Very odd problem with CD-ROM drives. **SOLVED**

[ddeder]

The computer is running Windows XP Home and has a 52x CD-ROM drive and a TDK CD-RW drive. If I boot from a Windows 98 boot disk with CD-ROM support, both drives are able to read a CD just fine.

If I boot the computer with a CD already in the drive(s), the drive(s) can read the CD. If I eject the CD and then insert it again, the drive(s) can no longer read the CD - Drive is inaccessible. Incorrect Function. This happens with both CD-ROM drives. The only way to read a CD is to boot the computer with the CD already in the drive. As soon as the CD is ejected, the drive stops working. Via drivers have just been updated to the latest version with the same result. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[ViperXX]

I'm sorry I can't help you with your problem. I'd just like to say that I'm having that exact same problem with one of my PCs here at home. The symptoms are identical to yours. Maybe someone here knows the answer.

 

[furie27]

Have you tried moving one of the cd rom drives to a different IDE chain and replacing the cable?

 

[Dantzig]

Along that same line, what other devices are on the IDE channel(s)? What are their jumpers set to?

 

[airfoil]

The PC is looking for the CD it booted from, for the system files it needs, which is why nothing else would work. Try keeping the CD you booted from in the drive and inserting a CD in the other drive to access whatever is on it.

 

[ddeder]

I found the problem. First of all, I would just like to explain that I was not "booting" from the CD in the drive. The CD's I was using to test this problem were all non-bootable.

The problem appears to have been caused by the Nero CD burning software somehow. After removing the Nero software and unchecking references to Nero in the startup section of MSCONFIG, the CD-ROM drives started working normally again. After re-installing the Nero software, the CD-ROM drives began having the problem again.

I ended up uninstalling Nero 5.5 and installing Nero Express and the CD-ROM drives work fine with this version of Nero. The Nero Express CD burning software seems to work fine too.

ViperXX, if you have any CD burning software installed, (Nero, Roxio, etc...), I would try removing it and restarting the computer to see if the problem persists. Don't forget to uncheck any references to the software in MSCONFIG.

 

[furie27]

With Nero, never install their incd software, it's like direct cd but can kill small animals at a distance.

 

[Zepper]

I've installed lots of InCD (nero v.5.x up) with no problem.
.bh.