If you find that your CD or DVD drive no longer appears in My Computer and you can’t read or write to disks, there is a known Windows registry fix that could help you.
Of course, you should first check that the drive is properly connected, just in case.
This Windows registry fix is based on a problem that can occur related to CD/DVD writing software. Unnecessary registry entries get created which interfere with how Windows communicates to your CD/DVD drive.
Note: Before attempting this fix, I recommend that you create a System Restore point. This will allow you to return to the current state in case the fix does not work for you.
Fix for Windows 7
Windows 7 has some built-in troubleshooting which Microsoft claim can help fix this problem. To access this, click on Start then Control Panel. In the address bar along the top of the window, click the down arrow and select All Control Panel Items as shown in the image below.
Then click Troubleshooting, then View All from the left panel and start the troubleshooter called Playing and Burning CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs
If this troubleshooter does not work for you, please try the fix listed below for Windows Vista. Personally I always use the manual fix below, just because I would rather know what exactly I am doing to fix the problem rather than using a troubleshooter wizard.
Fix for Windows Vista
Click Start and in the Search box, type regedit and press Enter.
In the left pane of the registry editor program, navigate to the following registry subkey,
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Make sure to go to the exact registry subkey mentioned above, as there may be ones with very similar names.
In the right pane, check if a key called UpperFilters is present. If it is, right click on UpperFilters and select Delete from the context menu.
If prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
In the right pane, check if a key called LowerFilters is present. If it is, right click on LowerFilters and select Delete from the context menu.
If prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Exit the registry editor program and restart your computer.
Fix for Windows XP
Click Start and then click Run. In the Open box, type regedit and click OK.
In the left pane of the registry editor program, navigate to the following registry subkey,
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Make sure to go to the exact registry subkey mentioned above, as there may be ones with very similar names.
In the right pane, check if a key called UpperFilters is present. If it is, right click on UpperFilters and select Delete from the context menu.
If prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
In the right pane, check if a key called LowerFilters is present. If it is, right click on LowerFilters and select Delete from the context menu.
If prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Exit the registry editor program and restart your computer.
Disclaimer:
While every effort is made to ensure that our advice is correct and up-to-date, we will not be held liable in any way for damage you cause to your computer by inadvertent manual editing of the system registry.
If you continue having problems you may want to call a computer repair technician.