External Optical Drive Driver Issue

Question

After upgrading to Windows 11 my external Dell Optical Drive stopped working. Device Manager indicated driver doesn't load properly. The drive is a Plug and Play, therefore Dell doesn't have a driver. Any ideas? This same Drive worked with Windows 10/

Answer 1

Finally got back. I followed the advise provided and was able to get my external Optical Drive to function properly. Thank you so much for your assistance. It is greatly appreciated. - Dave Davis

Answer 2

Hello Dennis Davis3，

Welcome to the Microsoft Community！

We understand that you are experiencing problems with your external optical drive.

According to your description, you are experiencing unrecognized external drives after updating your system, and the fact that the external optical drive stopped working after upgrading to Windows 11 may be due to a compatibility issue. However, you seem to be unable to get an updated driver, I understand your dilemma, here are some possible solutions you can consider, they may not be useful, but you can try:

1. Right-click on my computer and select [Properties] from the pop-up menu.

In the System Properties window switch to the [Hardware] tab, click the [Device Manager] button

Expand the optical drive device in the Device Manager window, then right-click on the optical drive driver, select the [Uninstall] command, and confirm the uninstallation of devices

After uninstalling the device, restart the computer to let it be recognized automatically, if not, reinstall the optical drive driver.

2. Delete the "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters" keys.

This method is used to solve the problem that some CD-ROM drives or storage devices do not work properly in Windows. The steps are as follows:

• Click "Start", then click "Run", type "regedit" in the dialog box that opens, and then click "OK "to open the Registry Editor.
• In the Registry Editor window, use the registry tree on the left to expand the following branch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
• In the details window on the right, look for keys named "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters". If they exist, you need to delete them.
• After deleting the two keys, exit the Registry Editor and restart the computer to allow the changes to take effect.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article. 

3. If the problem persists, since this is not a Microsoft product, please understand that there is a limit to how much help I can provide. Please contact your technical support in Support | Dell US and they will be able to assist you further with this issue.

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology. 

I hope you are able to resolve the issue successfully and thank you for your patience and understanding!

Best Regards ,

Morning | Microsoft Technical Support Community

Answer 3

Hello Dennis Davis3，

I am glad to receive your reply.

I will continue to follow this thread for a while and keep it open for a while for this thread and look forward to your sharing regarding the progress of this issue!

Your cooperation and understanding is highly appreciated and I wish you all the best!

Best Regards ,

Morning | Microsoft Technical Support Community

Answer 4

Thank you. I am out of town at the moment, will attempt the above upon my return and let you know. Thank you.