Hiya all,

I have a really serious and strange issue on my computer that I have no clue when it actually happened. I haven't used my ROM drives (I have a normal CD ROM drive and a CD/DVD writer drive) for quite a while, a few months at the very least. A couple days ago I tried to load up a game I was going to install and nothing happened. I assumed it was the auto-run again which has reset it self a couple of times over the years (Windows XP quirk according to a couple places I found how to fix that issue on lol) so I looked that up again and was going to try to fix it but... my ROM drives are not showing on file tree at all to do anything with them.

I checked the Device Manager and they are listed there but both with the yellow exclamation points on them saying something is wrong. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling them according to Windows help but although they are detected correctly they still say they are not working. The Device manager for them says that either the drivers are corrupt or something like that is wrong. I have tried downloading the current driver for the CD/DVD ROM drive, but when I double click it to install it, it says that the ATAPI device cannot be found.

My husband has pulled them out, reinstalled them, checked the cords to make sure they were working by putting them in his computer and they worked. We're at a total loss as to what to try next. I can't even try repairing it if it's a Windows issue because I have no CD drive working to read the CD, can't access any CD's at all.

If anyone has any clues as to what this might be I would surely appreciate any help you can give.
Thanks in advance.

NO SCOTT! I can't format! I have no drive to load windows onto! lol

What did you reinstall, the device or the drives? It should be the case that all you have to do is reinstall the drives. One way you can do this is to force a Microsoft update. It should be the case that update will find the missing drives and reinstall them for you. If for some reason that does not work, then purchase a drive update software like "driver genius".

HAha. By the time I got to the bottom of you message, i was just going to say FORMAT!

I think you can install windows over a previous install and it won't touch the data. This. May fix it.

Installed the devices, the drivers I tried to do but it won't let me, and we also pulled the drives out and replaced them back in as well as testing the wiring etc. but....

No Scott I can't do it lol, I have no CD ROM drive to read my windows CD

Delete the drives from the device manager and reboot to let Windows find them and install the drivers again. You can also try to run sfc /scannow to repair files. If you need to use a CD Rom, all you have to do is share a CD-Rom device on a networked computer.

You may also try this:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cd_dvd_drive_problems

Well tried the delete and let windows find it on reboot method but that didn't work either, it just reinstalled them same as they were, yellow exclamation marks in the device manager and not found anywhere to show in the file tree.

I realize that I could probably use a USB one maybe, or even a networked one, but, what the hell did this? I haven't done anything to my computer that I can think of that would have caused this. I checked all the services to make sure everything was on that should be and it looks ok there. I'm so stumped, I've never seen anything like this happen before..

Gonna try the Microsoft thing that you linked, I'll let ya know how that goes, thanks

WOOT! Thanks Tom!! That microsoft link worked right away and looks like I'm back in business. Sure wish they'd tell ya what could cause that so it doesn't happen again, but at least I have a drive now. Thanks very much for your help guys

is it me, or does the logo for the fix it center software look like it came from coffeecup?

I install Windows from an external device with an ISO. Much faster then CD. Remember, I format on the 1st, 15th and 25th of each month.

Hey, if you ever come up with a great idea somebody while steal (opps, borrow without due compensation) it!

Imitation is the sincerst form of flattery after all!

If you want to see more clipart that looks eerily similar to CC's art browse the illistrations at a site like iStockphoto.com

Got to give props to Scott and the gang though 1,000 images for the price of one from the other guys! That's why we love Coffee so much.