Windows does not see optical drives

AARRRGH: Another catastrophe for Catastrophy. Windows cannot see any of the three IDE optical drives.

Error Message in device manager: "Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)" Driver details show all Windows native drivers installed. Cannot use sfc to restore drivers, sfc asks for CD but can't see it.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled, no help. BIOS sees drives and will allow CD boot, System restore works ok, but after restore, still no optical drives.

This may be the result of installing and uninstalling a DVD writing program and subsequently deleting registry entries using RegSeeker. However, restoring reg entries with either RegSeeker BU or an independent saved reg backup does not help.

Anyone see a solution to this problem short of doing an image restore from last week or a repair install of XP from booted CD? That is, restore drivers from online source, or a regedit or settings change?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Martin

 

If the DVD writing program in question is Easy CD and DVD Creator, take a look at the MS KB article, CD-ROM Access Is Missing and Messages Cite Error Code 31, Code 32, Code 19, or Code 39 After You Remove Easy CD Creator in Windows XP.

 

Hi Miz, Hi Pete: I followed Miz's link to MS knowledge base article, followed instructions to delete value in registry, low and behold the drives are BACK!

Thanks so much, without this board, MSFT would be getting about $35.00 per week out of me for support.

You guys are so

Thanks again.

Martin

 

You're welcome. Thanks for posting back to let us (and others) know how you got it fixed.

 

I had to reinstall my packet writing software though, MSFT KB warned about that too. & I can't get Windows Movie Maker to recognize my CDRW drive as a recordable. Probably have to reinstall Nero and MyDVD too + any other writing software.

Drive properties have no setting "allow recording on this drive" Any ideas on this, or should I do a separate post?

Thanks again Miz & Pete.

Martin

 

Turned out it wasn't all that easy. I had to uninstall and reinstall all software the needed optical drive access for CD, DVD recording and/or backups. I spent most of today doing that. I think I'm done, but I'll bet I'll start some program and discover it won't work.

That is still better than an OS repair or install though. IMHO. I just did not want to restore a 5 day old image, so many changes since then. I just set up DI 7 to make auto backups daily.

Hard to believe that uninstalling one program could do so much damage. Program was Power2Go, a dvd writing program. Not free, I paid for it. I guess the same after effects of uninstalling EasyCD/DVD Creator from Roxio. Per MSFT knowledge base article.

Thanks again

Martin

 

Pete: From my last post: "I'll bet I'll start some program and discover it won't work. "
I win that bet. Darn CD burner still giving me troubles. Last night I burned a CD-R of pictures (jpg) for a friend of his son pitching in a basball game. (copy-paste) All seemed to go well and very quickly. Using Pinnacles "Instant Write" packet writing software, prepares disk prior to burn and finalizes on request after burn. I finalized the disk.

Took the CD out, then decided I'd better check it before giving it to my friend, seeing the burner/drive problems I had been having.

Put it back in the drive, got cursor with blinking CD image, just kept on blinking. Drive set to open and display files, auto run, did not happen. Just continued blinking cd image next to cursor with burner LED light constant. Opened "My Computer ", right clicked drive, machine locked up. Used task manager to shut down "My Computer "

Opened "My Computer" left clicked drive. Got error message: "you do not have an application associated with this folder, use folder options in control panel to assign a file type" (not an exact quote, just the gist.)

I would have no idea on how to assign a file type to this drive/disk with folder options.

Clicked OK, then right clicked on drive, selected open, it opened. Pictures all present and accounted for.

Removed CD, reinserted. Same results, would not auto run, blinking cd cursor forever, right click drive locks machine, after program shut down with task manager, left click drive, same error message, click ok, right click drive, select open, files open. AARRRRRGH!

I have uninstalled and reinstalled this drive several times during the "fix" and have had this problem intermittantly with CD-R since uninstalling the Power2Go program. Burning software uninstalled and reinstalled twice.

Burned an unrelated program backup on CD-RW this morning, no problems. Burn it, take it out, reinsert, opens. Almost instant. So, CD-RW ok, CD-R not.

Anyny idea where to look for a solution? Some setting somewhere incorrect?

Any opinions will be appreciated.

Martin

 

Well, I'll tell you, I dumped InCd a year or so ago because of constant problems with it. Pinnacle's Instant Write has functioned well for me since then with no problems 'till now, and that's not the fault of the program, I messed it up.

I have been laboring under the impression/misapprehension? that you must have packet writing software of some sort to write to the CDs in the first place. Cripes, I don't even remember, it has been so long ago, years, when I first installed Packet Writing software that came with my first CD burner, From HP. I'm on my 5th CD writer, each of which came with CD to install whatever brand of PW software the company was hoping for you to update. Nero comes with it's own rendition of InCD which I do not use.

I have the full version of Nero 6, upgraded from the version that came with my Artec CDRW drive.

So, since each drive came with some brand of Packet Writing Software, I thought you had to have one of them installed to format disks. Is this not true??

(I read somewhere when in a sentence to spell it disks and when to use discs, but I have forgotten which is correct for CD writers)


Martin

 

Thanks Pete for enlightening me.

Martin