51m won't detect new CD-ROM drive

I'm using an Alienware 51m (5620D-era). A few days ago my Teac DW-224E CD/DVD combo drive kicked the bucket after three years of loyal service. I ordered a replacement (same drive), but the device manager won't recognize that there's a new drive in there. For what it's worth, the new drive is model number XXXXXX-93, while the old one was a XXXXXX-83 (only the "8" was actually a "9" that someone had turned into an "8"). Could it be that there's only one exact model of CD/DVD drive in the world that works with this laptop??

The kicker is that the drive seems to be working...the lights flash, the CD spins, and I can even play CDs with the little audio control panel on the front when the computer is off.

So I'm wondering 1) how to get the computer to recognize there's a drive present (again, D: doesn't show up in the device manager at all) and 2) how to find drivers for it. I visited Teac's site but it just pointed me back to Alienware, where I can't seem to track down any applicable drivers. I Googled for a long while and found one from driverguide.com, but I couldn't get it to install.

I've tried other things like system restore, virus and spyware scans, and even checked out the bios (it's set to the default settings), but nothing is working.

Any thoughts?

[x-posted to the peer-to-peer laptop support area]

I tried reseating it several times (one of those times I tried it without the blue frame that the drive screws into). Each time it still played music when the computer was turned off, but when I booted up Windows, still no drive!

I just tried the moist air trick and it didn't have any effect.

I'm currently running XP Home Edition (service pack 2).

The old drive was a little inconsistent reading CDs for a while, and then it started making a clicky "wug wug" sound, stopped spinning, and wouldn't read CDs at all. I checked the inside to clean out any dust bunnies or foreign material, but when I reinstalled it the same thing happened. Figured that after three years it was done for (although the computer still detected its presence).

As for the new one, the connectors seem fine to me, and the laptop's look good too. And if the connectors were bad, why would it be able to play CDs when XP is off? I bought the new drive on ebay, but the seller had great feedback and she said that she tested it before she sent it to make sure it worked.

Just to double check, I reinserted the old drive again and it detected just fine! Argh! Why won't it recognize the new one?

Well, I decided to mail the new drive back in for exchange with another of the same model. We'll see if this solves the problem, because if it doesn't...*shudder*.

Ooooh yeah. That warranty has been gone so long I can't even remember its face....

Well, I got my replacement DW-224E drive in the mail today. Guess what...same exact problem as before! Argh! What should I do? Is there a way to flash the firmware of the new drive? Would that even make a difference?

Well, problem solved: I just went out and bought a Sony external USB/Firewire DVD/CD drive. That way I can always keep using it after this computer eventually falls apart. Anyone want to buy a lovely non-Alienware-compatible Teac combo drive? :-)