BIOS Won't Recognize CD/DVD Drive

[Chakz]

I have a Ferrari 4000 and it will not let me boot from a CD. I have the boot sequence set to CD first and everything software wise is setup right. In the BIOS though next to ATAPI Device it is blank.

The drive no longer shows up in Windows under "Safely Remove Hardware" but when I put a disc in and go to My Computer it will explore and read it fine.

I upgraded my BIOS and wiped my hard drive and still no luck. I'm desparate for help. Thanks. :bow:

[pharlaptop]

I have a Ferrari 4000 and it will not let me boot from a CD. I have the boot sequence set to CD first and everything software wise is setup right. In the BIOS though next to ATAPI Device it is blank.

The drive no longer shows up in Windows under "Safely Remove Hardware" but when I put a disc in and go to My Computer it will explore and read it fine.

I upgraded my BIOS and wiped my hard drive and still no luck. I'm desparate for help. Thanks. :bow:

That sucks. So you say it does show up in the bios boot menu? Sometimes you need to hilight a device in the bios and let it auto-find again.
How about in System Properties in Windows?
There's also CD/DVDRom firmware upgrades out there, tweaked versions of OEM.

[Rachel Faith]

I just had this happen to me also. Nothing in BIOS and no means to "auto" detect it. Nothing in Windows. But powers up, spins and acts like it is reading... based on sounds and vibration. Even Beeps when I remove and install the drivers like it's being found. But like a USB drive that isnt formatted correctly and does not show up, neither does my DVD/CD drive.

[AmpCore]

That sucks. So you say it does show up in the bios boot menu? Sometimes you need to hilight a device in the bios and let it auto-find again.
How about in System Properties in Windows?
There's also CD/DVDRom firmware upgrades out there, tweaked versions of OEM.

Can you link to those? I've been trying to find a new firmware for the 4005 drive but never found any.

[pharlaptop]

Can you link to those? I've been trying to find a new firmware for the 4005 drive but never found any.

I can't do your heavy lifting for you, besides I don't know the OEM for your drive. When you know that, do a google on Dangerous Brothers- I'm serious, that's their name and they're great-:w00t: can't recall if they're the Lite-On or NEC specialists, but there's several- and trawl some of those forums.

[pharlaptop]

I just had this happen to me also. Nothing in BIOS and no means to "auto" detect it. Nothing in Windows. But powers up, spins and acts like it is reading... based on sounds and vibration. Even Beeps when I remove and install the drivers like it's being found. But like a USB drive that isnt formatted correctly and does not show up, neither does my DVD/CD drive.

Nothing in bios sounds like it's dead, or just possibly a faulty pin-out connector where the power pin would still be hot, but not the I/O. It would still power up, but there's no one home. Try detaching the drive, then snap it back in firmly. Also, while it's out, you might do a visual of the connector interfaces for damage.

If you know someone with a laptop using the same drive, you could experiment swapping them, but it sure sounds like time to buy a new DVD/CD drive.

[Rachel Faith]

Would anything else explain the previous intermittent behavior? Sometime you see it, sometimes you don't sorta thing? Do drives "go bad" ie, here one time gone the next, then back again? Also, there is no reason why the connections would be worn or lose and I did check.

[pharlaptop]

Would anything else explain the previous intermittent behavior? Sometime you see it, sometimes you don't sorta thing? Do drives "go bad" ie, here one time gone the next, then back again? Also, there is no reason why the connections would be worn or lose and I did check.

Yes, they do go bad. Imo, notebook drives are nowhere near as sturdy as desktop drives, on account of their minimalist design. So I'd think the failure rate should be higher.
It's not an exact science, you know, so you just have to eliminate the possible causes you can test, and see what's left. Intermittent behavior would likely be from a controller chip burning out in the drive itself.
The fact you mention that the bios does not see it is very telling. That almost certainly means the drive is not fully connected- which you checked, or is dying. Bios is as low-level as it gets.

[Chakz]

Thanks for the replies guys. Still no luck with the drive though. Next to Atapi Device in the BIOS its blank, but in windows it sees it fine (sees the model number and everything) and i can still read/burn discs, but it no longer shows up in Safely Remove Hardware. I think I'll just cross my fingers and keep using it.