If there are any tech savvy people on this site who actually use Windows (and not Macs), I've got a technical question for you.

As far as my limited expertise goes i’d say there are two options: something i don’t know is one, the other is that you need to re list your D:\ drive. i know how to do it in XP, might be worth a shot on vista:

Go on your “computer” icon and right click, and see if there’s something like “manage”, if there is try to tinker in that. that’s all i can tell you since vista is a foreign land to me.

Hope it helps…

I’d offer my help, but apparently as well as being a windows user I also need to not be a Mac user? Shame. For the record, it’s an unnecessary part of the question as there are a huge number of Windows tech savvies on Fluther. Just state the OS in the question title. However as I pointed out, a savvy Windows user can also be a Mac user!

This seems to have a lot of folks with the same issue under Vista (DVD or CD drive disappearing). Read through the comments. Hopefully the instructions make sense to you: you can run the ‘regedit’ program they talk about by doing a search in the Vista start menu for regedit.exe. Let us know if that doesn’t sort it.

@benseven – I made that comment because it’s been my experience that you ask this kind of question and you get “buy a Mac”...this site is more than just Mac friendly it’s Mac-centric. I didn’t mean you couldn’t USE Macs, just that if there were any Windows experts as I know there are a TON of Mac experts here.

And thanks for the answers, I’ll try them.

@Thammuz – I did that, there is a manage feature, but it essentially brings me to the same places I’ve already been trying to fix it. I don’t see anything about “re-listing” if you have any insight as to what I’m supposed to do after I click manage (what you did on XP, because XP and Vista for these types of things don’t tend to be that different in my experience), let me know. I’m going to try @benseven‘s link now.

Well, I tried what was in that link and it caused me to have to restore my system, so unfortunately, I’m back to square 1.

@dalepetrie: in “manage” you should look for the CD drive, which should be listed there regardless, since the system does recognise it, then try something like “change letter” or something like that, forcing it to rewrite the part where the pc reads that the drive is actually installed. Usually this shit works with windows systems that simply “lose” informations at random. Can’t promise anything.

” so I looked for an updated driver and it told me that Windows is already using the most current driver. I can’t find any information on line about a problem like this, so I’m at a loss.” by this do you mean that you clicked the button “check for driver updates” (or something to that effect) or did you physically search the internet for an .exe driver update. Try google ”<insert CD/DVD drive name here> driver for vista” or try sites like driverguide.com etc

@joeysefika – you are correct, I clicked the button to check for driver updates, not physically search for a better driver. I can try that.

However, after doing what @Thammuz said just now, I’m seeing that the drive I thought was my non functioning disc drive is actually my hard drive, so I’m going to have to re-evaluate what my problem actually is here.

wow that makes me want to rush out and buy vista to share the joy

@dalepetrie: new spinoff of the “buy a mac” routine: “install linux”

Forgot about this Q, a couple weeks ago I got it back from the shop, it was a disconnected wire…hardware, not software!