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

  • 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.

Common first steps

  1. Restart the computer. Click Start, Shut Down, select Restart, then click OK. If the computer still does not restart:

    1. Press and hold the power button (about five seconds) until the computer turns off.

    2. Press the power button again to turn the computer back on.

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

  3. Make sure the computer recognizes the CD and/or DVD drives.

    1. Click Start, then click My Computer.

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    2. Check the Devices with Removable Storage area for any optical drives.

      • Computer detects removable devices and one optical (DVD/RW) drive.

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      • Computer detects removable devices, but no optical drives were detected.

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      • Computer does not detect any optical drive or removable devices.

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

    1. Right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, select the Properties, Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.

    2. Click the plus sign (+) in front of IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.

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      • Make sure there is not a red "X" on any device. If a device has a red "X", right-click the device, then select Enable.

      • Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on any device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click the device and uninstall, then reinstall the driver. Go to Windows XP - I need help with device drivers checklist for additional information about uninstalling and reinstalling drivers.

    3. Click plus sign (+) in front of DVD/CD-ROM drives.

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      • Make sure there is not a red "X" on any device. If a device has a red "X", right-click the device, then select Enable.

      • Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on any device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click the device and uninstall, then reinstall the driver. Go to Windows XP - I need help with device drivers checklist for additional information about uninstalling and reinstalling drivers.

  5. Remove upper and lower filters

    6. After installing and/or removing a third-party program, the following symptoms can occur:

    • Cannot access the optical drive in My Computer.
    • Get the following error messages in Device Manager:
      • The device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device (Code 31).
      • A driver for this device was not required, and has been disabled (Code 32 or Code 31).
      • Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)
    • "error code 39" error message.
    • Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)

    Go to Microsoft Knowledge Base article 314060 for instructions on how to remove upper and lower filters.

CD/DVDs not playing

  1. Check the CD/DVD

    • Make sure the CD/DVD is seated correctly in the drive tray.
    • Make sure the label is facing away from the drive tray.
    • Make sure the CD/DVD is not dirty or scratched.
    • Try another CD/DVD. Make sure to try different media types (audio, data, movie, etc.). If the new CD/DVD works correctly, the original disc is probably defective and should be replaced.

  2. Make sure AutoPlay is enabled.

    3. For CD drives:

    1. Click Start, then click My Computer.

    2. Right-click the CD or DVD drive, click Properties, then click the AutoPlay tab.

    3. Select Music files from the drop-down list.

    4. Click Restore Defaults to restore the default settings. If the button is not available (greyed out), then defaults are already set.

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    5. Click Music CD from the drop-down list.

    6. Click Restore Defaults to restore the default settings. If the button is not available (greyed out), then defaults are already set.

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    7. Click OK, then restart the computer.

    For DVD drives:

    1. Click Start, then click My Computer.

    2. Right-click the CD or DVD drive, click Properties, then click the AutoPlay tab.

    3. Select Video files from the drop-down list.

    4. Click Restore Defaults to restore the default settings. If the button is not available (greyed out), then defaults are already set.

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    5. Click DVD Movie from the drop-down list.

    6. Click Restore Defaults to restore the default settings. If the button is not available (greyed out), then defaults are already set.

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    7. Click OK, then restart the computer.

  3. Make sure the region code is set correctly.

    Note: Region code changes are changes to the DVD drive's firmware. Typically DVD drives allow a maximum amount (normally 5) of region code changes. If the region code setting for the drive can not longer be changed, you need to replace the drive. This is not a faulty drive.

    If you receive a Region Code error:

    1. Close DVD playing application.

    2. Click Start, then click My Computer.

    3. Right-click DVD drive, click Properties, then click the DVD Region tab.

    4. Select the country that matches the DVD disc region, then click OK.

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    5. Restart the DVD playing application and play a DVD movie.

Choppy playback

  1. Go to the Windows XP - Slow System checklist to check system resources.

  2. Make sure the CD or DVD drive controller is set to DMA

    1. Right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, select Properties, Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.

    2. Click the plus sign (+) in front of IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.

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    3. Double-click Primary IDE Channel or Secondary IDE Channel, then click the Advanced Settings tab.

    4. Make sure Transfer Mode is set to DMA if available.

      Note: If the transfer mode is set to PIO Only, click the down arrow to the right of the setting, then select DMA if available.

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      If multiple Primary IDE Channel or Secondary IDE Channel selections are present, repeat Steps 3 and 4 for each selection.

    5. Click OK.

CD/DVD does not burn

  1. Make sure recording function is enabled

    1. Click Start, then click My Computer.

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

    3. Click Recording tab.

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    4. Make sure the checkbox Enable CD recording on this drive is selected.

    5. Click OK.

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

  3. Try burning a test CD

    1. Download GWSCAN 5.12 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, double-click the GWSCAN512.exe icon on the desktop. Files are extracted to a folder called Cabs on the C: drive and open a Web-based instruction page.

    3. On the instruction page, click the link for the CD burning software that shipped with your computer. Available choices are Nero Express, Power2Go, or Roxio Easy CD Creator.

    4. Follow the CD burning instructions.

    5. After the burning process is complete, leave the disk in the drive, then restart the computer. When prompted, press any key to start the computer from the CD. If GWSCAN runs and the Select Drive option opens, then the CD was successfully burned and the optical drive works correctly.

Drive read failures

  1. Clean the CD/DVD disc.

    2. Note: If Windows fails an attempt to read a CD or DVD, an error message box may open indicating data was bad or could not be read.

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    1. Remove and clean the disc.

    2. Try playing the CD or DVD again.

    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 original disc is probably defective and should be replaced.

  2. Reseat the cables.

    3. Note: Use proper Electrostatic Discharge procedures.

    1. Turn off the computer and unplug the power cord.

    2. Disconnect everything except the monitor and keyboard.

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

    4. Remove the cover.

    5. Inspect and reseat the optical drive cable:

      • Check for broken connectors on the optical drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check for bent or broken pins on the optical drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check cable orientation.
      • Connect the data cable to a different motherboard connector. If the optical drive works, the original motherboard connector is probably defective. Please contact Gateway using one of the methods at the bottom of this page.
      • Try a different cable, if possible. If optical drive works with new cable, the original cable is probably defective. Please contact Gateway using one of the methods at the bottom of this page.

      Note: Make sure to firmly reseat the data cable connections to the drive and motherboard, then the power connection to the drive. If the connectors do not firmly reconnect, the damaged component (cable, drive, or motherboard) may need to be replaced. Please contact Gateway using one of the methods at the bottom of this page.

  3. Contact technical support.

Drive not detected

  1. Check BIOS setup.

    1. Press the F2 key repeatedly as the computer starts.

    2. Desktop computers: Refer to the Drive Configuration page (or similarly named page), or Standard CMOS features page to identify all optical drives detected. BIOS Setup will present a table which matches drive ports (drive connectors on the motherboard) to drives detected at a given port.

      Note: If the configuration has more than one CD/DVD drive, note the ports to which they are connected.

    3. Notebook computers: Refer to the Main page of the BIOS to identify any 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:

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

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

  2. Reseat the cables.

    3. Note: Use proper Electrostatic Discharge procedures.

    1. Turn off the computer and unplug the power cord.

    2. Disconnect everything except the monitor and keyboard.

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

    4. Remove the cover.

    5. Inspect and reseat the optical drive cable:
      • Check for broken connectors on the optical drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check for bent or broken pins on the optical drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
      • Check cable orientation.
      • Connect the data cable to a different motherboard connector. If the optical drive works, the original motherboard connector is probably defective. Please contact Gateway using one of the methods at the bottom of this page.
      • Try a different cable, if possible. If optical drive works with new cable, the original cable is probably defective. Please contact Gateway using one of the methods at the bottom of this page.

      6. Note: Make sure to firmly reseat the data cable connections to the drive and motherboard, then the power connection to the drive. If the connectors do not firmly reconnect, the damaged component (cable, drive, or motherboard) may need to be replaced. Please contact Gateway using one of the methods at the bottom of this page.

  3. Reseat optical drive (notebooks only). If the optical drive resides in a module bay, reseat the optical drive module in the notebook. Make sure it is fully seated and all cables are connected correctly.

  4. Try another drive bay (600 Series notebooks). Try the optical drive module in the other modular drive bay.

  5. Contact technical support.

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