Schrullenhaft, bizarre tech question from another board.

[Maximus]

Schrullenhaft,

I saw this post on another board and found it to be very strange. I have never heard anything like it before. So here goes.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>My CDROM was working fine until I did Norton Antivirus liveupdate. After I rebooted MY cdrom says COMPACT DISC and it can't read anything but those (audio CDs). I have tried everything from unplugging the drive to uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers. ANY IDEAS? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So any ideas? Bizarre isn't it? Maybe sounds like it has lost something in the software.

Here's the link if you wanna look at what has already been said. I'm "Mule-Ox" on that board BTW.

[ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Maximus ]

[Schrullenhaft]

It does sound strange, but I've seen this problem before (though I don't have an immediate answer for it unfortunately).

I'm guessing that somehow the anti-virus update may have corrupted his registry in some minor way. I'd suggest the following, but it may not be enough to get his CDROM to read data CDs again.

1) Delete the CDROM drives listed in the Device Manager.

2) Run REGEDIT and delete the following keys:

2a) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\SCSI\ 'any device that matches his CDROM drive(s) as listed in the Device Manager in the left-hand pane'

2b) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\CDROM\ 'delete all the numbered devices under this key in the left-hand pane'

3) After the requisite reboots and redetection he may be able to read data CDs again. However if this still isn't working then he may need to repeat the above process, plus remove his IDE controller drivers in the Device Manager and in the Registry:

4) In REGEDIT to remove the IDE Controllers (after deleting them in the Device Manager) remove the following keys:

4a) HKEY_LOCAL_MACINE\Enum\MF\ 'all numbered subkeys below this key (usually two) in the left-hand pane'

4b) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\PCI\ ' open each VEN_xxx... subkey and highlight the key underneath it, in the right-hand pane he'll want to look for anything mentioning his IDE controller in the DeviceDesc line; delete the whole VEN_xxx... key in the left-hand pane associated with this device. Search through all the devices for any duplicated IDE controllers'

4c) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\hdc\ 'delete all numbered subkeys in the left-hand pane'

Hopefully this will help, but it may still not work. In this case it is possible that another registry setting is corrupt that I haven't listed or that a .VXD may be corrupt or not loading correctly. In that case the simplest thing may be to reinstall Windows, though that will be a time consuming effort (reinstalling drivers, etc.).

[Maximus]

How would you reinstall Windows if your CD-Drive doesn't read data CDs?

[Schrullenhaft]

He would probably have to install a real-mode CDROM device driver in his CONFIG.SYS (with MSCDEX.EXE appropriately configured in his AUTOEXEC.BAT). He would then have to boot in to the DOS environment and then launch setup that way (though Safe-Mode, through a step-by-step boot up may work also).

If he doesn't have a real-mode device driver for his CDROM he can either create a 'Startup disk' from the Add/Remove Programs control panel > Startup disk tab or download an ATAPI driver for DOS off of the web.

[Doug Beman]

Or he could just go out back and shoot himself; that's what I'd be contemplating if my system were borked that badly.

Either that or bag the whole mess except video and audio cards if they're good, buy a new system, and construct a quick-o home network setup to transfer information.

DjB