Troubleshooting CD-ROM Drive Problems

This document contains basic troubleshooting procedures for resolving or more accurately pinpointing your CD-ROM drive problems. This document also assumes that the CD-ROM drive is using the drive letter D.

Possible Causes:

There are many possible causes of CD-ROM drive problems. Any one or a combination of these things can cause error messages and possible system lockups.

There is no CD disc in the CD-ROM drive.

There is an audio CD disc in the drive when you are trying to access data files; or a data CD disc in the drive when you are trying to play an audio or music CD disc.

The CD disc may be dirty or defective.

The CD disc may be an Apple or Macintosh format rather than IBM compatible format.

The CD disc may be in the drive label side down in all single tray CD-ROM drives.

The CD disc may be in the drive label side up in the Sanyo 3 Disc Changer.

You may have the incorrect CD disc or no CD disc in the CD-ROM drive.

The CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file may be pointing to an invalid location for the driver files.

The data or audio cable may be loose, not connected, or damaged.

The CD-ROM drive may be conflicting with newly installed hardware devices.

The jumper settings on the IDE CD-ROM drive, the interface card, or the sound card may be incorrectly positioned.

The OnBoard IDE may not be enabled in your System Setup or CMOS.

Basic Troubleshooting Procedure

CD disc checks - Always make sure that you have the correct type of CD disc in the drive for the type of program you are attempting to use. If you are trying to play music from your CD-ROM, make sure that an audio CD disc is in the drive. Likewise, if you are trying to listen to midi or wave files from a CD disc, make sure that the program you are using is designed to play these types of sounds.

CD disc type - All CD-ROM drives will give random errors if a damaged or wrong media type CD disc is placed in the drive. Make sure if you are attempting to use a data CD disc, such as the Microsoft Office Reference disc or Microsoft Works, that the correct disc is in the CD-ROM drive. Many "Help" files read information from these discs.

Note for Windows^® 3.x users: Make sure that there is a data CD disc in your CD-ROM drive when you are trying to access the D: drive from a DOS prompt or from within Windows. You can not access a directory of an audio CD disc.

CD disc defects - Make sure that the CD disc you are attempting to use is clean and free from scratches. Any nick or fingerprint can cause an error when the CD-ROM drive is trying to access the disc. Try different CD discs to see if the problem is with a specific disc or with any disc that you place in the CD-ROM drive. Handling the CD by the edges can help prevent these kinds of problems.

CD disc position - The CD disc must be placed in the drive with the label side of the disc facing up so that you can read the writing on the top of the disc.

CD disc format - Make sure that the CD disc you are trying to access is IBM compatible. If you try to read an Apple or Macintosh CD disc, you will receive errors. Locate the pamphlet that came with the CD disc. Inside this pamphlet there should be information concerning the format and compatibility of the CD disc. Contact the manufacturer of the CD disc for further information.

OnBoard IDE with a 486 PCI system - As you boot up your system, press the F2 key on your keyboard to enter Setup. Once in Setup, or CMOS, use the right arrow on your keyboard to highlight Advanced at the top of the screen. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight Peripheral Configuration and press enter. On this screen, use the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight OnBoard IDE and press enter. Use the arrow keys again to highlight Enabled and press enter to select it. Press the ESC key to return to the Advanced section. Use the right arrow key to highlight Exit and press enter. Press enter again to confirm the changes you made. Once the system reboots, try to access your CD-ROM drive again.

OnBoard IDE with a Pentium system - As you boot up your system, press the Del key on your keyboard to enter Setup. Once in Setup, or CMOS, use the down arrow key to highlight Boot Options and press enter. On this screen highlight OnBoard IDE and press enter. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight Enabled and press enter to select it. Press the F10 key on your keyboard to exit and save the changes. Press enter again to confirm the changes you made. Once the system reboots, try to access your CD-ROM drive again.

Resolving CD-ROM drive problems in MS-DOS^® and Windows 3.x

CD-ROM driver lines - As your system boots up, your CD-ROM drive is identified by a line or series of lines in the CONFIG.SYS and the AUTOEXEC.BAT files. These lines tell the driver files on your hard drive where to find your CD-ROM drive. If these lines point to an incorrect location or if the drivers are corrupted, your CD-ROM drive will not be identified on boot and will not work correctly.

In order to identify your CD-ROM drive type and what the driver lines should look like, refer to your CD-ROM User’s Guide that you received with your system. This guide contains installation instructions for your specific CD-ROM drive and an example of what the lines in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT file should look like. The CD-ROM User’s Guide also details specific instructions on editing and modifying these files.

CD-ROM driver loading - Once you have determined what kind of CD-ROM drive you have and what the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT lines should look like, you need to determine if the drivers are loading as the system boots up.

If you have MS-DOS version 6.0 or later, as the system boots up, you will see "Starting MS-DOS." Press the F8 key on your keyboard once this message appears. Another message will appear that says "MS-DOS will prompt you to confirm each CONFIG.SYS command". Slowly, press the Y key on your keyboard to load each line one at a time, until you identify which line, if any, is not loading properly. If the CONFIG.SYS driver line loads without producing any errors, press the Y key on the keyboard when "Process AUTOEXEC.BAT" appears on your screen. If the AUTOEXEC.BAT line loads without producing an error message, press the N key on your keyboard when the WIN line appears on your screen. This should bring you the C:\> prompt. If either the CONFIG.SYS file or the AUTOEXEC.BAT file fail to load, you need to reload the CD-ROM drivers according to your CD-ROM User’s Guide.

Reading a CD disc in DOS - Place a CD disc in your CD-ROM drive with the label side up. At the C:\> prompt, type:

d:

and press enter. This takes you to the D:\> prompt. At the D:\> prompt, type:

dir

and press enter. This should bring up a directory of your CD disc. Once you finish reading the directory of the CD, type in

c:

and press enter to return to the C:\> prompt. If you are able to read a directory of your CD-ROM drive in DOS, the problem is within Windows and will require further troubleshooting.

Reading a CD disc in Windows - Once you have read a CD disc in DOS, enter Windows by typing:

win

at the c: prompt and pressing enter. Once you are in the Program Manager, double-click on the Main Group to open it. Double-click on the File Manager to open it. At the upper left side of the File Manager window, you should see the pictures of your systems drives. For example, you should see a picture of the A: drive, C: drive and D: drive. Make sure that you have your CD disc in the drive and click on the icon. A directory of the CD disc should appear on the left hand side of your screen.

Playing an audio or music CD disc in Windows - Most problems with playing an audio or music CD disc are because the Windows drivers not being installed. From the Program Manager, double-click on the Main Group to open it. Double-click on the Control Panel to open it. Double-click on the Drivers icon to open it. In the list of Installed drivers, you should see a setting that reads [MCI] CD Audio. Click on that item to highlight it and click on the Setup button on the lower right hand side of your screen. A message should appear that tells you the CD device is installed. Try to play the music CD disc again.

If the [MCI] CD Audio setting was not in the list of installed drivers, click on the button that says ADD. Scroll through the List of Drivers until you see this setting. Click on [MCI] CD Audio to highlight it and click on the OK button. The Install Driver window will appear. Insert the Windows diskette requested and press enter. Once the information from the disc has copied to your hard drive, you will return to the Control Panel window. Click on the Close button and try to play a music CD disc again.

IDE CD-ROM problems in Windows - If you are unable to read a directory of a data CD disc in Windows or your system locks up, you may need to modify your SYSTEM.INI file. To do this, exit Windows completely so you are at the C:\> prompt in DOS. At the C:\> prompt, type:

cd windows

and press enter. At the C:\WINDOWS prompt, type:

edit system.ini

and press enter. This will take you into a blue screen with white writing. There are two specific lines that need to be present in this file. To locate the first line, press the ALT key on your keyboard once. Next press the S key to bring down the Search menu. Press the F key to open the Find window. In the find window type:

virtualhdirq

and press enter. If the message "Match not found" appears, press enter to acknowledge the message. Press the ALT key on the keyboard again. Press the S key to open the Search menu and press the F key to open the Find window again. This time, press the backspace key once for every character in the Find What box until the box is empty. Type:

386enh

and press enter to find this section of the SYSTEM.INI file. Once this section appears, press the End key on your keyboard to move the cursor to the right of the square bracket, at the end of the line. Press the enter key to create a blank line below the [386Enh] section, now type:

virtualhdirq=off

on the blank line. Now press the Alt key on your keyboard once, followed by the S key which will bring down the Search menu, then the F key to open the Find What box. Press the backspace key once for every character in the Find What box until the box is empty. Type:

32bitdiskaccess

and press enter to find this line in the SYSTEM.INI file. Once this line appears, press the End key on your keyboard to move the cursor to the end of this line. This line needs to appear as follows: 32BitDiskAccess=Off, if this line is different, use the backspace key to erase the different characters, then type in the correct ones so that it matches the line above exactly.

Now press the Alt key on your keyboard once, followed by the F key which will bring down the File menu, then the X key to exit. A message asking you to save your changes will appear, the word Yes will be highlighted, press the Enter key to save and exit this file. Now type:

win

and press Enter to return to Windows and try to read a data CD from the File Manager.

Reloading the CD-ROM drivers - Corruption on your hard drive can cause the driver files not to load properly on boot. Refer to your specific CD-ROM User’s Guide on how to reload the CD-ROM drivers. Once you finish loading the drivers and reboot your system, you should be able to read a directory of a data CD disc.

Reseat interface cable - Make sure that your computer is powered off. Follow the instructions in the User’s Guide that shipped with your system to open your computer. Once inside the system, locate the back side of your CD-ROM drive. Gently pull the flat gray data cable off the back of the drive and push it firmly back on the drive.

If you have an IDE CD-ROM drive, make sure the jumpers on the back of the drive are set according to the User’s Guide instructions.

If your CD-ROM drive is attached to an interface card or directly into your sound card, make sure the jumpers and switches are set according to the User’s Guide. If the CD-ROM cable is connected to an interface card or sound card, reseat the card after reseating the cable on the card.

Resolving CD-ROM drive problems in Windows^® 95

CD-ROM Drivers - Whether in an MS-DOS^®, Windows^® 3.X, or Windows^® 95 operating environment, drivers are what make your CD-ROM drive interface with your system and software. If your CD-ROM drivers have not been installed, the system and software won’t be able to use your CD-ROM drive. To verify that your drivers have been installed in your Windows 95 operating environment locate the My Computer icon on your windows desktop. Right click on it and from the drop down menu choose properties. On the System Properties screen choose the Device Manager tab. Make sure the dot next to view devices by type is colored and try to locate the CD-ROM entry. If there is no CD-ROM entry your drivers have not been installed. If there is a CD-ROM entry double click on it to verify the correct drivers have been installed.

Installing CD-ROM Drivers - If CD-ROM drivers need to be installed, click on the Start button, highlight Settings, locate and click on the Control Panel option. Once in the Control Panel locate and double click on the Add New Hardware icon. From this point the Add New Hardware Wizard will expertly guide you through the CD-ROM driver installation. The Windows 95 operation system will automatically detect most types of CD-ROMS.

Playing an Audio CD in Windows 95 - When playing an audio CD in the Windows 95 operating environment you may encounter various errors. The most common cause of these errors is multimedia drivers not being installed during the initial Windows 95 installation. To install those drivers insert the Windows 95 CD into your CD-ROM drive, click on the Start button, highlight Settings, and click on the Control Panel. Find the Add/Remove Programs icon and double click on it. In the Add/Remove Programs Properties screen select the Windows Setup tab, locate the Multimedia entry and make sure the box in front of that entry is checked and white in color. Once that is verified simply click OK and Windows 95 will install the missing multimedia drivers.

CD-ROM Error Message

Drive not found, drive not detected, Invalid drive specification, Error selecting drive AUTOEXEC.BAT driver lines are correct.

- Make sure the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT driver lines are correct. Reload the drivers to make sure there is no corruption. Modify the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT lines to direct the drivers to the correct place. Reseat the data cable to make sure the connection is secure. If you have an IDE CD-ROM drive, make sure the drive is jumpered correctly. If your CD-ROM drive is directly attached to an interface card or a sound card, make sure the jumpers or switches are set correctly. If you recently added any hardware, remove it to see if it is conflicting with the CD-ROM drive.

No disc in the drive - Make sure that you have the correct data CD disc in your CD-ROM drive. For example, if you are attempting to view the MS Works introduction, the MS Works CD disc has to be in the drive since that program reads this information strictly from the CD disc.

CDR101 - Try different data CD discs to make sure the problem is not just with one CD disc. Make sure the CD-ROM driver is trying to access the drive at the correct I/O address and DMA channel. Insure that there is a data CD disc in the CD-ROM drive. Make sure the drivers are loading as your system boots up. Reseat the gray data cable on the back of the CD-ROM drive, interface card, systemboard, or sound card. If you have an IDE CD-ROM, make sure the jumpers on the back of the drive are set correctly according to your system board User’s Guide.

CDR103 High Sierra Format - Make sure you have a data CD disc in the drive. You can not read a directory of an audio CD disc. Make sure the drivers are loading as your system boots up. Reseat the gray data cable on the back of the CD-ROM drive and on the systemboard or sound card. If you have an IDE CD-ROM, make sure the jumpers on the back of the drive are set correctly according to your User’s Guide. Make sure the CD disc that you are trying to use is in the proper format, i.e. the CD disc is IBM compatible format not for a Macintosh or Apple computer.

CD not inserted into drive or CD Audio MCI driver not installed - Make sure that the CD-ROM drive is closed before trying to play a music CD disc. Make sure the [MCI] CD Audio driver is loaded in the Drivers section of the Control Panel in Windows.

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