I need help. My cd/dvd driver doesnt work. The burner stopped working a while ago. A week ago I watched a dvd on the computer. Now the D drive doesnt even show in my computer. I can't reinstall the driver as I can't use the resource cd Dell have provided. I have been trying to install a new driver (an external pioneer dvd) but that wont work either. I think it is because its an internal driver, but I've been using it externally. Does anyone think that the Pioneer will work if put inside the box? Or can anyone tell how I can get my old cd drive working again. I am aware that the burner may never work again.

Can you be more specific with the Pioneer unit. Is it an external DVD on USB port, or have you jerry rigged an IDE cable and Power cables to it externally?

1st, turn off computer and disconnect the non-burning Cd Rom player from the computer (IDE and power cable), it's probably doing weird things as it's dieing (burner dead). If the Pioneer is an internal unit, connect it as normal (IDE cable and power connector) on the same IDE as HDD. Reboot and see what happens, Windows should find it and load default drivers for you.

pioneer burner is buggered!!!! attn kirock.

hi kirock (any anyone else!).

well the pioneer burner is an internal one but my dad bought an enclosure for it so its now sitting outside the box. so i gather that means that it is connected via a usb. we did it that way so we wouldn't have to take the computer apart! someone told me that being internal and using it external can do funny things and thats prolly the reason why its not working. it has been installed on the computer but in device manager it has yellow exclaimation marks on it and when i go to troubleshoot it says "Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)".

How do i disconnect the burner still inside the computer???

I think I will get my friend to put the pioneer in the computer and see if that works. Do you think that could solve my problem?

Ok, turn off PC and open the case. Find the back of the CD player, pull off both connectors. One is the IDE (data) cable, it's a ribbon cable. The other is the 3 wire power connector.

Turn on PC. Go into Device Manager and remove both CD (i.e properties/uninstall). Turn off PC. Connect the external CD as you normally would. Restart PC, Windows should see the Pioneer now as new and install the drivers. If you still get Code 39 (this is XP error code for exactly that, corrupted driver), then somethings wrong with the WinXP driver file, so download something from Pioneer web site. In Device Manager/properties/Update Driver and now select browse and point to the downloaded file.

Hope this helps.

Try deleting the upper and lower filters first.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314060