way.

  2. Try a different disc of the same type in the drive to see if it will play.

  3. Make sure the CD/DVD drives is recognized by the computer.

    1. Click Start, then click Computer.

    2. In the Devices with Removable Storage section look for CD or DVD drives.

      Computer indicates that five removable devices where found. One is a DVD/RW drive.

      Computer indicates that four removable devices where found, but none is a CD or DVD drive.

      Computer does not find any removable devices.

  4. Check the CD/DVD drives status in Device Manager.

    1. Click the Start button. In the Start Search dialog box, type dev, then click Device Manager.

    2. Locate the lDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Click on the entry to expand the list and make sure there is not a down arrow in front of a device. If a device has a down arrow in front of it, right-click on the device, then click Enable.
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    3. Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on the device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click on the device, uninstall and reinstall the driver. Reference the Device Drivers checklist.

    4. Locate the CD/DVD-ROM drives. Click on the entry to expand the list and make sure there is not a down arrow in front of a drive. If a drive has a down arrow in front of it, right-click on the device, then click Enable.
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    5. Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on the device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click on the device, uninstall and reinstall the driver. Reference the Device Drivers checklist.

  5. Remove upper and lower filters. Removing the filters is method three on the linked article.

CD/DVDs not playing

  1. Check the CD/DVD.

    • Verify that the CD/DVD is seated correctly in the drive tray.
    • Verify that the label is facing away from the drive tray.
    • Verify that the media has no dirt or scratches.
    • Try another disc in the drive. Make sure to try different types (audio, data, DVD, and so forth).

  2. Make sure AutoPlay is enabled.

    For CD drives:

    1. Click Start.

    2. In the Start Search box, type autoplay, and then click AutoPlay.
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    3. In the Choose what happens when you insert each type of media or device dialog box, be sure that the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices checkbox is checked. If it is not, click on the checkbox to check it.
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    4. (Optional) In the Audio CD field, use the dropdown box to select a program for playing CDs automatically. If nothing is selected here, a program may be chosen when a CD is inserted.
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    5. Click Save to save the changes.

    6. Click OK.

    For DVD drives:

    1. Click Start.

    2. In the Start Search box, type autoplay, and then click AutoPlay.
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    3. In the Choose what happens when you insert each type of media or device dialog box, be sure that the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices checkbox is checked. If it is not, click on the checkbox to check it.
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    4. (Optional) In the DVD movie field, use the dropdown box to select a program for playing DVDs automatically. If nothing is selected here, a program may be chosen when a CD is inserted.
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    5. Click Save to save the changes.

    6. Click OK.

DVD movie or Music CD play is choppy

  1. Make sure system resources are not low. Use the Windows Vista - System Slow checklist to check for low system resources.

  2. Ensure that the CD/DVD drive controller transfer mode is set to DMA.

    1. In the Start Search box, type Dev, and then click Device Manager.

    2. Click the plus sign (+) in front of IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, then click ATA Device 0.
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    3. Under Device Properties if there is no check mark in the box to the left of Enable DMA, click the box, then click OK.
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    4. Repeat the above step if applicable to a another ATA Device shown on the displayed page.

Disc does not burn.

  1. Check recording function.

    Be sure that the recording function is enabled for the drive.

    1. Click Start, and then click Computer.

    2. Right-click on the optical drive icon, and then click Properties.

    3. Click the Recording tab.
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    4. In the Desktop disk recording section, be sure that the drive selected is a drive with recording capability. If it isn't, click on the drive name and select a drive with recording capabilities.

  2. Verify the software used for burning the disc is the one that was shipped with the computer. If using a different software, contact the software's manufacturer.

  3. Make a test CD.

    1. Download GWSCAN 5.12 from the following location and save it to the Desktop.

      http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/getFile.asp?id=21280&dscr=GWSCAN%205.12&uid=166753994.

    2. After the file is downloaded, locate the GWSCAN512.exe icon that is on the Windows Vista Desktop and double-click it. This extracts the files to a folder called Cabs on the C: drive and open a Web-based instruction page.

    3. Click on the link that pertains to the CD burning software that was shipped with the system. The choices are Nero Express, Power2Go, or Roxio Easy CD Creator.

    4. Follow the instructions given to burn the CD.

    5. After the burning process is complete, leave the disk in the drive, and reboot the system. When prompted, press any key to boot from the CD. If the GWSCAN program runs and you see a Select Drive option, then the disk was successfully burned and there is no problem with the drive.

Drive read failures

  1. Clean the disc.

    Note: If Windows encounters a failure when attempting to read a CD or DVD, you may see an error dialog box. These type of messages indicate that data read from the CD or DVD was bad or that it could not be read.

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    1. Remove and clean the disc.

    2. Retry reading the CD or DVD.

    3. Test the drive using other discs.
      • Play a DVD movie
      • Listen to a music CD

    4. If the drive works properly with other discs, the disc in question is probably defective and should be replaced.

  2. Inspect and reseat cables.

    Use proper Electrostatic Discharge procedures.

    1. Turn off computer and unplug power cord.

    2. Disconnect everything except the monitor and keyboard.

    3. Place computer on a stable work area with case cover facing up.

    4. Remove cover.

    5. Find internal drives.

    6. Inspect and reseat any cables to drives not detected.
      • Check for broken connectors on drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check for bent or broken pins on drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check cable orientation.
      • If available, try a different cable. If drive works with new cable, the original cable is probably defective.

      7. Note: Make sure to firmly reseat data cable connections to drive and motherboard, then power connection to drive. If connectors do not firmly reconnect, the damaged component (cable, drive, or motherboard) may need to be replaced.

Optical drive not detected

  1. Check BIOS setup to verify if drive is detected outside of Windows.
    1. Press the F2 key repeatedly as the computer starts.

    2. Locate the page where drives are displayed. This varies between different motherboards. Please reference your User's Guide for specific model information.

      3. Desktop computers: Refer to the Drive Configuration page (or similarly named page), or the Standard CMOS features page to identify all Optical drives that have been detected. BIOS Setup will present a table which matches drive ports (drive connectors on the motherboard) to drives detected at a given port. Example pages are linked. Reference the Product pages for the specific model.

      Notebook computers: Refer to the Main page of the BIOS to identify optical drives that have been detected. BIOS setup matches a Drive Port name to a drive detected at that port. Drive Port names (left side) vary per the following examples:

      > IDE Primary/Master:[HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T20N-]
      Left-Bay PATA:PHILLIPS CD-RW/DVD-ROM-(PM)
      Optical Drive:Optiarc DVD RW AD-7560A -(PM)

      DVD and CD drive names (right side) will include "CD" or "DVD" in the name.

  2. Inspect and reseat cables.

    Use proper Electrostatic Discharge procedures.

    1. Turn off computer and unplug power cord.

    2. Disconnect everything except the monitor and keyboard.

    3. Place computer on a stable work area with case cover facing up.

    4. Remove cover.

    5. Find internal drives.

    6. Inspect and reseat any cables to drives not detected. Click here for additional information about drives, motherboard connectors, and drive cables.

      • Check for broken connectors on drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check for bent or broken pins on drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check cable orientation.
      • If available, try a different cable. If drive works with new cable, the original cable is probably defective.

      7. Note: Make sure to firmly reseat data cable connections to drive and motherboard, then power connection to drive. If connectors do not firmly reconnect, the damaged component (cable, drive, or motherboard) may need to be replaced.

If following the above procedures did not resolve your problem, please contact Gateway through one of the following methods: