Lost dvd reader

[scustalow]

I have A HP515n with winxp it has a cd rom reader and writer..and a dvd reader..when I turn on the pc and everything has loaded ..the hard drive light stays on and in the device manager the dvd reader is missing..it shows the cd rom but not the dvd..in the bio's the only thing listed is the hard drive..I get no errors..and everythign else still works..any idea's? I am thinking mybe the dvd reader is bad..I am going toswap it out tonight..thanks for any help

[waheed]

Try disconnecting the IDE cable of your dvd drive, switch PC on, shut down and connect the IDE cable back again and switch PC on again.

[scustalow]

Would this cause the HD light to stay on?..

[waheed]

Is the HD connected to the same channel as the dvd drive?

You only need to disconnect the cable from the dvd drive, not the motherboard. This should not affect the function of the HD in any way.

[scustalow]

I am at work at the moment..I dont know if it is on the same cable..if it was...and the dvd isnt working..or the cable is loose ..would that make the hd light stay on?thank you for your help..if it still doesnt reconize the dvd reader..would the next step be to replace the dvd reader

[waheed]

Disconnecting the dvd drive should not affect the hard drive. Your hard drive will still work as usual. Just ensure you dont remove any cables from your motherboard.

It the dvd drive still doesn't work after disconnecting and re-connecting, you could always test it in another PC, if it still doesn't work, you can assume the dvd drive is dead. Replace with a new one.

[scustalow]

What I meant on the hd light is..right now it is staying on even after everything is loaded..I was wondering if the cable is loose or the dvd reader is bad..would this cause the light to stay on even if everything is loaded..

[waheed]

The HD light should only be on when there is some HD activity. If should be off when HD is idle.

Are you sure its not the PC light. Nevertheless, try disconneting the IDE cables and connect them back up again. It could just be a minor glitch.

[scustalow]

Ok I will try that this evening..yes it is the hard drive light..it is on but from the sound of the hd it is not reading anything just spinning

[waheed]

When is the last time you defragmented your hard drive?

Try defragmenting your hard drive.

[scustalow]

Problem Solved!!!... I took your advice..unplugged the dvd reader..pc booted up fine..hard drive light went out ..shut down plugged the dvd reader back ..booted up same problem..hard drive light on all the time..and dvd didnt work..the dvd drive was never listed in the bios either..I replaced the dvd reader with a new one..went to set up..it was listed..booted up all is fine..dvd reader is there,and hard drive light off after all was loaded..the hardest part was figuring how to take the faceplate off of the pc so i could removed the drive..I even asked a tech online at hp ..he had no idea and couldnt find any information on it..thanks very much for all the help "weheed" much appreciated.. this site is a lifesaver....