Support NeoGAF

[OmniGamer]

GRRRRRRR! Gurddamn punk ass computers! @#)*%%)(#@*%

Anyway, one fateful day, when powering up as usual, my computer decides to act like an ass and do this: The top optical drive(DVD-ROM, came with the computer), won't open at all, and the access light constantly blinks(normally it's off except when a disk is first inserted or when it is being read). It is not recognized by the OS. The optical drive right under that(Iomega CD-RW drive, installed about 3 years ago), does open and close, but like the dvd-rom drive, is not recognized at all. And lastly, the harddrive access light is CONSTANTLY ON, instead of only being on when it's being heavily accessed.

Anyone have ANY idea what is going on? I've run ad-aware, virus scans etc...i went into setup from the boot screen, and it's as if the drives don't exist there either. For the Primary master and slave drives, they have my 8GB and 120GB hard drives by their serial names, but for the Secondary master and slaves, nothing...when i cycle through the choices, i just get the generic device types(cd-rom, removable drive, etc).

What in blue blazes is the problem here? Does anyone know how I can get my computer to recognize the optical drives again and get the HD access light working regularly?

*prepares for thread to sink into the F.U. obscurity of page 2*

 

[DarienA]

I have no idea what's wrong but the first thing I'd do is disconnect them all and reboot your machine adding each device back in one at a time to see what happens.

 

[OmniGamer]

I have no idea what's wrong but the first thing I'd do is disconnect them all and reboot your machine adding each device back in one at a time to see what happens.

I was afraid i might have to try something like that(or worst, do a clean install). I might try that tomorrow, but part of me hopes that since the problem came about without any internal tinkering or changes on my part, that there could be an unobrusive solution as well.

 

[DarienA]

I was afraid i might have to try something like that(or worst, do a clean install). I might try that tomorrow, but part of me hopes that since the problem came about without any internal tinkering or changes on my part, that there could be an unobrusive solution as well.

Well you know you shouldn't have to physically pull any drives just pull power cords... good luck.

 

[Darias]

If I were to venture a guess from a quick read-through, I would say your secondary IDE controller is shot.

If you have a PCI controller card, throw the CD's on that, and test them. That will verify where the failure is. (Drive or board)

Check cables, even though that's not likely.

Next check power supply, swap if possible.

I'd back thy shits up too, if your IDE controller is in fact damaged, the rest of the motherboard isn't far behind, and it could take your magnetics with it.

 

[OmniGamer]

If I were to venture a guess from a quick read-through, I would say your secondary IDE controller is shot.

If you have a PCI controller card, throw the CD's on that, and test them. That will verify where the failure is. (Drive or board)

Check cables, even though that's not likely.

Next check power supply, swap if possible.

I'd back thy shits up too, if your IDE controller is in fact damaged, the rest of the motherboard isn't far behind, and it could take your magnetics with it.

*Expletive deleted*

If i'm up to it, i'll check tomorrow and see what happens...goddamn it, just as i'm about to get a free dvd burner too!

 

[Diablos]

Hehe, I'll never forget the time I got bored and flashed my 52x TDK CD-RW drive to be a 12x AOpen CD-RW drive. Did I know I would ruin it? Yes. Did I care? No, because I had a Lite-on in the mail.

Anywho I would check your bios settings for the drives.
Also, if Windows is not detecting the drives, run mmc (start > run > mmc), go to file > add/remove snap-in > highlight disk management > add.

If it detects the drives, chances are there could be a physical problem/functionality issue. When I tried hooking up my 40gb maxtor to an external enclosure, for some reason hard drive's filesystem got messed up and the only way it could be recognized was through the disk management tool. Formatting fixed it. I have no idea how you'd fix your problem, but at least you can use the tool to help figure out exactly what that problem is.

If the snap-in doesn't detect it, then it HAS to be a hardware and/or cable issue.
Also make sure the jumpers on the drive are set correctly.

 

[Ecrofirt]

ok, check and see if the drives are recognized in your device manager. If they are, but have some kind of error, try uninstalling them and reinstalling them.

I had a problem like this once after I flashed the firmware in one of my drives, and I went frantic one night. What I've suggested to you is was #ga suggested to me, and it worked.