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Windows Won't Detect CD-ROM

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Name: Nihilive
Date: October 20, 2006 at 19:47:26 Pacific
OS: Windows XP Home
CPU/Ram: N/A
Product: Dell Optiplex GX1
Comment:

I'm trying to reformat this machine and I am having issues getting CD/DVD-ROM drives to be recognized. The bios is absolute crap on this machine, all I have is the option to set what boots first, which is obviously set to CD-ROM, and it does not acknowledge one is there. I changed the jumper settings to slave, master, and cable select to no avail. Tried 3 other drives and did the same thing on them as well. They weren't recognized. What's the issue? And how would I go about reformatting/reinstalling Windows?

Help!



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Response Number 1
Name: ham30
Date: October 20, 2006 at 19:54:06 Pacific
Reply:

Are you sure that the CDs are bootable?
Are you sure that you have the cable connected the right way at both ends?
Are the drives getting power? Does the drawer work?

Do yourself a favor BACKUP!


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Response Number 2
Name: Sabertooth
Date: October 20, 2006 at 19:58:03 Pacific
Reply:

You can run FDISK & reformat the system using a boot diskette, however if your optical drive is actually hosed, that is as far as you are going to get.



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Response Number 3
Name: Nihilive
Date: October 20, 2006 at 20:11:22 Pacific
Reply:

See, now coincidentally I have TWO of the same computer. I tried swapping over the RAM and the hard drive into the other machine (which is the same model, mobo, everything) and the current installation of Windows XP boots normally, but the DRIVE IS STILL NOT DETECTED!

Everything is connected properly, CDs are bootable because I have used them before, and yes, the drives do get power.

So by switching everything over I believe I've eliminated the following possibilities:

1. Cables being connected improperly.
2. Motherboard issue.
3. Drives are not dead, especially since I've tried multiple.
4. Disks are bootable, because I've used them before.
5. And people much anything else that I know of.

I just can't for the life of my figure out why the drives aren't being detected in the BIOS nor Windows XP.


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Response Number 4
Name: DAVEINCAPS
Date: October 20, 2006 at 20:33:44 Pacific
Reply:

Make sure the IDE controller it's connected to is enabled in cmos/bios setup. If they're already enabled try connecting it to the primary controller either as slave to the HD or by itself.


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Response Number 5
Name: Nihilive
Date: October 20, 2006 at 20:49:48 Pacific
Reply:

Got it. Slaved the HDD and CD-ROM together on the same cable and it worked.

Thanks!


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Response Number 6
Name: DAVEINCAPS
Date: October 20, 2006 at 22:27:43 Pacific
Reply:

You're welcome. Still. . . it should work OK on the secondary. You may want to double check the cmos settings. Also, maybe the cable was bad.


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