cd/dvd writer

madlyn

the cd/dvd reader/writer on my laptop has stopped working (again, the first time was a software issue) instead of paying another £50 to get it fixed, can i just buy an external one and use that?

i know it may seem like a daft question, but when it comes to computers i dont have a clue, and yes, i'm female.

tomthered

use this solution and see if it helpsTo fix the problem that dvd drives are not recognized in Windows 7 permanently do the following:
1. Press Windows R, type regedit and press enter.

2. Open the Registry key

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

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

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

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

6. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the LowerFilters registry entry.

7. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

or visit msoft site and it has a button to press

hxxp://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116

good luck

TrickyDicky101

To answer your specific question though, yes you can purchase an external DVD/CD writer. That's what I did for my netbook.

madlyn

after some investigaion i found a message in the drives info in the control panel.
HL-DT-ST DVDROM GSA-T40N ATA device properties
DEVICE TYPE- CD/DVDROM drives
MANRFACTURER- standard CDROM drives
location- CHANNEL 0 TARGET 0 LUN 0
DEVICE STATUS- this device cannot start (code 10)

any ideas??

Donnie

So what have you attempted thus far?

madlyn

i havent done anything so far.

5bellies_2

If it's a software issue, an external drive will likely also not work as the fault usually affects all optical drives.

Follow the advice already given.

Richie-from-the-Boro

madlyn wrote: »

the cd/dvd reader/writer on my laptop has stopped working (again, the first time was a software issue) instead of paying another £50 to get it fixed, can i just buy an external one and use that?

i know it may seem like a daft question, but when it comes to computers i dont have a clue, and yes, i'm female.

What does ' stopped working mean ' ?

- it can't see the DVD
- it can't play a game ?
- it can't burn an iso ?
- or is it a non DVD problem as in a .. .. can't initialize DirectX [ software ] problem ?

madlyn

i cant burn a downloaded film to a disk, it cant read music/dvd's i wnt to watch or listen to.
i have gone to the microsoft website and done the whole "fix for me" thing and it is still not working.

madlyn

at the end of trying the microsoft fix it, a message pops up saying " could not install driver software"

5bellies_2

madlyn wrote: »

i cant burn a downloaded film to a disk, it cant read music/dvd's i wnt to watch or listen to.
i have gone to the microsoft website and done the whole "fix for me" thing and it is still not working.

Do you have a bootable CD - a Windows disc or similar?

If so, reboot the computer and try and boot from that CD to see if the drive itself works. The info you've so far given suggests a software fault.