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Question

How do I get my DVD drive work? (XP)

Dec 27, 2013 11:34PM PST

Hello everyone, I have an issue with the new DVD drive (LG super multi) I bought. I replaced our old drive (it couldnt write so I had to get a new one) with plugging the same cables to the new one. The mechanics seem to work but Windows doesn't show it. Once I get to device manager, there is nothing (besides of virtual drives). I searched some forums and somebody recommended to check the BIOS whether the drive appears there or not. Well, it doesn't appear of course... I'm not that much of an expert so before tinkering I prefer asking questions from people who know it better... Please help if you have any solution.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
It sounds like you have power but not data connections
Dec 27, 2013 11:41PM PST

I'd double check the SATA data cable. Be sure it's properly plugged in. You might try plugging it into a different SATA port on the motherboard. If necessary, you could replace it - those cables are pretty cheap.
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Good luck.

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Answer
Re: drive
Dec 27, 2013 11:47PM PST

As I read it (although I don't grasp the full meaning of "the mechanics seem to work" it could be missing power also.

And - while wpgwpg assumes it's a SATA drive - it could be an IDE-drive also. Then we have the master-slave-cable select issue to take care of.

And finally, it could be a defective drive. Checking if it works in another PC is a common diagnostic.

Kees

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Answer
Virtual drives?
Dec 28, 2013 2:56AM PST

XP doesn't have such so I'm guessing you have some other software providing such. These can interfere with real drives.
Bob

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Re: virtual drives
Dec 28, 2013 8:55PM PST

Might be true in general. But if the old drive worked and the new drive doesn't even show up in the BIOS, it's not the issue here, I'd say.

Kees

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I agree. A mystery.
Dec 28, 2013 11:24PM PST

I've run into the virtual drive issue too many times over the years. So it's always on my target list of things to remove when you encounter this one.
Bob

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Answer
Solved
Dec 28, 2013 9:58PM PST

Thanks for the quick response guys. The matter was that the old was an IDE-drive while the new one was SATA, sort of what Kees_B suspected. We got the suiting cable so now everything works perfectly. I thank for all the replies, I think I would have spent weeks with trying to figure out what's going on. For the virtual drives matter (R. Proffitt) it was Daemon Tools but it didn't appear to be interfering with the new drive (thank god). Ah and by the way, "the mechanics seem to work" was a clumsy way of saying "the drive itself appears to be functioning and it's not a faulty product".

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One mystery left.
Dec 28, 2013 10:16PM PST

You wrote "with plugging the same cables to the new one". How did you manage to plug an IDE cable into a SATA drive?

Kees

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That should remain a mystery
Dec 28, 2013 11:11PM PST

Geez I have no idea, now that I've read my original question... I must have mixed up something. If I combine English as my non-native language with the insufficient knowledge about computers, weird things start to happen. I'm afraid this mystery will stay as a mystery...