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Resolved Question

windows xp can't find cd/dvd drives

Sep 12, 2011 8:41AM PDT

Bios shows that the dvd drives exist. Select any hard drive in Windows Explorer; right click, select Hardware tab. It lists the dvd drives along with all hard drives. But Windows Explorer can't find them; nor can Windows Media Player, nor Nero nor any other Windows program.
Everything was working fine .. playing and burning cds and dvds ... then the two DVD drives just disapeared!

The drive trays open and close but no program can find them. Using Start/Run H: (the drive letter for one dvd drive) gets "location is unavailable".

If I unplug the ribbon cable, they disappear from BIOS but reappear when ribbon cable is replaced.

Is it possible to HIDE dvd drives from Windows?

Discussion is locked

cooperslay has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Yes.
Sep 12, 2011 9:16AM PDT

You can google the old CODE 39 issue as well as TweakUI that let you hide drive letters.

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windows XP can't find DVD drives
Sep 13, 2011 8:12AM PDT

It was not a Code 39 problem, but with Device Manager I found that it was a Cod 41 problem. A Google search for Code 41 led me to a forum in which someone had had the same problem and a forum member explained how to fix it by deleting two lines in the Registry using Rededit. So, I did that and it worked. XP immediately found my two DVD drives and now my computer is running perfectly again.

Thanks.

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Those codes can help at times.
Sep 13, 2011 9:16AM PDT

That's why I ask such questions. How I proceed varies with the responses and sometimes folk find the code and do what you did.

I predict you don't go to the repair counters often.
Bob

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Answer
Seen This Article About The Issue?
Sep 13, 2011 1:24AM PDT