External CD-ROM Drive not being recognized

[gregweiss]

My HP laptop won't recognize my CD ROM. I tried updating the drivers, tried uninstalling it in Device Manager, tried multiple CDs... No luck! This suddenly happened today, after working perfectly the past 2 years. Any ideas/suggestions?

[Nal_NR]

Hi @gregweiss,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd be glad to help you! 

It can be quite frustrating when your HP 17 Laptop PC 17-c2000 suddenly stops recognizing the CD-ROM drive, especially after it has been working fine for so long. Since you've already tried updating drivers, uninstalling in Device Manager, and using multiple CDs without success, here are some additional steps and troubleshooting methods you can try:

1. Check Device Manager for Hidden Devices:

• Open Device Manager.
• Click on View and select Show hidden devices.
• Expand the DVD/CD-ROM drives section.
• If your CD-ROM drive appears as hidden or with a warning icon, right-click it and select Uninstall device, then restart your laptop to see if it reappears.

2. Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter:

• In Windows, search for Troubleshoot settings.
• Click on Other troubleshooters (or Additional troubleshooters in some versions).
• Find and run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to detect and fix hardware issues.

3. Check BIOS/UEFI Settings:

• Restart your laptop and enter the BIOS/UEFI by pressing Esc, F2, or F10 repeatedly during startup (the key may vary).
• Once in BIOS, check if the CD-ROM drive is detected under the Storage or Boot section.
• If it’s not detected, it may indicate a hardware connection issue.

4. Edit the Registry:

• Sometimes, the issue can be caused by corrupted registry entries. Be very careful when editing the registry.
• Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Controller0.
• Right-click on Controller0, select New > Key, and name it EnumDevice1.
• Set the value of EnumDevice1 to 1.
• Restart your laptop and check if the CD-ROM is now recognized.

5. Check Upper and Lower Filters in Registry:

• Open the Registry Editor (regedit).
• Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
• In the right pane, look for UpperFilters and LowerFilters.
• If you find these entries, right-click and delete them.
• Restart your laptop and check if the CD-ROM drive reappears.

Please find the remaining steps in the next post.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

[Nal_NR]

Hi @gregweiss ,

Please find the remaining steps below.

6. Check Power and Data Connections (Internal):

• If you are comfortable opening your laptop, ensure that the CD-ROM drive's power and data cables are securely connected.
• A loose connection can cause the drive to be unrecognized.

7. Test the CD-ROM in a Different Environment:

• Boot into a Live USB of a different operating system (like Linux) to see if the drive is recognized outside of Windows.
• This can help determine if it’s a hardware issue or something related to Windows.

8. Restore to a Previous Restore Point:

• If this issue started recently, use System Restore to revert your system back to a point where the CD-ROM was working.
• Search for Create a restore point in Windows, and click System Restore to choose a date before the issue occurred.

9. Check for Firmware Updates:

• Visit the HP support page for your laptop model and check if there are any firmware updates available for the CD-ROM drive.

10. Consider External CD/DVD Drive:

• If the internal drive continues to fail, an external USB CD/DVD drive could be a practical workaround without needing internal repairs.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, it's possible that the CD-ROM drive has failed and might need replacement. In such a case, contact phone support for more options. 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.