PC does not recognise new dvd rewriter

[kags]

My cd/dvd drive has been dodgy for a while, and then this week my pc just stoppped recognising it was there. Today I bought an LG internal super multi dvd rewriter, compatible with Vista and SATA. Fitted it and initially my pc said it was installing device driver - so far so good. Then it came up with an error message saying it had failed to install the driver and I should contact the manufacturer. The drive does not show up in My Computer. We have replaced the SATA cable with the new one. I checked the LG website - I downloaded a driver update but it won't run as it says there is no device fitted. Anybody got any bright ideas where I go next?

[vascop]

Shut PC down, then I would make sure the cable connection is OK by pushing it home firmly at both ends. switch on again and see what happens. Did you get a CD with it which contains the drivers? If so you would need another drive to run the CD.
If it doesn't work the second time then take it back.

[VHG]

Try going into the BIOS of the PC and see if it shows up there.

Sometimes going into the BIOS is enough for a PC to find a device.

[kags]

I don't know how to do that.

[ACtheTROLL]

you did also plug in a seperate power feed?

if there is an earphone socket ... insert an audio cd see if it plays

look in device manager view | hidden devices

remove all dvd/cdrom drives
power down ... switch on

if asked point to the driver you downloaded

if still no joy

wording varies ... but go with the idea
when you switch on ... you'll see a message on the lines of
press f2 (f4, f10, f12 or ctrl+del - or something)
to enter setup
this is the bios

carefully look through the options until you see sata devices

there will (or should) be a mix of hdd and cd/dvd drives

[kags]

I went into the BIOS and device manager and both showed the disc drive. I deleted it from the device manager and rebooted; it came up with the same error message, saying "device driver software not successfully installed. please consult with manufacturer."
I think I need to contact LG.
If I can get hold of an external disc drive I'll try that tomorrow, and see if I can run the driver from the disc that came with it.
I'm wondering if the problem wasn't with my old disc drive (which was less than 2 years old) but a software problem (I hate Vista and like to blame it for everything)

[SlackAlice]

Why not try downloading the drivers from LG and installing from there?

http://uk.lge.com/support/main.jhtml

[kags]

As I mentioned above, I have done that but I can't load the drivers because the pc thinks the disc drive isn't there (although it is on the device manager)

[vascop]

have you tried using 'add new hardware' from Control Panel?

[johnpol78]

check all the connections to the dvd writer.
uninstalled the driver from the computer.

restart the computer.
go to the device manager and set the driver for the new hardware changes.
installed the driver from the device manager.
if needed downloaded the updated driver from the internet.

[kags]

I tried updating the driver from the device manager as you suggested - it checked online and said the most up to date driver is installed. However, the drive still isn't showing up in My Computer and cds/dvds won't play. I haven't heard back from LG yet, and I am waiting to borrow an external discdrive to see if that works. If it does, and LG don't solve this, I think I'll just buy myself a new external drive.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I will sound quite knowledgeable if LG ever contact me.

[LewPaper]

You could try this if you're still having problems:

DVD Drive Not Recognised

Backup your registry

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - SYSTEM - CurrentControlSet - Control - Class
Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.

In the right pane highlight UpperFilters and/or LowerFilters and remove.

Note an UpperFilters.bak registry entry may also appear. To delete the UpperFilters registry entry, you must click UpperFilters and not UpperFilters.bak.

[kags]

thank you - I tried that and still no joy

[smith134]

If you are using Microsoft Windows XP try to do these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
4. In the right pane, click UpperFilters.

Note You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to step 7.
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
7. In the right pane, click LowerFilters.

Note If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content cannot help you any further. Go to the "Next Steps" section for information about how you can find more solutions or more help on the Microsoft Web site.
8. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
9. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
10. Exit Registry Editor.
11. Restart the computer.
Source:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060