can't find or connect my dvd/cd drive to laptop

Thanks for responding.

Only thing that came with it was a tiny page with basically nothing.

It's not recognized by laptop.

Thanks again Jane

Have you read the User Manual for your Dell laptop? Did it come with a CD/DVD tray?

My newer Dell laptop doesn't have a CD/DVD tray. My Older Dell laptop does.

You can check in the Dell Community with users that have the same laptop as yours.

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

If you're having trouble finding your DVD/CD drive on your Dell laptop, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can follow:

1. Check Physical Connection: If it's an external DVD/CD drive, make sure it's properly connected to your laptop via USB and that the drive is receiving power.
2. Check in Device Manager:
   • Press Win + X keys together and select "Device Manager".
   • In the list of devices, look for "DVD/CD-ROM drives". Click on the arrow to expand this category.
   • Your DVD/CD drive should be listed here. If it's not, or if there's a yellow exclamation mark next to it, there might be a problem with the driver.
3. Update or Reinstall Drivers: If you found an issue with the driver in Device Manager:
   • Right-click on the problematic device and select "Update driver". Choose to search automatically for updated driver software.
   • If updating doesn't work, try right-clicking again and selecting "Uninstall device". After uninstalling, restart your computer. Windows should automatically reinstall the drivers upon startup.
4. Check in BIOS: Sometimes, if the CD/DVD drive is not detected in Windows, checking in BIOS can help:
   • Restart your computer and press F2 (or Del) repeatedly during startup to enter BIOS setup (the key might vary depending on your model).
   • Navigate through BIOS using arrow keys (don't change anything unless necessary). Check if CD/DVD Drive is recognized there.
   • If it isn't recognized even in BIOS then it could be a hardware issue.
5. Windows Troubleshooter:
   • Type "Troubleshoot" into the search bar next to Start button and select "Troubleshoot settings".
   • Under 'Get up and running', click on 'Hardware and Devices' (if available), then click 'Run The Troubleshooter'. Follow any instructions given by troubleshooter.

If none of these steps work, consider reaching out directly to Dell Support for further assistance.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist