How to fix a CD-ROM, DVD, or disc drive not working in Windows

Updated: 06/30/2020 by Computer Hope

Computer CD-ROM

If a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disc bulldoze in your estimator is non reading discs correctly, the following tips and information may help you lot set the problem.

Bad or muddy CD

Make sure you have tested more than one CD in the disc drive, as it may be 1 CD that is bad or muddied. If all but i or two discs neglect, the disc bulldoze is bad or muddy. For instructions on cleaning your CDs and disc drive, run across the computer cleaning folio.

If, after cleaning the bulldoze and CDs, you still become errors, it's probable the disc drive is bad.

Cheque Device Director

  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Click or double-click the System icon.
  3. In Windows XP and earlier, click the Hardware tab and and then the Device Manager push.
    In Windows Vista and later on, click the Device Managing director link on the left side of the System window.

Within Device Manager, verify the CD-ROM has no exclamation marks or red X's. If listed with a yellow assertion mark or scarlet X, remove the CD-ROM past highlighting the bulldoze and pressing the delete central. Reboot the computer to reinstall the CD-ROM drive.

Notation

If the CD-ROM drive is not in the Device Director, the drive's cables may not be connected properly. It's besides possible that the bulldoze is bad and needs to be replaced.

For boosted data on Device Manager, see our Device Managing director page.

Corruption in Windows

Try testing the CD-ROM in Prophylactic Mode. If the CD-ROM works in Prophylactic Mode but not in normal Windows, a running plan is causing the issue, or the drivers are corrupt. Open up Device Managing director, highlight and remove the CD-ROM by pressing the delete primal. Subsequently deleting the CD-ROM, reboot the computer. Windows should then find the CD-ROM and reinstall it.

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Note

If the CD-ROM drive is non in the Device Manager, the drive'southward cables may non be continued properly. Information technology'southward also possible that the drive is bad and needs to exist replaced.

Endeavor booting a CD or bootable diskette

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, and later users

If you attempted the recommendations in a higher place, kick from the Windows disc to see if the reckoner can detect and boot from the disc. If the calculator can boot from the disc, you are encountering a Windows driver related issue. Try the above recommendations again.

Windows 98 users

If you attempted the recommendations above, try booting from a Windows 98 diskette or some other bootable diskette with CD-ROM drivers to see if the CD-ROM works from MS-DOS. If the CD-ROM does piece of work from MS-DOS, this indicates there is a Windows corruption issue. However, if the CD-ROM does not work, refer to the next and final possibility. Additional information on bootable disks is on our boot disk page.

Verify reckoner running in 32-chip style

If you are using Windows 98 or Windows 95, verify the computer is running in 32-bit fashion past clicking Outset, Settings, Command Panel, double-click System, and click the Functioning tab. Under Operation by File System, verify it says '32-bit'.

  • Why is the CD-ROM drive running in MS-DOS mode?

CD-ROM cables connected improperly

If you have recently installed or moved your reckoner, verify that the CD-ROM cables are connected correctly.

Notation

If the disc drive is not opening when y'all press the eject button, verify the CD-ROM power cable is firmly connected.

  • How to verify CD-ROM cables are correctly connected.

Bad CD-ROM drive

If you lot tried all the steps above and you're notwithstanding encountering errors with reading discs in the CD-ROM drive, the bulldoze is bad. You can try replacing the drive and run across if a new CD-ROM bulldoze resolves the issue.

  • How to test a figurer CD-ROM and DVD drive for failures.