DVD ROM Drive Not Functioning

Question

Hello, I have a real head scratcher here, and I'm at a loss of what to do. About a couple month's ago, my mom's PC had issues and it seemed her OS malfunctioned, so I was able to reinstall Windows 11 on it. Everything has worked since, except her DVD ROM drive. At first I thought it was faulty, since it didn't work when installed in my PC and it sounded like there was something loose inside. So, I replaced it with an LG drive, and I am still having issues.

It doesn't open when button pushed. Need to use paperclip to open. After this, if there is a disc inside, driver doesn't register. DVD ROM drive shows up on BIOS, Device Manager, and File Explorer. I swapped my DVD ROM drive with hers, and in my PC, the tray opens, but still doesn't recognize that there's a disc inside. My drive in her PC has similar issues; doesn't open and doesn't recognize disc, even though it works fine in mine. I don't know if reinstalling Windows 11 will make any difference.

This is what I've done to remedy this, all unsuccessful:

-Uninstall device in Device Manager

-Check for latest driver updates, both in Device Manager and Windows Update

-Uninstall IDE ATA/ATAPI driver in Device Manager

-Run sfc in CMD; even if files were corrupted and repaired, this did nothing

-I saw several videos mentioning removing UPPER and LOWER filters from Registry, yet the Registry doesn't have these; don't think they're supposed to be there to begin with

-Also adding the Controller0 to Registry did nothing

-BIOS is latest version; all hardware, except GPU, less than 5 years old. Only other oddity is USB thumb drives not being recognized by PC.

Any help is appreciated.

Edit: I should clarify that I was referred here by Microsoft Community, and the person who referred me said the OS could be failing. If true, this would be the second time. What could cause the OS to fail like this? And what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again?

Answer 1

The most likely culprit is a mechanical problem within the drive. This could be a loose belt, a jammed gear, or dust buildup preventing the eject mechanism from working properly.

The drive might have a faulty sensor that doesn't detect a disc being inserted or even the tray being fully closed. This would explain why the driver doesn't register the disc.

Consider taking it to a computer repair professional for further diagnosis.

Answer 2

Hello

Have we verified that present machine model is compatible with Windows 11?

Please check the device manufacturer website for this machine model and download the latest drivers from the device manufacturer website

Answer 3

Turns out the problem was a faulty power cable, which was burning out the driver.