My Computer doesn't show new CD burner after reboot

[space cadet]

Hey smart people,

I just installed a CD burner to my step dad's computer. I used the installation wizard to install it, and it works just fine. That is, until I reboot it. After a reboot, the drive no longer shows up and I have to run the installation wizard again to make it show up. Any idea why it might be doing this?

Thanks!

[Cookie]

Are you logged in as an administrator? (XP)

Does the BIOS detect it properly?

Is the master/slave jumper set properly?

Is his Power Supply providing enough amps or watts?

Have you tried another IDE Cable?

Is the burner a SATA one?

Have you run Scandisk (on the Hard Drive that has the Operating System on it) recently?

Edited to add:
I'm sorry if my tips are something you've already looked into on your own...
I learned (the hard way) that the simplest sulutions are usually the right ones.
You see, one time, I spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out why my GameCube wouldn't turn on, and it wound up being unplugged from the AC by a (my) ever-curious cat.

[space cadet]

Lol that's funny.

the burner is not SATA
Jumper is set to Master
Power Supply should be fine. The CD burner I installed actually replaced the old CD ROM, which never had any problems getting enough power. I'm sure it's getting plenty of juice, especially after unplugging the floppy drive.

not sure how it should look on BIOS
not sure how to access scandisk

I will try a new cable as soon as I can find one

PS I love your avatar.

[Cookie]

Lol that's funny.

the burner is not SATA
Jumper is set to Master
Power Supply should be fine. The CD burner I installed actually replaced the old CD ROM, which never had any problems getting enough power. I'm sure it's getting plenty of juice, especially after unplugging the floppy drive.

not sure how it should look on BIOS
For the most part, it should show up as an optical drive of some sort.
So long as there are no BIOS Detection errors, it's okay on that front.

not sure how to access scandisk
In XP, Scandisk is kinda hidden and there are several ways to get to it.
Here's the method i normally use:

Open My Computer.
Right-click on the Hard Drive you want to check.
Choose "Properties".
Choose the Tab labeled "Tools".
Choose the button marked "Check Now".
If you try to check a drive that is the boot drive, it'll ask you if you want to preform the test on the next reboot.
Choose okay and go ahead and reboot the PC.
(It won't reboot for ya; ya gotta do it yourself).
;)

If he has Windows 95, 98, 98SE or ME it can be found by going to:
Start --> Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Scandisk
iirc...

I will try a new cable as soon as I can find one

PS I love your avatar.
Thanks!
:D

[Krevel]

You've set the jumpers, but are you sure the drive is connected to the proper connector on the cable? A 'master' drive plugs into the middle connector; a 'slave' drive connects to the plug on the end (IDE cable). That's the only other thing I can think of.

[Metricyard]

I would try going to the Start button, settings options, control panel, then open the system icon.

From there(you should be in system properties box) click on the hardware tab then click on device manager.

There should be a section for cd/cd-rom. If it's got a little yellow mark beside it, select that, and go to to the action pulldown menu and try uninstall. If no cd-cdrom is listed, look for "other devices" on the list, select and uninstall.

Reboot, and it should find it on reboot.

[Moose]

Krevel, slot order only matters if you've got all drives set to C/S (Cable Select). If you've explicitly jumpered the drives for Master or Slave, either slot works.

Space Cadet, it sounds like you've got two devices on the same cable, both set to Master. The booting drive always wins in that situation. If so, set the Burner to Slave. (It doesn't hurt to do that so long as it's behind a hard drive.)

The other thing to check is the cable: is the IDE channel a -133 or -166? If so, you need to use a "wide" IDE cable. The end connectors will be either blue or green. Not gray. If all connectors are gray, you've got a "narrow" cable, and the burner might conceivably get squirrely. It shouldn't, but you never know, sometimes.

The other thing I find odd is that you're using an installation wizard to locate the device. Why? IDE devices like hard drives and burners have firm specifications and never need to be installed in that way so long as the cables are correct.

[Krevel]

Krevel, slot order only matters if you've got all drives set to C/S (Cable Select). If you've explicitly jumpered the drives for Master or Slave, either slot works.



That's true for newer systems, of course, but I don't know what Space Cadet's working on. I've run into a similar problem myself, so thought that she (?) might want to check that out given the problem she's having. But your right on about the cable. Those older cables can really confuse matters.

[Moose]

That's true for newer systems, of course, but I don't know what Space Cadet's working on.

Sorry, but that's not correct. The basic distinction between Cable Select and Master/Slave is part of the IDE specification and has been implimented in PCs since the 8086.

What took a while to develop was reliable cable select detection. Until relatively recently (vaguely when the 400mhz boxes came out, IIRC), you were nearly always better off explicitly avoiding cable select. Now, so long as you cable it right (to avoid bottlenecking a harddrive behind a slower CD/DVD drive), it doesn't matter so much.

In any case, what Space Cadet seems to be describing sounds like it matches what happens whenever I accidentally misjumper a full system and attempt to bring up two drives as co-masters on the same IDE channel. The boot drive takes priority.

The fix is to recable or rejumper to eliminate the conflicts.

[Cookie]

Have ya managed to wrestle the optical drive into submission yet, Space Cadet?
:confused:

[space cadet]

nope, I ran out of time. Easter break is over and I have a stats test to prepare for. I'll have to tackle it again as soon as its over.

[Krevel]

Sorry, but that's not correct. The basic distinction between Cable Select and Master/Slave is part of the IDE specification and has been implimented in PCs since the 8086.

What took a while to develop was reliable cable select detection. Until relatively recently (vaguely when the 400mhz boxes came out, IIRC), you were nearly always better off explicitly avoiding cable select. Now, so long as you cable it right (to avoid bottlenecking a harddrive behind a slower CD/DVD drive), it doesn't matter so much.

In any case, what Space Cadet seems to be describing sounds like it matches what happens whenever I accidentally misjumper a full system and attempt to bring up two drives as co-masters on the same IDE channel. The boot drive takes priority.

The fix is to recable or rejumper to eliminate the conflicts.

I know that's how it's supposed to work, but I've run into problems before - similar to what Space Cadet mentions, and now I always do both. This was on a lousy mobo (Azza, I think), and I know, I'm anal about it! Frankly, I don't trust cable select. So I stand by my recommendation. If you're still having problems, Space Cadet, try setting the jumpers AND verifying the cable placement.

[Metricyard]

I know that's how it's supposed to work, but I've run into problems before - similar to what Space Cadet mentions, and now I always do both. This was on a lousy mobo (Azza, I think), and I know, I'm anal about it! Frankly, I don't trust cable select. So I stand by my recommendation. If you're still having problems, Space Cadet, try setting the jumpers AND verifying the cable placement.

Have to agree here. Cable select can sometimes be a turkey shoot. Don't know how many times I've had devices disappear for no reason because a device was set for cable select. Hard jumpered devices at leasts eliminates one point of failure.

The wonderful world of plug and play:)