yodathedark: (Default)
yodathedark ([personal profile] yodathedark) wrote2007-07-30 12:23 pm
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Laptop’s buggered again.

I can tell. It’s quite easy to tell because it doesn’t seem to register having a DVD drive any more.

This presents a problem for doing most obvious initial fix - reinstalling Windows.

FYI for any geeks with suggestions, I can’t find it in the Device Manager, or in My Computer. Trying to go to the drive directly fails. Restarting didn’t work. The drive seems to still be powered and spins up discs. (Since it ejects, flashes lights and spins the disks) I don’t see it in BIOS, but can’t remember if I ever did…

In other words… fuck.

Originally published at DoC 3.0. You can comment here or there.

[identity profile] bracknellexile.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 11:40 am (UTC)(link)
You tried manually adding hardware in Device Manager? Do you have a bootable DVD/CD (such as a windows install disk) you can test with to see if the drive still actually works outside of the O/S and thus tell if it's a hardware issue or just a windows issue?

[identity profile] yodathedark.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
tried adding device manually - couldn't find a DVD drive driver, but then I have no idea what it would actually be called.

I have my Windows disk here actually, but as it's 13:37, I need to be headed to work right now...

[identity profile] bracknellexile.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
If you're really stuck, feel free to drag it over here and I'll take a look. Can't promise it's fixable, but I'm happy to try.

[identity profile] yodathedark.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
it's fixed itself while I've been at work! :)

[identity profile] mestari.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 12:13 pm (UTC)(link)
It SHOULD appear in the BIOS. Otherwise your pretty much f-cked for reinstalling. Forget this being a windows problem, it's definately hardware/BIOS... tried doing a factory BIOS reset?

[identity profile] yodathedark.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 12:40 pm (UTC)(link)
no... hadn't thought of doing it and I know how fucked up you can make things by messing with the BIOS too much

[identity profile] deathlyphil.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
If it's not in bios (secondary IDE connection usually) then you are fucked. If the mobo can't see it and talk to it, what chance do you think windows has?

[identity profile] yodathedark.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
well it was a windows fuckup it seems

[identity profile] theivin-pixie.livejournal.com 2007-07-30 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
did u try pointing and looking sternly at it?