Trying to recognize Rioddas external CD\DVd drive

Thanks for the reply.

I did the device manager one where I uninstall the CD\DVD device. Restarted and drive is gone. Did not come back. I purchased another CD\DVD drive and same thing, not found.

I tried the hardware and device troubleshooter when I open other troubleshooters, I do not have the tab hardware and devices to click on.

I have updated windows. I have gone to the Dell website and tried to locate the CD\DVD driver to re-install. No luck there.

I see on the WWW that I am not the only one having this problem. I have 2 other computers running Windows 10 or 11. Forced to update. All three of my computers do not recognize the CD drive.

If you could help further, I would appreciate it. I have a number of CD rom’s with pictures on them I would like to put on a PC to  transfer to a USB drive.

Thanks again for the help.

Rick Moran

Hello Rick

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

It sounds like your external Rioddas CD/DVD drive is physically working (it tries to read the disk), but Windows 11 isn't properly detecting it in File Explorer. Here are a few steps you can follow to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

1. Check Device Manager for the Drive

• Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
• Look under DVD/CD-ROM drives. If you see your external drive listed there, right-click it and select Uninstall device.
• Then unplug the external drive, restart your laptop, and plug it back in to see if it gets recognized again.
• You can also check under Universal Serial Bus controllers to see if the USB drivers are working fine.

2. Update USB Drivers

• In Device Manager, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
• Right-click on each USB device listed, then select Update driver.
• Choose Search automatically for updated driver software to make sure your USB controllers are up to date.

3. Check Disk Management

• Press Win + X and select Disk Management.
• Look for your external CD/DVD drive here. If it's listed but not initialized or without a drive letter, right-click on it and assign a drive letter.
• If it shows as "Offline" or with any errors, try right-clicking and selecting Online or troubleshooting further based on the error.

4. Reinstall USB Controllers

• Open Device Manager, then expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
• Right-click on each USB Root Hub and choose Uninstall device.
• Restart your laptop, and Windows should reinstall the USB controllers, which may resolve any driver-related issues.

5. Use the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

• Go to Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters.
• Find Hardware and Devices, then click Run to let Windows detect and fix issues with the external drive.

6. Check the Drive on a Different Port

• Try plugging the external drive into a different USB port (preferably a USB 3.0 port if available) on your laptop to rule out a port-specific issue.

7. Test the Drive on Another PC

• Since you mentioned testing the drive on other PCs with Windows 10 or greater, ensure that the drive works properly on those systems. If it doesn't, there might be a hardware issue with the drive itself.

8. Reinstall CD/DVD Drivers

• In Device Manager, under DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the listed drive and select Uninstall device.
• Restart your system, and Windows should reinstall the correct drivers for the drive.

9. Check for Windows Updates

• Make sure your Windows 11 system is fully updated. Go to Settings → Windows Update and click Check for updates.

10. Try the Drive in Compatibility Mode

• If the above steps don't resolve the issue, try running the device in compatibility mode for an older version of Windows (like Windows 7) to see if that helps.

11. Check the Disk

• Insert a different CD/DVD into the external drive to ensure the disk itself isn't the issue.

If none of these steps work, it may be worth checking for any known issues with the Rioddas drive on Windows 11 or contacting their support team for more in-depth assistance.

Best Regards,

William.Y | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hello Rick Moran,

Thank you for your update. It is indeed possible that Device manager sometimes may not recognize the proper driver for certain devices. In this situation we recommend you look for the proper drivers from the CD-ROM's manufacturer's website. Generally, you can contact their support team, to ask for a suitable driver version for the latest Windows 11. You can also report this problem to them and see if they have a better solution. When Windows update comes, some devices may meet compatibility issues and need device manufacturers for a fix.

Hope to see your good news! 

Best Regards,

William.Y | Microsoft Community Support Specialist