my notebook's cd/dvd drive won't read discs. [ Edited ]

[pauliwagon]

I checked the drive's properties in the device manager and it says "its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)". how do i fix this?

I'm running vista home premium on a pretty new pavilion notebook with a blue ray player (if that makes any difference). its only about four months old, I got it right around christmas.

[DavidPK]

Hi,

First, try the automated fixit from Microsoft on the link below.

Vista

Check if the drive is now working.

If it still doesn't work, click the Start Menu, open All Programs, open Accessories, right click the Command Prompt and select 'Run as Administrator'.  In to the prompt type the following command and hit enter.

sfc /scannow                 ( note that there is a space between sfc and the / )

Let the process complete, then type exit and hit enter. 

Next, click the Start Menu, open the Control Panel and click on Device Manager.  Next click to open DVD/CD-ROM Drives.  Right click the drive and select uninstall.  Do not delete drivers if asked.  When the device has uninstalled click on the 'Scan for Hardware Changes' icon ( usually just below Help on the toolbar ).  Let windows reinstall the drive and see if it now works.

Regards,

DP-K

[pauliwagon]

So the second thing you suggested did not work. The first one, however, said it found a solution but when it tried to install the new drivers it said they were not installed correctly. Is there anything i can do to fix that?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

This error can often be caused by other applications on the notebook, so if you have any third party burning software installed ( ie Roxio, Nero, itunes etc ) you may need to uninstall the application(s) first, restart the notebook and then try the solution in my previous post again.

Regards,

DP-K

[pauliwagon]

I uninstalled all dvd software i had (except powerdvd, which came on the computer) and it still won't install the drivers. are there any other things i could try? watching dvds and blurays was the main thing I used this computer for so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[pauliwagon]

ok sorry i just realized i made a huge mistake in explaining this. I said i'm running vista home premium and I'm actually running 7 home premium. my mistake I must have been a little brain dead. Please let me know if there is a different solution with that in mind.

[DavidPK]

Hi,

If you are still seeing a code19 error for the drive in Device Manager, try the following.

1.  Download the following utility that will add 'Take Ownership' to the right click context menu.  The download is on the following link.

Take Ownership

This is a zipped file.  If you don't have an extraction utility installed, download and install 7-Zip  ( if you have a 64bit version of Windows, you will need this version 7-Zip ) which can be used to open this so that you can run the installer.  Then just right click the zipped folder, select 7-Zip and select Extract Files.  When done, open the newly extracted folder and you will find the utility to add 'Take Ownership' to the right click menu.  Just double click it to install and then close the window.

2.  Open windows Control Panel, open Device Manager, open up DVD/CD-ROM Drives.  Right click the drive and select uninstall and click the prompt to complete this.

3.  Click the Start Menu, open Computer, double click Local Disk C, open the folder 'Windows', open the folder 'System32', right click the folder 'drivers' and select Take Ownership.

Just below this folder, open the folder 'DriverStore', open the folder 'FileRepository', open the folder that starts 'cdrom.inf', right click the 'cdrom.sys' file and select Copy.

Close all open windows and then Paste this file on your Desktop.

4.  Once again, click the Start Menu, open Computer, double click Local Disk C, open the folder 'Windows', open the folder 'System32', then this time open the folder 'drivers', right click and select Paste.  You should now get a prompt that the file already exists - select the Copy and Replace option and click on any further prompts to complete this.

When done, close all open windows and restart the notebook and let Windows re-install the drive.

Regards,

DP-K

[pauliwagon]

I went through all of the steps and when the computer rebooted the same thing happened, a box opened at the bottom saying it was installing the drivers and shortly after it said drivers weren't installed successfully. Could this be a hardware problem?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

Yes, it's possible that there is a hardware issue with the actual drive, but there are a few other possibilities to rule out first.

Can you post back with the following.

1.  The full Model No. and Product No. of the notebook ( from the service tag underneath your notebook ) - see Here for a further explanation.

2.  The full version of the operating system you are using ( ie Windows 7 32bit ).

Regards,

DP-K

[pauliwagon]

Ok, so last night I was browsing on the internet when all of the sudden the dvd drive ejected. I pushed it back in and now it works like normal. I'm not sure what happened to make it stop working or why it works now but I hope the same problem doesn't happen again. But thanks so much for all your help. I'm impressed that people like you who are experts with this kind of stuff just get on here and help people so thoroughly. Thanks again!!!