How to enable a CD/DVD drive? It is not listed in “My Computer”

Question

I just got a laptop from a friend. The CD/DVD drive is not present in "My Computer". But the tray comes out when I press the button and everything.

I remember long time ago, enabling it by changing some registry value, but I forgot which one.

• I have administrator privileges.

• I can see it in the device manager. But it has a yellow exclamation icon on it.

• My OS: Windows XP SP3

• In Device Manager, inside the properties window for this device, the following error is shown in the "Device Status" box.

A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)

How do I enable my CD/DVD drive?

Answer 1

Try reinstalling the driver for the CD/DVD drive.

You could also try running disk management ("Create or format hard drive partitions") by searching it through the search box. See if the CD/DVD drives are visible, and if so, try reassigning them a drive letter (right click -> change drive letter and paths).

If the drive isn't visible in device manager or disk management follow Ganesh's advice. :)

UPDATE 1: also, I'm not sure if it will work, but to uninstall the driver, in the same properties box click the driver tab and uninstall. Then, after restarting computer, in Device Manager click Action and Scan for hardware changes.

Answer 2

I would guess the issue is due to Filters installed by a CD/DVD burning application such as Roxio Creator or even iTunes, they have drivers that are installed that "add functionality" to your current DVD/CD writer and an cause issues.

The following is from a Microsoft Kb but they don't mention deleting the driver in device manager after clearing out he filters, you will want to do that afterwords and then reboot the pc.

1 - Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list. (note) If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

2 - Locate, and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

(Caution) There can be many instances of the registry subkey that is mentioned in step 2. You must make sure that you are in the appropriate registry subkey before modifying the UpperFilters and the LowerFilters values. To verify that you are in the appropriate registry subkey, make sure that the Default data value is DVD/CD-ROM and the Class data value is CDROM.

3 - In the right pane, if you have UpperFilters, right-click UpperFilters, and then click Delete.

4 - Click Yes to confirm the removal of the UpperFilters registry entry.

5 - In the right pane, if you have LowerFilters, right-click LowerFilters, and then click Delete.

6 - Click Yes to confirm the removal of the LowerFilters registry entry. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Answer 3

First see if the drive is enabled in the BIOS. Then make sure that the computer recognizes it in the control panel -> Administrative tools -> Computer Management -> Device Manager. It may be that the required device drivers are missing.

UPDATE 1: For the error code you posted (from Knowledge Base article 310123):

Code 32

A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)

Cause

The start type for this driver is set to disabled in the registry.

Recommended resolutions

Reinstall the driver for this device. If this does not work, you might have to change the device start type parameter in the registry.

Uninstall and reinstall the driver

Uninstall the driver from Device Manager, and then scan for new hardware to install the driver again.

You may be prompted to provide the path of the driver. Windows may have the driver built-in, or may still have the driver files installed from the last time that you set up the device. However, sometimes, it will open the New Hardware Wizard which may ask for the driver. If you are asked for the driver and you do not have it, you can try to download the latest driver from the hardware vendor’s Web site.

1. On the device Properties dialog box, click the Driver tab, and then click Uninstall. Follow the instructions.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Open Device Manager, click Action, and then click Scan for hardware changes. Follow the instructions.

Change the start type in the Registry

This content is designed for an advanced computer user.

As a last resort, you can edit the registry directly if the driver is required, and if reinstalling or upgrading does not work. Change the start type inside the registry by using Registry Editor. For more information, see the Registry Reference in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit at the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/reskit

NOTE: You can try the utility ServiWin for changing the driver start type parameter: