CD/DVD drive won't recognise disks.

[Support]

I'm running on Vista, using a Packard Bell desktop PC and my CD/DVD drive will not recognise that anything is in the drive when I put a disk in and after a while the 'My Computer' window freezes on me making me unable to install or play anything I put into the drive.

I'm not a computer expert or anything but this isn't good, right?

Any help will be appreciated, also explaining it in simple terms would be beneficial to me.

Thanks.

[Murf]

Welcome to CTH

Did this just start? Have you installed any new software/hardware prior to this happening?

When you put a cd in does the light come on? Does it spin up then stop?

[Broni]

Does the drive show up in Windows Explorer, and Device Manager?

[Support]

I haven't installed anything major onto my PC, the odd online game or two.

The drive itself does show up in Device Manager, yes.

When I put the disk in it makes the usual 'I'm working' sounds by spinning, the light flashing, but that is all it does. 'My Computer' then follows by freezing on me.

I can't place when it started as I don't usually install things via disks onto my PC and it's only recently come to my attention that it does this.

[liondad]

Just a note,

Is this DVD-Rom Drive : HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GWA-4164B

link,
http://www.nero.com/enu/support-nero...utilities.html
Download nero info tool,
Download the file "infotool.zip", save this file to your desktop.
Extract the zipped file on your hard drive using WinZip or WinRAR.
Double-click on the EXE file to start the Nero InfoTool.
The window "Nero InfoTool - Retrieving Information" will open. Please wait until the progress bar has moved completely to the right. The window "Nero InfoTool" will open.
Click the "Save" button (the disk icon at the top). The window "Nero InfoTool – Save/Print" will open.
Please activate all the check boxes (Drive, Disk, Configuration, Software, Hardware, etc.).
Click the "Save" button. The window "Save as" will open.
Name the file and select the "TXT" format as the file type in the dropdown menu.
Select in the "Save in"-dropdown menu the "Desktop" entry.
Click the “Save” button. The Nero InfoTool will be saved on the desktop in the "TXT" format.
Close the two windows "Nero InfoTool – Save/Print" and "Nero InfoTool".
ID your dvd device.
And the firmwear revision.
and post back.

[Broni]

Try one of these:
1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060
or...
2. http://aumha.org/downloads/cdgone.zip
or...
3. Go to Device Manager, click a "+" sign next to IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.
You'll see two items:
- ATA Channel0 (or Primary Channel)
- ATA Channel1 (or Secondary Channel)
Right click on each of them, and click Uninstal. Confirm.
Restart Windows. They'll be automatically reinstalled.