Resolved Win XP Home won't recognise optical drives on start up+other devices

Win XP upon booting started reporting new hardware, referring to the two optical drives on machine. I chose 'install automatically' and the poor thing reported that it couldn't find the drivers.....and, naturally that 'I could have a problem with 'my new hardware'. These are the same drives that came with PC, as is the USB set up and card reader. Only part of that is working NOW. It was all fine, and has gradually been dropping devices in a pretty random way.

I am lucky to have a second machine, so I know that these drives are fine, I have tried swapping them across. I also know that USB sticks, CF card, and Sony Memory sticks are all fine too, since the backup machine recognises them.

Now, main machine takes auto updates from Windows, whilst backup is not connected to net. These problems have been developing over about three months. System Restore is turned OFF on all drives, so that route is not open to me.

Does anyone have clues as to what's going on please?

Main PC is Medion multimedia, sorry no model number, but still quite powerful and good spec machine. Backup is weedy little Acer Aspire TT120E.

Finally, I imagine that BIOS is well out of date, but cannot locate source of an update....I can't imagine that it is all down to that, or am I wrong, again

Thanks any help you can offer. John C
[NB system restore is turned OFF on all drives]

 

John, have you tried Win XP repair with OS CD? Neil.

 

Thank you Admin, done that now. I have the SiSandra utilty on PC and gleaned information from that source; when doing so I found much other info about machine. Don't know if this might help, but there iua a lot of it, and I am unsure where to post it.
Should I modify original post or, perhaps, star again?
Thanks, John

 

Thank you Neil [?you initial is not B by any chance, is it?].
System has a Recovery Partiton with factory files in it. However, PC is much modified from original spec over time, plus, like most users, I don't want to lose data. Manual makes it clear that drive C will be wiped if the restore facility is used.
I now have a much more extended specification, gleaned from the Si Sandra utility. I don't know whether to publish this by an 'edit' to post, or maybe to start a new thread...

- a 'Kiwi' [if you'll pardon the term] named Neil B gave me some invaluable help with an OKI laser printer a little while back = Kiwis rank high in my esteem

 

Hi !
I googled a bit with your problem and found out this:-
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060
Give it a try !!

 

Hi John, no not I. Good to know we can help sometimes. Neil.

 

Hello All, As you can see, problem is now resolved. Thanks for your invaluable help. It turned out to be pretty close to terminal. Calling the fire services out was closer than I knew.

Graphics card fan had broken blade - goodness knows how - and severed 'bit was jamming fan to near standstill; it was a 'waft' rather than a fan. Luckily I have friendly dealer nearby, and he looked graphics card and mainboard. Pronounced both dead, effectively, as graphics mainly being supplied ex mainboard which was not coping at all well

Purchase of new 'budget' mainboard+'nearly' new graphics card, no fan this time, +new memory modules (old ones imcompatible new mainboard), has machine as good as it's ever been. I had bought a new HDD to compensate for my tendency to hoard data, and not installed it because of fault. Now it's in the case, with other components, and things are chugging along just fine. Total spend estimated at around a third of price of new tower.

The big downside, now, groan, is the reinstallation/reconfiguration of all the software.....main hobby is photography, along with some writing, not really qualified to be classed as 'Intermediate' so I have 'demoted' myself. I do, however, believe I have not learned 'nothing' from this episode, and I will be keeping an eye out anything I think I have encountered and solved. I think board is brilliant, very friendly. Thanks.

Many brighter sparks on this board than little me, and I thank you all for your help.

John C

 

Thanks Eraser

I did start to try this, and had a bit of success. However, my problems were far more radical than a registry tinker, as you can read....grrrr...but thanks for your contribution. John