Resources

I have a CD drive on my laptop and it is not launching on the computer. In Hardware Manager it shows that the driver failed to launch. I tried updating the driver and an online forum told me I had to delete iTunes so I did, and it started working, but then it stopped again and I don’t have any iTunes on my computer.

Completely Remove iTunes

There are some CD drives that are incompatible with iTunes. As annoying as this is, you might need to make sure that the iTunes installation is completely removed before troubleshooting the disk driver. Here are the steps to remove iTunes according to Apple.

1. Close and quit iTunes
2. Click Start and then Control Panel
3. Chose Add/Remove Programs
4. Scroll through the list and find iTunes. Click to select it, then click Remove
5. When asked to confirm, choose Yes
6. Allow the process to run, if asked to restart your computer, DON’T
7. Repeat these steps for any other iTunes listings and any iPod Updater listings
8. When complete, restart your computer
9. Click to open Computer, then choose Local Disk C - your hard drive - and click to open Program Files
10. Right click on the iTunes folder and choose Delete, then Yes to confirm. If no folder appears, that’s ok, it was removed during the uninstallation
11. Right click the iPod folder, choose Delete, then Yes to confirm
12. If Windows asks for permission, click Continue
13. Now, right click on your Recycle Bin and choose Empty
14. Restart your computer again - this should have removed all traces of iTunes

Update your CD Drive Driver with Windows

Now you will probably need to re-install or update your CD drive’s driver. Windows has an updater tool that should work, as long as the CD drive you are using came stock with your laptop.

1. Click Start, then Control Panel, then System and Maintenance, then Administrative Tools
2. Click twice on Computer Management, then choose Device Manager
3. Scroll to find the CD drive listing and click the + to expand the section
4. Right click the CD driver listing, then choose Properties
5. Choose Driver, then click Update Driver to launch the wizard
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to find and install a driver update

If you are still having driver issues, visit the CD manufacturer’s website. You can find details about the device in Device Manager and then search the website for a drivers and downloads page and access the new driver that way. I hope this does the trick! Good luck!

My laptop will not play/read CDs or DVDs. Do you have any tips?

There are several different scenarios that could lie behind this type of problem. Read through the following tips, completing them one at a time to see if you can resolve the issue.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: Checking the CDs/DVDs

The first step that you should take is to try the CDs/DVDs on another computer to see if they work. The possibility that the CD/DVD is corrupted does exist and this strategy eliminates that possibility. If you have tried numerous CDs/DVDs on the laptop already, then you can safely skip this step.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: CD/DVD Drivers

One of the most common reasons behind CD/DVD players not being able to read the media is that the drivers need to be updated. If the drivers aren’t current, this fact can lead to CD/DVD players not working properly. Visit the website for the manufacturer of the CD/DVD drive that you have on the laptop and check for updates for the drivers.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: DVD Decoder

In order for the laptop to play DVDs on it, you need to have a DVD decoder installed on it. This is a software application that lets the DVD play so that you can view it. In order to protect the data on the DVD from copyright infringement and theft, the data is encoded/compressed onto the DVD. The decoder translates the data so that users can see it.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: Checking for a DVD Decoder

Not all laptops come with a DVD decoder installed unless it has the Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Home Premium operating system installed on it. However, some laptops have them installed even if they are using a different operating system, so you’ll have to check. If you don’t have one, then you need to install one in order to be able to view DVDs.

To see if you have a DVD decoder, follow these steps:

• Navigate to “Start” and “All Programs.”
• Select “Windows Media Player” or “WMP.”
• Select “Tools” and “Options.” If you can see a tab for “DVD,” then you have a DVD decoder installed.
• Check to make sure that the decoder is enabled by selecting the “File Types” tab and marking off the box in front of “DVD” video.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: Drive Failure

In order to check the status of the CD/DVD drive, you need to access the “Device Manager.” Depending on your operating system, the following directions might vary a bit.

• Navigate to “Start”
• Open “Control Panel.”
• Open “System.”
• Open “System Properties.”
• Select “Hardware.”
• Select “Device Manager.”
• Look in the list of devices and select the entry for the CD/DVD drive. You will see a message stating whether or not the device is functioning properly. If it is not, click on “Troubleshooting Tips” and follow the suggestions there. It should also tell you if the drive isn’t functioning properly due to an incompatibility with another application or device.
• If it turns out the drive isn’t recognized and included in the list, you need to carefully uninstall and reinstall the drive. It is possible that it isn’t installed properly. Make sure that you follow precautions to ground yourself before completing this task.
• If the drive doesn’t work at all, even after reinstalling it, it is possible that it no longer works and needs to be replaced.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: Clean the Registry

If you have gotten this far and it still doesn’t work properly, you might want to clean the registry using a reliable registry cleaner such as RegCure. This strategy places broken files, lost files, etc back in the proper location.

Troubleshooting CD/DVD Errors: Additional Tips

• Check that you have properly uninstalled any old DVD/CD drives that were on the laptop.
• Check that you are using CDs/DVDs that are compatible with the drive that you are trying to use.