missing two r/w cd hardware devices that were pre assigned earlier

As "glee" keeps on saying, we are not talking about Primary / Secondary Hard-drives
(as you printed out a copy of those settings as it appeared in your BIOS in an
earlier post) but rather, we are talking about IDE CHANNELS!

IDE controllers often have a setting in the BIOS that enables you to choose whether
to use the PRIMARY or SECONDARY or even BOTH of the channels (the IDE controller
having two channels).

The reason (I believe) that "glee" and I think it may be this setting, is that the
MASTER HD is usually connected to the PRIMARY IDE channel and the CD/DVD drive to the
SECONDARY channel - thus - if someone tampered with the setting and set it to USE
PRIMARY ONLY - then the CD/DVD device would not be working.

This is just one theory of quite a few possible causes - another of which could be -
as unlikely as it sounds - that your cd/dvd drive failed at the exact same time as
all this happened.

But you have to start somewhere, and seeing if there is a setting in your BIOS that
enables / disables the secondary IDE channel (either with an "on" or "off" setting
or, more commonly, a setting that lets you choose either "primary", "secondary" or
"both" - where it should be set to "both" you may have accidentally set it to
"primary" thereby inadvertently turning off the other channel that carries the cd/dvd
drive).


One more thing - the use of floppy "installation" disks will do very little for you.

They are meant only to start up a PC, ready for installation from an XP installation
CD, when that PC cannot BOOT from the cd/dvd for some reason.

However, I still think it may be possible to re-format your HD with the floppy set -
thereby wiping out all the data off your hard drive for good - please beware of
this...

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response Peter. But if you read my original post, I tried
everything mentioned in the threads . Code 31 is what I am getting. Windows
cannot load the drivers. and Bios says CD-rom is not installed. I found no
upper or lower filters mentioned in the reg. key to look for and delete.

I am a novice at this and not sure about the SATA HD you mentioned.

"Peter Foldes" wrote:

I am sorry that you do not want to hear Upper and Lower filters but Code 31 that
you
are receiving is the following and use the manual repair and not the automated

Code 31
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314060
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
I have this problem also after uninstalling game software. In Device
manager, it show DVD/CD-ROM and under that Multimedia Audio controller with
an exclamation point by both. But when I update the driver, it installs
drivers for SoundMax digital audio and places Multimedia Audio Controller in
Sound devices. DVD/CD-ROM disappears from Device Manager and still not able
to use CD/Rom/Dvd.
Steps I have already taken:
1.) No upper/lower filters in the Registry that is so heavily floating as a
solution.
2.) Cdgone did not work
3.) Microsoft's Fix it said it could not detect
4.) I checked my drivers in system 32 and two that are shown in driver
details of IDE ATA ATAPI and Primary IDE channel (have no Second primary
channel showing) are not in C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/
storprop.dll(primary) and pciidex.sys.
I was told that senfilt.sys should not be in system 32. At one point it was
not there but in the registry.
I have not installed the driver for Multimedia Digital Audio driver. I did
the add hardware wizard and it said 'Windows cannot load the drivers for this
device(DVD/CD-ROM) Code 31.

In my registry by CDROM in two places are two terms I don't understand.
INITIALFAIL(by reg.key for deleting filters) and AutoRunDisable(by cdrom.sys)

How can I get the drivers for DVD/CD-ROM to load and not in concert with
Multimedia Audio Controller that installs SoundMax drivers for sound ONLY.

"Rich Barry" wrote:

Don, from what you said if you open MyComputer you see the C, D but not
the E drive Icon. I would try right clicking
MyComputerselect PropertiesHardwareDevice ManagerDvd/Cdrom Drives.
Click on the plus sign and you should
see two entries for your cdrw drives. If there rt click on each one and
choose Uninstall. Restart your Computer and let
WinXP reinstall the drives.
"ragsy" mrsragsy wrote in message
...
Hello;
I went to look at what I had done so far and I noticed an error specifying
missing hardware devices but the drivers for those locations appeared ok.
(drive's b: & c. besides doing a total restore is there any way to
reinsert those two missing hardware icons back so I can use them ? thank
you
--
mrtigre




.

Don't bother with the floppy disk set...you still have to use the CD to
reinstall.

IF the only problem is that the secondary channel is disabled, then
reinstalling Windows will accomplish nothing anyway....the problem will
still exist because it is outside Windows.

If you can't find the proper BIOS settings, can't you bring it to a tech
and just ask him to enable both IDE channels in the BIOS and then set
them all to Auto for you? It should be very simple....if I lived near
you I would come by and do it for free.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Sysu" wrote in message
news
Since my cdrom drive is not working, I went to Microsoft's website and
downloaded a reinstalling of Windows XP on formatted Floppy Disks (6).
But
it said I would need the XP installation CD to complete the process.
Microsoft should think, If I have to reinstall Windows XP via floppy
disk,
how in the heck can I use the installation CD at the end? If I had
the CD I
would not need to download a new installation via floppy disk.

If you or someone you know can help me get around this minor
inconvenience
please post it. I will give this solution one more chance before
getting
indebted for another computer.

Thanks again

"glee" wrote:

Yes, very pertinent. You have a PATA (IDE) hard drive, not a SATA
drive, and judging by the size (40GB) you probably don't have any
SATA
connections in that computer (a Dell probably).

If it is a Dell, or some other OEM machine, the BIOS setup is likely
modified by them, which makes it hard to tell you where in the BIOS
setup you have to go to change the settings in order to enable both
IDE
channels and also to set them to Auto so they can automatically
detect
any attached drives.

Someone must have gone into the BIOS setup at some time and
accidentally
disabled the channel....although I have also seen a strong electrical
surge change BIOS settings.

If you are not familiar with the BIOS setup or are uncomfortable
working
in it, find someone who is, to help you, or else take it to a
competent
computer tech to adjust the settings.

If you want to try to do it yourself, we will need more info on what
screens are available in the BIOS setup that you see. Some fields in
the BIOS can be opened if you press Enter, others do not expand.
There
should be a Legend probably at the bottom of the screen, telling you
what keys to use to navigate.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Sad but true. When I click the arrows it says: Unknown and n/a and
that is
all I get. I copied the info if it will aid you in helping me, it
is
kind of
long so bear with me. It is the Drive config. and boot sequence in
bios and
what it shows.
BIOS
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A 3.5nch, 1.44mb
Primary Master Drive Hard Drive (WDC
WD400EB-75CPF0)
'' Slave Drive OFF (model
unknown)
Secondary Master Drive OFF " "
" Slave Drive OFF "
"

IDE Drive UDMA ON

Boot Sequence
CD-Rom device (not installed)
Floppy Device ON
Hard Disk Drive C ( has a check in front of
it)
Hope this is pertinent info. I am a novice at this.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Something is definitely getting lost in translation here!...

If indeed, as you say, BOTH Primary AND Secondary IDE controller
channels are OFF in
the BIOS then certainly you would NOT* be booting from the hard
drive!

The reason there is this setting in the BIOS is for
troubleshooting
and certainly,
you should be able to change their setting....

*(Except, possibly, if you are using SATA HDs)
==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response glee. I hope you read my first post. It
included
everything I had tried except bios. In bios (Drive Config.),
Primary and
Secondary are set at OFF. .... clipped


.


.

Don't bother with the floppy disk set...you still have to use the CD to
reinstall.

IF the only problem is that the secondary channel is disabled, then
reinstalling Windows will accomplish nothing anyway....the problem will
still exist because it is outside Windows.

If you can't find the proper BIOS settings, can't you bring it to a tech
and just ask him to enable both IDE channels in the BIOS and then set
them all to Auto for you? It should be very simple....if I lived near
you I would come by and do it for free.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Sysu" wrote in message
news
Since my cdrom drive is not working, I went to Microsoft's website and
downloaded a reinstalling of Windows XP on formatted Floppy Disks (6).
But
it said I would need the XP installation CD to complete the process.
Microsoft should think, If I have to reinstall Windows XP via floppy
disk,
how in the heck can I use the installation CD at the end? If I had
the CD I
would not need to download a new installation via floppy disk.

If you or someone you know can help me get around this minor
inconvenience
please post it. I will give this solution one more chance before
getting
indebted for another computer.

Thanks again

"glee" wrote:

Yes, very pertinent. You have a PATA (IDE) hard drive, not a SATA
drive, and judging by the size (40GB) you probably don't have any
SATA
connections in that computer (a Dell probably).

If it is a Dell, or some other OEM machine, the BIOS setup is likely
modified by them, which makes it hard to tell you where in the BIOS
setup you have to go to change the settings in order to enable both
IDE
channels and also to set them to Auto so they can automatically
detect
any attached drives.

Someone must have gone into the BIOS setup at some time and
accidentally
disabled the channel....although I have also seen a strong electrical
surge change BIOS settings.

If you are not familiar with the BIOS setup or are uncomfortable
working
in it, find someone who is, to help you, or else take it to a
competent
computer tech to adjust the settings.

If you want to try to do it yourself, we will need more info on what
screens are available in the BIOS setup that you see. Some fields in
the BIOS can be opened if you press Enter, others do not expand.
There
should be a Legend probably at the bottom of the screen, telling you
what keys to use to navigate.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Sad but true. When I click the arrows it says: Unknown and n/a and
that is
all I get. I copied the info if it will aid you in helping me, it
is
kind of
long so bear with me. It is the Drive config. and boot sequence in
bios and
what it shows.
BIOS
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A 3.5nch, 1.44mb
Primary Master Drive Hard Drive (WDC
WD400EB-75CPF0)
'' Slave Drive OFF (model
unknown)
Secondary Master Drive OFF " "
" Slave Drive OFF "
"

IDE Drive UDMA ON

Boot Sequence
CD-Rom device (not installed)
Floppy Device ON
Hard Disk Drive C ( has a check in front of
it)
Hope this is pertinent info. I am a novice at this.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Something is definitely getting lost in translation here!...

If indeed, as you say, BOTH Primary AND Secondary IDE controller
channels are OFF in
the BIOS then certainly you would NOT* be booting from the hard
drive!

The reason there is this setting in the BIOS is for
troubleshooting
and certainly,
you should be able to change their setting....

*(Except, possibly, if you are using SATA HDs)
==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response glee. I hope you read my first post. It
included
everything I had tried except bios. In bios (Drive Config.),
Primary and
Secondary are set at OFF. .... clipped


.


.

I mentioned all this in my own reply to "Sysu" earlier today...

I also mentioned that I agreed with you.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"glee" wrote in message
...
Don't bother with the floppy disk set...you still have to use the CD to reinstall.

IF the only problem is that the secondary channel is disabled, then reinstalling
Windows will accomplish nothing anyway....the problem will still exist because it
is outside Windows.

If you can't find the proper BIOS settings, can't you bring it to a tech and just
ask him to enable both IDE channels in the BIOS and then set them all to Auto for
you? It should be very simple....if I lived near you I would come by and do it for
free.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Sysu" wrote in message
news
Since my cdrom drive is not working, I went to Microsoft's website and
downloaded a reinstalling of Windows XP on formatted Floppy Disks (6). But
it said I would need the XP installation CD to complete the process.
Microsoft should think, If I have to reinstall Windows XP via floppy disk,
how in the heck can I use the installation CD at the end? If I had the CD I
would not need to download a new installation via floppy disk.

If you or someone you know can help me get around this minor inconvenience
please post it. I will give this solution one more chance before getting
indebted for another computer.

Thanks again

"glee" wrote:

Yes, very pertinent. You have a PATA (IDE) hard drive, not a SATA
drive, and judging by the size (40GB) you probably don't have any SATA
connections in that computer (a Dell probably).

If it is a Dell, or some other OEM machine, the BIOS setup is likely
modified by them, which makes it hard to tell you where in the BIOS
setup you have to go to change the settings in order to enable both IDE
channels and also to set them to Auto so they can automatically detect
any attached drives.

Someone must have gone into the BIOS setup at some time and accidentally
disabled the channel....although I have also seen a strong electrical
surge change BIOS settings.

If you are not familiar with the BIOS setup or are uncomfortable working
in it, find someone who is, to help you, or else take it to a competent
computer tech to adjust the settings.

If you want to try to do it yourself, we will need more info on what
screens are available in the BIOS setup that you see. Some fields in
the BIOS can be opened if you press Enter, others do not expand. There
should be a Legend probably at the bottom of the screen, telling you
what keys to use to navigate.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Sad but true. When I click the arrows it says: Unknown and n/a and
that is
all I get. I copied the info if it will aid you in helping me, it is
kind of
long so bear with me. It is the Drive config. and boot sequence in
bios and
what it shows.
BIOS
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A 3.5nch, 1.44mb
Primary Master Drive Hard Drive (WDC WD400EB-75CPF0)
'' Slave Drive OFF (model
unknown)
Secondary Master Drive OFF " "
" Slave Drive OFF " "

IDE Drive UDMA ON

Boot Sequence
CD-Rom device (not installed)
Floppy Device ON
Hard Disk Drive C ( has a check in front of
it)
Hope this is pertinent info. I am a novice at this.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Something is definitely getting lost in translation here!...

If indeed, as you say, BOTH Primary AND Secondary IDE controller
channels are OFF in
the BIOS then certainly you would NOT* be booting from the hard
drive!

The reason there is this setting in the BIOS is for troubleshooting
and certainly,
you should be able to change their setting....

*(Except, possibly, if you are using SATA HDs)
==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response glee. I hope you read my first post. It
included
everything I had tried except bios. In bios (Drive Config.),
Primary and
Secondary are set at OFF. .... clipped


.


.

I mentioned all this in my own reply to "Sysu" earlier today...

I also mentioned that I agreed with you.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"glee" wrote in message
...
Don't bother with the floppy disk set...you still have to use the CD to reinstall.

IF the only problem is that the secondary channel is disabled, then reinstalling
Windows will accomplish nothing anyway....the problem will still exist because it
is outside Windows.

If you can't find the proper BIOS settings, can't you bring it to a tech and just
ask him to enable both IDE channels in the BIOS and then set them all to Auto for
you? It should be very simple....if I lived near you I would come by and do it for
free.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Sysu" wrote in message
news
Since my cdrom drive is not working, I went to Microsoft's website and
downloaded a reinstalling of Windows XP on formatted Floppy Disks (6). But
it said I would need the XP installation CD to complete the process.
Microsoft should think, If I have to reinstall Windows XP via floppy disk,
how in the heck can I use the installation CD at the end? If I had the CD I
would not need to download a new installation via floppy disk.

If you or someone you know can help me get around this minor inconvenience
please post it. I will give this solution one more chance before getting
indebted for another computer.

Thanks again

"glee" wrote:

Yes, very pertinent. You have a PATA (IDE) hard drive, not a SATA
drive, and judging by the size (40GB) you probably don't have any SATA
connections in that computer (a Dell probably).

If it is a Dell, or some other OEM machine, the BIOS setup is likely
modified by them, which makes it hard to tell you where in the BIOS
setup you have to go to change the settings in order to enable both IDE
channels and also to set them to Auto so they can automatically detect
any attached drives.

Someone must have gone into the BIOS setup at some time and accidentally
disabled the channel....although I have also seen a strong electrical
surge change BIOS settings.

If you are not familiar with the BIOS setup or are uncomfortable working
in it, find someone who is, to help you, or else take it to a competent
computer tech to adjust the settings.

If you want to try to do it yourself, we will need more info on what
screens are available in the BIOS setup that you see. Some fields in
the BIOS can be opened if you press Enter, others do not expand. There
should be a Legend probably at the bottom of the screen, telling you
what keys to use to navigate.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Sad but true. When I click the arrows it says: Unknown and n/a and
that is
all I get. I copied the info if it will aid you in helping me, it is
kind of
long so bear with me. It is the Drive config. and boot sequence in
bios and
what it shows.
BIOS
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A 3.5nch, 1.44mb
Primary Master Drive Hard Drive (WDC WD400EB-75CPF0)
'' Slave Drive OFF (model
unknown)
Secondary Master Drive OFF " "
" Slave Drive OFF " "

IDE Drive UDMA ON

Boot Sequence
CD-Rom device (not installed)
Floppy Device ON
Hard Disk Drive C ( has a check in front of
it)
Hope this is pertinent info. I am a novice at this.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Something is definitely getting lost in translation here!...

If indeed, as you say, BOTH Primary AND Secondary IDE controller
channels are OFF in
the BIOS then certainly you would NOT* be booting from the hard
drive!

The reason there is this setting in the BIOS is for troubleshooting
and certainly,
you should be able to change their setting....

*(Except, possibly, if you are using SATA HDs)
==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response glee. I hope you read my first post. It
included
everything I had tried except bios. In bios (Drive Config.),
Primary and
Secondary are set at OFF. .... clipped


.


.

Ah, pays to read the other replies BEFORE I reply, eh? ;-)
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Tim Meddick" wrote in message
...
I mentioned all this in my own reply to "Sysu" earlier today...

I also mentioned that I agreed with you.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"glee" wrote in message
...
Don't bother with the floppy disk set...you still have to use the CD
to reinstall.

IF the only problem is that the secondary channel is disabled, then
reinstalling Windows will accomplish nothing anyway....the problem
will still exist because it is outside Windows.

If you can't find the proper BIOS settings, can't you bring it to a
tech and just ask him to enable both IDE channels in the BIOS and
then set them all to Auto for you? It should be very simple....if I
lived near you I would come by and do it for free.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Sysu" wrote in message
news
Since my cdrom drive is not working, I went to Microsoft's website
and
downloaded a reinstalling of Windows XP on formatted Floppy Disks
(6). But
it said I would need the XP installation CD to complete the process.
Microsoft should think, If I have to reinstall Windows XP via floppy
disk,
how in the heck can I use the installation CD at the end? If I had
the CD I
would not need to download a new installation via floppy disk.

If you or someone you know can help me get around this minor
inconvenience
please post it. I will give this solution one more chance before
getting
indebted for another computer.

Thanks again

"glee" wrote:

Yes, very pertinent. You have a PATA (IDE) hard drive, not a SATA
drive, and judging by the size (40GB) you probably don't have any
SATA
connections in that computer (a Dell probably).

If it is a Dell, or some other OEM machine, the BIOS setup is
likely
modified by them, which makes it hard to tell you where in the BIOS
setup you have to go to change the settings in order to enable both
IDE
channels and also to set them to Auto so they can automatically
detect
any attached drives.

Someone must have gone into the BIOS setup at some time and
accidentally
disabled the channel....although I have also seen a strong
electrical
surge change BIOS settings.

If you are not familiar with the BIOS setup or are uncomfortable
working
in it, find someone who is, to help you, or else take it to a
competent
computer tech to adjust the settings.

If you want to try to do it yourself, we will need more info on
what
screens are available in the BIOS setup that you see. Some fields
in
the BIOS can be opened if you press Enter, others do not expand.
There
should be a Legend probably at the bottom of the screen, telling
you
what keys to use to navigate.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Sad but true. When I click the arrows it says: Unknown and n/a
and
that is
all I get. I copied the info if it will aid you in helping me, it
is
kind of
long so bear with me. It is the Drive config. and boot sequence
in
bios and
what it shows.
BIOS
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A 3.5nch, 1.44mb
Primary Master Drive Hard Drive (WDC
WD400EB-75CPF0)
'' Slave Drive OFF (model
unknown)
Secondary Master Drive OFF " "
" Slave Drive OFF " "

IDE Drive UDMA ON

Boot Sequence
CD-Rom device (not installed)
Floppy Device ON
Hard Disk Drive C ( has a check in front
of
it)
Hope this is pertinent info. I am a novice at this.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Something is definitely getting lost in translation here!...

If indeed, as you say, BOTH Primary AND Secondary IDE controller
channels are OFF in
the BIOS then certainly you would NOT* be booting from the hard
drive!

The reason there is this setting in the BIOS is for
troubleshooting
and certainly,
you should be able to change their setting....

*(Except, possibly, if you are using SATA HDs)
==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response glee. I hope you read my first post.
It
included
everything I had tried except bios. In bios (Drive Config.),
Primary and
Secondary are set at OFF. .... clipped


.


.

Ah, pays to read the other replies BEFORE I reply, eh? ;-)
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Tim Meddick" wrote in message
...
I mentioned all this in my own reply to "Sysu" earlier today...

I also mentioned that I agreed with you.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"glee" wrote in message
...
Don't bother with the floppy disk set...you still have to use the CD
to reinstall.

IF the only problem is that the secondary channel is disabled, then
reinstalling Windows will accomplish nothing anyway....the problem
will still exist because it is outside Windows.

If you can't find the proper BIOS settings, can't you bring it to a
tech and just ask him to enable both IDE channels in the BIOS and
then set them all to Auto for you? It should be very simple....if I
lived near you I would come by and do it for free.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Sysu" wrote in message
news
Since my cdrom drive is not working, I went to Microsoft's website
and
downloaded a reinstalling of Windows XP on formatted Floppy Disks
(6). But
it said I would need the XP installation CD to complete the process.
Microsoft should think, If I have to reinstall Windows XP via floppy
disk,
how in the heck can I use the installation CD at the end? If I had
the CD I
would not need to download a new installation via floppy disk.

If you or someone you know can help me get around this minor
inconvenience
please post it. I will give this solution one more chance before
getting
indebted for another computer.

Thanks again

"glee" wrote:

Yes, very pertinent. You have a PATA (IDE) hard drive, not a SATA
drive, and judging by the size (40GB) you probably don't have any
SATA
connections in that computer (a Dell probably).

If it is a Dell, or some other OEM machine, the BIOS setup is
likely
modified by them, which makes it hard to tell you where in the BIOS
setup you have to go to change the settings in order to enable both
IDE
channels and also to set them to Auto so they can automatically
detect
any attached drives.

Someone must have gone into the BIOS setup at some time and
accidentally
disabled the channel....although I have also seen a strong
electrical
surge change BIOS settings.

If you are not familiar with the BIOS setup or are uncomfortable
working
in it, find someone who is, to help you, or else take it to a
competent
computer tech to adjust the settings.

If you want to try to do it yourself, we will need more info on
what
screens are available in the BIOS setup that you see. Some fields
in
the BIOS can be opened if you press Enter, others do not expand.
There
should be a Legend probably at the bottom of the screen, telling
you
what keys to use to navigate.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Sad but true. When I click the arrows it says: Unknown and n/a
and
that is
all I get. I copied the info if it will aid you in helping me, it
is
kind of
long so bear with me. It is the Drive config. and boot sequence
in
bios and
what it shows.
BIOS
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A 3.5nch, 1.44mb
Primary Master Drive Hard Drive (WDC
WD400EB-75CPF0)
'' Slave Drive OFF (model
unknown)
Secondary Master Drive OFF " "
" Slave Drive OFF " "

IDE Drive UDMA ON

Boot Sequence
CD-Rom device (not installed)
Floppy Device ON
Hard Disk Drive C ( has a check in front
of
it)
Hope this is pertinent info. I am a novice at this.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Something is definitely getting lost in translation here!...

If indeed, as you say, BOTH Primary AND Secondary IDE controller
channels are OFF in
the BIOS then certainly you would NOT* be booting from the hard
drive!

The reason there is this setting in the BIOS is for
troubleshooting
and certainly,
you should be able to change their setting....

*(Except, possibly, if you are using SATA HDs)
==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response glee. I hope you read my first post.
It
included
everything I had tried except bios. In bios (Drive Config.),
Primary and
Secondary are set at OFF. .... clipped


.


.

Thanks for the sound advice T. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
I needed to update my Bios from A00 to A05 at Dell drivers and downloads
site. Also, I was not using the arrows and spacebar correctly to make
adjustments and hit F1 to help understand what they did.omg

Then went to the manufacturer's website (Samsung) for more info on the
drivers and device since the drivers installed but device itself was not
recognized by Windows at startup (code 41). They did have an 'Upgrade' for my
DVD/CDROM Samsung CD-R/RW SW-248F that I did not find on Windows or
Microsoft forums/driver info.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd Voila...it is working!

OH, In the "Find" box I typed Cd-Rw 248F. There is a drop down menu as you
type. They have the manuals for download too. It is FREE! The upgrade and
manual.

Thank you again for your time and informative input.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

As "glee" keeps on saying, we are not talking about Primary / Secondary Hard-drives
(as you printed out a copy of those settings as it appeared in your BIOS in an
earlier post) but rather, we are talking about IDE CHANNELS!

IDE controllers often have a setting in the BIOS that enables you to choose whether
to use the PRIMARY or SECONDARY or even BOTH of the channels (the IDE controller
having two channels).

The reason (I believe) that "glee" and I think it may be this setting, is that the
MASTER HD is usually connected to the PRIMARY IDE channel and the CD/DVD drive to the
SECONDARY channel - thus - if someone tampered with the setting and set it to USE
PRIMARY ONLY - then the CD/DVD device would not be working.

This is just one theory of quite a few possible causes - another of which could be -
as unlikely as it sounds - that your cd/dvd drive failed at the exact same time as
all this happened.

But you have to start somewhere, and seeing if there is a setting in your BIOS that
enables / disables the secondary IDE channel (either with an "on" or "off" setting
or, more commonly, a setting that lets you choose either "primary", "secondary" or
"both" - where it should be set to "both" you may have accidentally set it to
"primary" thereby inadvertently turning off the other channel that carries the cd/dvd
drive).


One more thing - the use of floppy "installation" disks will do very little for you.

They are meant only to start up a PC, ready for installation from an XP installation
CD, when that PC cannot BOOT from the cd/dvd for some reason.

However, I still think it may be possible to re-format your HD with the floppy set -
thereby wiping out all the data off your hard drive for good - please beware of
this...

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response Peter. But if you read my original post, I tried
everything mentioned in the threads . Code 31 is what I am getting. Windows
cannot load the drivers. and Bios says CD-rom is not installed. I found no
upper or lower filters mentioned in the reg. key to look for and delete.

I am a novice at this and not sure about the SATA HD you mentioned.

"Peter Foldes" wrote:

I am sorry that you do not want to hear Upper and Lower filters but Code 31 that
you
are receiving is the following and use the manual repair and not the automated

Code 31
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314060
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
I have this problem also after uninstalling game software. In Device
manager, it show DVD/CD-ROM and under that Multimedia Audio controller with
an exclamation point by both. But when I update the driver, it installs
drivers for SoundMax digital audio and places Multimedia Audio Controller in
Sound devices. DVD/CD-ROM disappears from Device Manager and still not able
to use CD/Rom/Dvd.
Steps I have already taken:
1.) No upper/lower filters in the Registry that is so heavily floating as a
solution.
2.) Cdgone did not work
3.) Microsoft's Fix it said it could not detect
4.) I checked my drivers in system 32 and two that are shown in driver
details of IDE ATA ATAPI and Primary IDE channel (have no Second primary
channel showing) are not in C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/
storprop.dll(primary) and pciidex.sys.
I was told that senfilt.sys should not be in system 32. At one point it was
not there but in the registry.
I have not installed the driver for Multimedia Digital Audio driver. I did
the add hardware wizard and it said 'Windows cannot load the drivers for this
device(DVD/CD-ROM) Code 31.

In my registry by CDROM in two places are two terms I don't understand.
INITIALFAIL(by reg.key for deleting filters) and AutoRunDisable(by cdrom.sys)

How can I get the drivers for DVD/CD-ROM to load and not in concert with
Multimedia Audio Controller that installs SoundMax drivers for sound ONLY.

"Rich Barry" wrote:

Don, from what you said if you open MyComputer you see the C, D but not
the E drive Icon. I would try right clicking
MyComputerselect PropertiesHardwareDevice ManagerDvd/Cdrom Drives.
Click on the plus sign and you should
see two entries for your cdrw drives. If there rt click on each one and
choose Uninstall. Restart your Computer and let
WinXP reinstall the drives.
"ragsy" mrsragsy wrote in message
...
Hello;
I went to look at what I had done so far and I noticed an error specifying
missing hardware devices but the drivers for those locations appeared ok.
(drive's b: & c. besides doing a total restore is there any way to
reinsert those two missing hardware icons back so I can use them ? thank
you
--
mrtigre




.


.

Thanks for the sound advice T. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
I needed to update my Bios from A00 to A05 at Dell drivers and downloads
site. Also, I was not using the arrows and spacebar correctly to make
adjustments and hit F1 to help understand what they did.omg

Then went to the manufacturer's website (Samsung) for more info on the
drivers and device since the drivers installed but device itself was not
recognized by Windows at startup (code 41). They did have an 'Upgrade' for my
DVD/CDROM Samsung CD-R/RW SW-248F that I did not find on Windows or
Microsoft forums/driver info.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd Voila...it is working!

OH, In the "Find" box I typed Cd-Rw 248F. There is a drop down menu as you
type. They have the manuals for download too. It is FREE! The upgrade and
manual.

Thank you again for your time and informative input.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

As "glee" keeps on saying, we are not talking about Primary / Secondary Hard-drives
(as you printed out a copy of those settings as it appeared in your BIOS in an
earlier post) but rather, we are talking about IDE CHANNELS!

IDE controllers often have a setting in the BIOS that enables you to choose whether
to use the PRIMARY or SECONDARY or even BOTH of the channels (the IDE controller
having two channels).

The reason (I believe) that "glee" and I think it may be this setting, is that the
MASTER HD is usually connected to the PRIMARY IDE channel and the CD/DVD drive to the
SECONDARY channel - thus - if someone tampered with the setting and set it to USE
PRIMARY ONLY - then the CD/DVD device would not be working.

This is just one theory of quite a few possible causes - another of which could be -
as unlikely as it sounds - that your cd/dvd drive failed at the exact same time as
all this happened.

But you have to start somewhere, and seeing if there is a setting in your BIOS that
enables / disables the secondary IDE channel (either with an "on" or "off" setting
or, more commonly, a setting that lets you choose either "primary", "secondary" or
"both" - where it should be set to "both" you may have accidentally set it to
"primary" thereby inadvertently turning off the other channel that carries the cd/dvd
drive).


One more thing - the use of floppy "installation" disks will do very little for you.

They are meant only to start up a PC, ready for installation from an XP installation
CD, when that PC cannot BOOT from the cd/dvd for some reason.

However, I still think it may be possible to re-format your HD with the floppy set -
thereby wiping out all the data off your hard drive for good - please beware of
this...

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response Peter. But if you read my original post, I tried
everything mentioned in the threads . Code 31 is what I am getting. Windows
cannot load the drivers. and Bios says CD-rom is not installed. I found no
upper or lower filters mentioned in the reg. key to look for and delete.

I am a novice at this and not sure about the SATA HD you mentioned.

"Peter Foldes" wrote:

I am sorry that you do not want to hear Upper and Lower filters but Code 31 that
you
are receiving is the following and use the manual repair and not the automated

Code 31
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314060
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
I have this problem also after uninstalling game software. In Device
manager, it show DVD/CD-ROM and under that Multimedia Audio controller with
an exclamation point by both. But when I update the driver, it installs
drivers for SoundMax digital audio and places Multimedia Audio Controller in
Sound devices. DVD/CD-ROM disappears from Device Manager and still not able
to use CD/Rom/Dvd.
Steps I have already taken:
1.) No upper/lower filters in the Registry that is so heavily floating as a
solution.
2.) Cdgone did not work
3.) Microsoft's Fix it said it could not detect
4.) I checked my drivers in system 32 and two that are shown in driver
details of IDE ATA ATAPI and Primary IDE channel (have no Second primary
channel showing) are not in C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/
storprop.dll(primary) and pciidex.sys.
I was told that senfilt.sys should not be in system 32. At one point it was
not there but in the registry.
I have not installed the driver for Multimedia Digital Audio driver. I did
the add hardware wizard and it said 'Windows cannot load the drivers for this
device(DVD/CD-ROM) Code 31.

In my registry by CDROM in two places are two terms I don't understand.
INITIALFAIL(by reg.key for deleting filters) and AutoRunDisable(by cdrom.sys)

How can I get the drivers for DVD/CD-ROM to load and not in concert with
Multimedia Audio Controller that installs SoundMax drivers for sound ONLY.

"Rich Barry" wrote:

Don, from what you said if you open MyComputer you see the C, D but not
the E drive Icon. I would try right clicking
MyComputerselect PropertiesHardwareDevice ManagerDvd/Cdrom Drives.
Click on the plus sign and you should
see two entries for your cdrw drives. If there rt click on each one and
choose Uninstall. Restart your Computer and let
WinXP reinstall the drives.
"ragsy" mrsragsy wrote in message
...
Hello;
I went to look at what I had done so far and I noticed an error specifying
missing hardware devices but the drivers for those locations appeared ok.
(drive's b: & c. besides doing a total restore is there any way to
reinsert those two missing hardware icons back so I can use them ? thank
you
--
mrtigre




.


.

I forgot to mention: Whether or not it says Manual or Firmware by your
driver/device click on it anyway, it takes you to the page for both. Also,
being so proud of myself, Error: I typed 'cdrw' in the Find box.

"Sysu" wrote:

Thanks for the sound advice T. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
I needed to update my Bios from A00 to A05 at Dell drivers and downloads
site. Also, I was not using the arrows and spacebar correctly to make
adjustments and hit F1 to help understand what they did.omg

Then went to the manufacturer's website (Samsung) for more info on the
drivers and device since the drivers installed but device itself was not
recognized by Windows at startup (code 41). They did have an 'Upgrade' for my
DVD/CDROM Samsung CD-R/RW SW-248F that I did not find on Windows or
Microsoft forums/driver info.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd Voila...it is working!

OH, In the "Find" box I typed Cd-Rw 248F. There is a drop down menu as you
type. They have the manuals for download too. It is FREE! The upgrade and
manual.

Thank you again for your time and informative input.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

As "glee" keeps on saying, we are not talking about Primary / Secondary Hard-drives
(as you printed out a copy of those settings as it appeared in your BIOS in an
earlier post) but rather, we are talking about IDE CHANNELS!

IDE controllers often have a setting in the BIOS that enables you to choose whether
to use the PRIMARY or SECONDARY or even BOTH of the channels (the IDE controller
having two channels).

The reason (I believe) that "glee" and I think it may be this setting, is that the
MASTER HD is usually connected to the PRIMARY IDE channel and the CD/DVD drive to the
SECONDARY channel - thus - if someone tampered with the setting and set it to USE
PRIMARY ONLY - then the CD/DVD device would not be working.

This is just one theory of quite a few possible causes - another of which could be -
as unlikely as it sounds - that your cd/dvd drive failed at the exact same time as
all this happened.

But you have to start somewhere, and seeing if there is a setting in your BIOS that
enables / disables the secondary IDE channel (either with an "on" or "off" setting
or, more commonly, a setting that lets you choose either "primary", "secondary" or
"both" - where it should be set to "both" you may have accidentally set it to
"primary" thereby inadvertently turning off the other channel that carries the cd/dvd
drive).


One more thing - the use of floppy "installation" disks will do very little for you.

They are meant only to start up a PC, ready for installation from an XP installation
CD, when that PC cannot BOOT from the cd/dvd for some reason.

However, I still think it may be possible to re-format your HD with the floppy set -
thereby wiping out all the data off your hard drive for good - please beware of
this...

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response Peter. But if you read my original post, I tried
everything mentioned in the threads . Code 31 is what I am getting. Windows
cannot load the drivers. and Bios says CD-rom is not installed. I found no
upper or lower filters mentioned in the reg. key to look for and delete.

I am a novice at this and not sure about the SATA HD you mentioned.

"Peter Foldes" wrote:

I am sorry that you do not want to hear Upper and Lower filters but Code 31 that
you
are receiving is the following and use the manual repair and not the automated

Code 31
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314060
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
I have this problem also after uninstalling game software. In Device
manager, it show DVD/CD-ROM and under that Multimedia Audio controller with
an exclamation point by both. But when I update the driver, it installs
drivers for SoundMax digital audio and places Multimedia Audio Controller in
Sound devices. DVD/CD-ROM disappears from Device Manager and still not able
to use CD/Rom/Dvd.
Steps I have already taken:
1.) No upper/lower filters in the Registry that is so heavily floating as a
solution.
2.) Cdgone did not work
3.) Microsoft's Fix it said it could not detect
4.) I checked my drivers in system 32 and two that are shown in driver
details of IDE ATA ATAPI and Primary IDE channel (have no Second primary
channel showing) are not in C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/
storprop.dll(primary) and pciidex.sys.
I was told that senfilt.sys should not be in system 32. At one point it was
not there but in the registry.
I have not installed the driver for Multimedia Digital Audio driver. I did
the add hardware wizard and it said 'Windows cannot load the drivers for this
device(DVD/CD-ROM) Code 31.

In my registry by CDROM in two places are two terms I don't understand.
INITIALFAIL(by reg.key for deleting filters) and AutoRunDisable(by cdrom.sys)

How can I get the drivers for DVD/CD-ROM to load and not in concert with
Multimedia Audio Controller that installs SoundMax drivers for sound ONLY.

"Rich Barry" wrote:

Don, from what you said if you open MyComputer you see the C, D but not
the E drive Icon. I would try right clicking
MyComputerselect PropertiesHardwareDevice ManagerDvd/Cdrom Drives.
Click on the plus sign and you should
see two entries for your cdrw drives. If there rt click on each one and
choose Uninstall. Restart your Computer and let
WinXP reinstall the drives.
"ragsy" mrsragsy wrote in message
...
Hello;
I went to look at what I had done so far and I noticed an error specifying
missing hardware devices but the drivers for those locations appeared ok.
(drive's b: & c. besides doing a total restore is there any way to
reinsert those two missing hardware icons back so I can use them ? thank
you
--
mrtigre




.


.

I forgot to mention: Whether or not it says Manual or Firmware by your
driver/device click on it anyway, it takes you to the page for both. Also,
being so proud of myself, Error: I typed 'cdrw' in the Find box.

"Sysu" wrote:

Thanks for the sound advice T. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
I needed to update my Bios from A00 to A05 at Dell drivers and downloads
site. Also, I was not using the arrows and spacebar correctly to make
adjustments and hit F1 to help understand what they did.omg

Then went to the manufacturer's website (Samsung) for more info on the
drivers and device since the drivers installed but device itself was not
recognized by Windows at startup (code 41). They did have an 'Upgrade' for my
DVD/CDROM Samsung CD-R/RW SW-248F that I did not find on Windows or
Microsoft forums/driver info.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd Voila...it is working!

OH, In the "Find" box I typed Cd-Rw 248F. There is a drop down menu as you
type. They have the manuals for download too. It is FREE! The upgrade and
manual.

Thank you again for your time and informative input.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

As "glee" keeps on saying, we are not talking about Primary / Secondary Hard-drives
(as you printed out a copy of those settings as it appeared in your BIOS in an
earlier post) but rather, we are talking about IDE CHANNELS!

IDE controllers often have a setting in the BIOS that enables you to choose whether
to use the PRIMARY or SECONDARY or even BOTH of the channels (the IDE controller
having two channels).

The reason (I believe) that "glee" and I think it may be this setting, is that the
MASTER HD is usually connected to the PRIMARY IDE channel and the CD/DVD drive to the
SECONDARY channel - thus - if someone tampered with the setting and set it to USE
PRIMARY ONLY - then the CD/DVD device would not be working.

This is just one theory of quite a few possible causes - another of which could be -
as unlikely as it sounds - that your cd/dvd drive failed at the exact same time as
all this happened.

But you have to start somewhere, and seeing if there is a setting in your BIOS that
enables / disables the secondary IDE channel (either with an "on" or "off" setting
or, more commonly, a setting that lets you choose either "primary", "secondary" or
"both" - where it should be set to "both" you may have accidentally set it to
"primary" thereby inadvertently turning off the other channel that carries the cd/dvd
drive).


One more thing - the use of floppy "installation" disks will do very little for you.

They are meant only to start up a PC, ready for installation from an XP installation
CD, when that PC cannot BOOT from the cd/dvd for some reason.

However, I still think it may be possible to re-format your HD with the floppy set -
thereby wiping out all the data off your hard drive for good - please beware of
this...

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your response Peter. But if you read my original post, I tried
everything mentioned in the threads . Code 31 is what I am getting. Windows
cannot load the drivers. and Bios says CD-rom is not installed. I found no
upper or lower filters mentioned in the reg. key to look for and delete.

I am a novice at this and not sure about the SATA HD you mentioned.

"Peter Foldes" wrote:

I am sorry that you do not want to hear Upper and Lower filters but Code 31 that
you
are receiving is the following and use the manual repair and not the automated

Code 31
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;314060
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Sysu" wrote in message
...
I have this problem also after uninstalling game software. In Device
manager, it show DVD/CD-ROM and under that Multimedia Audio controller with
an exclamation point by both. But when I update the driver, it installs
drivers for SoundMax digital audio and places Multimedia Audio Controller in
Sound devices. DVD/CD-ROM disappears from Device Manager and still not able
to use CD/Rom/Dvd.
Steps I have already taken:
1.) No upper/lower filters in the Registry that is so heavily floating as a
solution.
2.) Cdgone did not work
3.) Microsoft's Fix it said it could not detect
4.) I checked my drivers in system 32 and two that are shown in driver
details of IDE ATA ATAPI and Primary IDE channel (have no Second primary
channel showing) are not in C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/
storprop.dll(primary) and pciidex.sys.
I was told that senfilt.sys should not be in system 32. At one point it was
not there but in the registry.
I have not installed the driver for Multimedia Digital Audio driver. I did
the add hardware wizard and it said 'Windows cannot load the drivers for this
device(DVD/CD-ROM) Code 31.

In my registry by CDROM in two places are two terms I don't understand.
INITIALFAIL(by reg.key for deleting filters) and AutoRunDisable(by cdrom.sys)

How can I get the drivers for DVD/CD-ROM to load and not in concert with
Multimedia Audio Controller that installs SoundMax drivers for sound ONLY.

"Rich Barry" wrote:

Don, from what you said if you open MyComputer you see the C, D but not
the E drive Icon. I would try right clicking
MyComputerselect PropertiesHardwareDevice ManagerDvd/Cdrom Drives.
Click on the plus sign and you should
see two entries for your cdrw drives. If there rt click on each one and
choose Uninstall. Restart your Computer and let
WinXP reinstall the drives.
"ragsy" mrsragsy wrote in message
...
Hello;
I went to look at what I had done so far and I noticed an error specifying
missing hardware devices but the drivers for those locations appeared ok.
(drive's b: & c. besides doing a total restore is there any way to
reinsert those two missing hardware icons back so I can use them ? thank
you
--
mrtigre




.


.

I am really glad to hear that you got it sorted....

....and thankyou very much for posting your success in resolving your issue.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
news
I forgot to mention....

clipped

I am really glad to hear that you got it sorted....

....and thankyou very much for posting your success in resolving your issue.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Sysu" wrote in message
news
I forgot to mention....

clipped

In message , Sysu
writes:
Thanks for the sound advice T. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
I needed to update my Bios from A00 to A05 at Dell drivers and downloads
site. Also, I was not using the arrows and spacebar correctly to make
adjustments and hit F1 to help understand what they did.omg

Then went to the manufacturer's website (Samsung) for more info on the
drivers and device since the drivers installed but device itself was not
recognized by Windows at startup (code 41). They did have an 'Upgrade' for my
DVD/CDROM Samsung CD-R/RW SW-248F that I did not find on Windows or
Microsoft forums/driver info.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd Voila...it is working!

Glad you got it working! (And that we stopped you buying a new computer!
The manufacturers love that, and of course promote it as the solution to
all problems!)

I suspect you didn't need the upgrade, but installing it set all the
settings back to the defaults, which is probably "auto". Anyway, if it
is working, you've got the benefit of whatever the upgrade implemented
(at a guess, support for larger discs than were imagined when version
A00 was created).

OH, In the "Find" box I typed Cd-Rw 248F. There is a drop down menu as you
type. They have the manuals for download too. It is FREE! The upgrade and
manual.

Yes, many manufacturers provide manuals online for free. (In some cases,
you _don't_ get them with the device [or only get them on a CD]; that
way they can save the cost of printing them! [Oh, and save the planet
too - but I'm sure that's not their primary concern.])
[]
A few more points just for interest that have come up in the discussion,
in no particular order:

One thought that occurred to me (turns out not to have been the case,
but I'll mention it anyway) was that maybe the secondary/slave IDE
channel cable had just become unplugged. (IDE channels support two
drives - primary and secondary [connected to the same cable, usually
distinguished by a link on the drive]; most except _very_ old
motherboards have two IDE channels, thus up to four drives. IDE devices
are usually hard drives and optical [CD/DVD] drives.)

Microsoft were not completely daft when they told you you might need the
boot floppy and still need the CD: some older motherboards can _access_
CDs, but not _boot from_ them. If you had such a motherboard, you'd need
to boot from the floppy, then it would switch to the CD. (XP was never
distributed on floppies - I think '95 first edition was the last that
was.) That (having a floppy you could boot from) wouldn't have helped if
the CD drive was actually turned off in the BIOS, as yours seems to have
become. I would also echo the other poster's slight concern that it
might still be possible to format the HD from the booting floppy (or
floppy/CD combination), and thus lose everything, so don't mess with
those options until you're sure what you're doing.

You said you didn't know about SATA drives: well, as it turns out you
don't have them anyway (your motherboard may not support them). IDE
drives, or as they have been for some time EIDE (enhanced), connect to
the motherboard over an IDE ribbon cable, 40 conductors carrying many
signals in parallel (not 40, many of them are earth). This is also
called the ATA interface - now back-named to PATA, to distinguish it
from SATA, serial ATA - which sends the signals one-after-the-other but
very fast, over a much smaller number of conductors (about 4 I think),
which makes for a thinner cable and smaller connectors (there are _some_
technical advantages too). Most modern _larger_ drives are SATA not IDE
(the name PATA hasn't really caught on, as EIDE didn't really), and you
can even get CD/DVD drives with SATA interfaces. [This is a gross
simplification - see Wikipedia PATA and many other sources if you're
interested.]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
** http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/G6JPG-PC/JPGminPC.htm for ludicrously
outdated thoughts on PCs. **

In message , Sysu
writes:
Thanks for the sound advice T. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
I needed to update my Bios from A00 to A05 at Dell drivers and downloads
site. Also, I was not using the arrows and spacebar correctly to make
adjustments and hit F1 to help understand what they did.omg

Then went to the manufacturer's website (Samsung) for more info on the
drivers and device since the drivers installed but device itself was not
recognized by Windows at startup (code 41). They did have an 'Upgrade' for my
DVD/CDROM Samsung CD-R/RW SW-248F that I did not find on Windows or
Microsoft forums/driver info.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd Voila...it is working!

Glad you got it working! (And that we stopped you buying a new computer!
The manufacturers love that, and of course promote it as the solution to
all problems!)

I suspect you didn't need the upgrade, but installing it set all the
settings back to the defaults, which is probably "auto". Anyway, if it
is working, you've got the benefit of whatever the upgrade implemented
(at a guess, support for larger discs than were imagined when version
A00 was created).

OH, In the "Find" box I typed Cd-Rw 248F. There is a drop down menu as you
type. They have the manuals for download too. It is FREE! The upgrade and
manual.

Yes, many manufacturers provide manuals online for free. (In some cases,
you _don't_ get them with the device [or only get them on a CD]; that
way they can save the cost of printing them! [Oh, and save the planet
too - but I'm sure that's not their primary concern.])
[]
A few more points just for interest that have come up in the discussion,
in no particular order:

One thought that occurred to me (turns out not to have been the case,
but I'll mention it anyway) was that maybe the secondary/slave IDE
channel cable had just become unplugged. (IDE channels support two
drives - primary and secondary [connected to the same cable, usually
distinguished by a link on the drive]; most except _very_ old
motherboards have two IDE channels, thus up to four drives. IDE devices
are usually hard drives and optical [CD/DVD] drives.)

Microsoft were not completely daft when they told you you might need the
boot floppy and still need the CD: some older motherboards can _access_
CDs, but not _boot from_ them. If you had such a motherboard, you'd need
to boot from the floppy, then it would switch to the CD. (XP was never
distributed on floppies - I think '95 first edition was the last that
was.) That (having a floppy you could boot from) wouldn't have helped if
the CD drive was actually turned off in the BIOS, as yours seems to have
become. I would also echo the other poster's slight concern that it
might still be possible to format the HD from the booting floppy (or
floppy/CD combination), and thus lose everything, so don't mess with
those options until you're sure what you're doing.

You said you didn't know about SATA drives: well, as it turns out you
don't have them anyway (your motherboard may not support them). IDE
drives, or as they have been for some time EIDE (enhanced), connect to
the motherboard over an IDE ribbon cable, 40 conductors carrying many
signals in parallel (not 40, many of them are earth). This is also
called the ATA interface - now back-named to PATA, to distinguish it
from SATA, serial ATA - which sends the signals one-after-the-other but
very fast, over a much smaller number of conductors (about 4 I think),
which makes for a thinner cable and smaller connectors (there are _some_
technical advantages too). Most modern _larger_ drives are SATA not IDE
(the name PATA hasn't really caught on, as EIDE didn't really), and you
can even get CD/DVD drives with SATA interfaces. [This is a gross
simplification - see Wikipedia PATA and many other sources if you're
interested.]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
** http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/G6JPG-PC/JPGminPC.htm for ludicrously
outdated thoughts on PCs. **