My DVD-R Drive...disappeared ?

Question

I have an Acer Aspire 5100 Laptop. Everything else works fine, but my DVD Drive isn't detected by my PC. I've tried everything, putting different discs in, putting CDs, DVDs, opening "My Computer," opening it manually using the "Run" command, restarting the PC, and still it detects nothing. It worked fine a few weeks ago, so I can't see why it would just *stop* working.

Any insight ?

Answer 1

That laptop is at least 2 years old.  This by itself does not mean that the drive would go bad (dust, normal abuse, etc.)  however it is possible that the drive could just no longer work.  I've replaced them in those model Acers before.

You may not have the necessary to be able to check if it still functions.  There are a couple of things you can do though.  If you know how to get into your BIOS (usually F2 or Delete or ESC at boot), you can see if the computer is detecting the drive at a CMOS level.  If it is, see if the computer can boot to a CD like your windows CD or a recovery CD.  You don't need to actually go through with a reinstall (yet), but if the computer boots to a disc, then the drive works fine.  If the computer does not even show the drive in the bios, you can check to make sure the drive is fully installed.  Chances are, if your laptop has never been taken apart, it should not be disconnected.

If the computer boots to a CD, then the problem is with Windows, and you should reinstall.  if the computer sees the drive in the BIOS, but it will not boot to a bootable CD, then the drive needs to be replaced.  If the computer does not see the drive in the BIOS and it is properly connected (all the way in the slot it sits in) then the drive needs to be replaced.

This is most likely an issue you should take the laptop to a shop for.