ive tried everything i could think of or find on message boards. they do appear in device manager but they have yellow explanations next to them. i read on one that it said to delete them then reboot. will this fix the problem? what if i delete them and windows does not recognize them as new hardware? (then im screwed?) if someone could help i would appreciate it thanks.

Mario

Have you tried system restore?

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/systemrestore.asp

boot into safe mode, go to device manager, remove ALL entries for your CD-ROM drives, then reboot....

ok i did the safe mode thing and deleted all entries for the CD-ROM drives.....rebooted...and i got nothing. any other advise. i was going to do the system restore but the date i would have to go back to was Feb 2004. This isnt my computer obviously because mine wouldnt go back that far. If i went ahead and did system restore will it not have the programs that are currently installed on the computer, because i cant have programs missing after i tried to fix the computer bc the customer will go crazy.

Mario

Subject: cd rom drives are not recognized

That's plural, as in more than one. Is that what's there, as more than one cd rom drive? Or is it a cd rom, dvd, cd rw what. Any changes made in the BIOS? If so, might check there to see if by chance a controll.. has been disabled. Have you looked inside the computer, to make sure all connections are good? Any new hardware added, before the problem? That goes for software also.

"ive tried everything i could think of or find on message boards"

That statement, doesn't help us, to know what's been tried, or not. So, I guess even the stuff I said, you've tried, right. no ide, bios, cables, jumpers, protected mode driver, both enabled in windows (chan), controller... I guess they all would ring a bell then. Not productive, to keep repeating things over-over-over. What have you tried, thanks... And what was the error.. problem exact..

Ah, ok;
...."to fix the computer bc the customer will go crazy"

Good Luck,
CrazyOne
;-)

yes i have tried all that you listed. both drives show up in the BIOS. well there really isnt much of an error prob. just the yellow explanation point next to both saying....primary IDE controller (dual fifo) as well as secondary underneath hard disk controllers. i have made sure that all connections were good and even disconnected and reconnected them. made sure all jumpers were in right place also.

Mario

"well there really isnt much of an error prob. just the yellow explanation point next to both saying....primary IDE controller (dual fifo) as well as secondary underneath hard disk controllers."

Hmm, What!! did it say?? I know it wasn't "...." If you double-click the device(s), with the 'explanation' mark. 1.)What does it say, on the general tab?? (Code __) maybe even a reason, as to why... maybe. That's mute, now...

The last, of what I quoted. 2.)Do they have any problems?? Primary, and Secondary Channels. Or, is that, what has the problem, or also. Hmm, also should be a 'Master Controller' in there somewhere :-) 3.)Have you tried re-installing, updating the drivers for the motherboard?? (Yes or No) Are all channels used, and if not. 4.)Have you tried a single device, on an unused, previously not used channel? (Yes or No) 5.)And have you tried, just one conected? (Yes or No) 6.)Have these devices, been tested outside of this computer, and are known to be good? (Yes or No) 7.)The power supply connections, are giving power, and the proper voltage. (Yes or No) 8.)You've tried new data cables. (Yes or No) Nevermind, these last two I asked ^^^

Repeat;
"That's plural, as in more than one. Is that what's there, as more than one cd rom drive? Or is it a cd rom, dvd, cd rw what.......

Any new hardware added, before the problem? That goes for software also......

What have you tried, thanks..."

And to add to that. 9.)Have any, or all of these devices just been added? (Yes or No)........

Try the below site.

http://www.putergeek.com/scanreg/

Below is an excerpt from Worldstart.com forums. I have used this method in the past for the problem of no CD drive icons in the My Computer folder. Hope it helps.

"it could be a software problem. So, let's go ahead and explore that.
In the device manager listing, right click on the item that appears in the list and choose Properties. Look in the Device Status area and see if there an error (could be error code 19, 31, 32, 39 or 41). If this is the case, you won't be able to use the original software for your CD ROM drive, but you could do a search online for your drive's vendor and see if you can download the latest driver software for your particular CD ROM drive. This along with a restart of your computer can solve the problem.
Another thing that may help is the system restore feature that Windows offers. Read about system restore before you go any further. A system restore can place your computer back to a time when it was working properly. If you can remember the last time you know your CD ROM drive was working right, do a restore for that date. This may solve your "missing drive" issue. With any luck, it will.
But, if luck is still not on your side, the next resort is working in the registry. I know I've said this before, but please do keep in mind that the registry is a very advanced module to work with and if you're not 100 percent sure about it, ask for some help or take your computer to a repair shop where they can give you further assistance. If you are sure you can do this, follow these steps.

1.) Go to Start, Run and type in "regedit" (without the quotes) to open up the Windows Registry Editor.
2.) Find the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Class" listing.
3.) Under the Class entry, double click on "{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}."
4.) Next, in the right hand window pane, click only once to select the UpperFilters entry.
5.) Verify that the UpperFilters entry is highlighted and click on Delete, then click on Yes.
6.) Now, go back up to the right hand pane and click only once to select the LowerFilters entry.
7.) Make sure the LowerFilters option is highlighted and click on Delete, then click on Yes.
8.) Close out the registry editor by going to File, Exit.

Now, restart your computer and when it boots back up completely, your CD ROM drive should show up under the My Computer icon. If it still doesn't, you can always reinstall your original CD ROM software to get it up and running."