PC Driver Problems
May 1, 2004 4:40 PM Subscribe
I have a screwed up driver situation on my pc. I've tried everything i can think of, and i need help. it was suggested i look here.
Here's the PbP:
- My DVD player (Sony DDU1621) on my WinXP box wouldn't open. it would just whirr and blink, so i removed it, uninstalled it, and then reinstalled it.
- While I was checking the connections, i accidentally unplugged my harddrive ribbon. I had XP installed on the second drive in a daisy-chain, and when i replugged everything, my computer started up in win98. But my DVD drive worked.
-- The goal here was to install Linux, so i figured i didn't need XP anyway, and while i was downloading the linux iso (onto another box), i set out to totally clean out the harddrive that used to have XP on it, so i could get it ready for Linux.
-- Two hours later, i went to actually begin installing Linux, and suddenly the DVD drive won't open again.
-- I have now physically removed and replaced the DVD drive at least a dozen times. Sometimes the F drive shows up in My Computer, sometimes it doesn't. When it does show up, it still doesn't work (when i click on it it gives me an error alert saying there is a problem with the device).
- When it doesn't show up , i go to Install New Hardware, and it lists Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller. When I select it, i get an update window that says 'This device is already installed, but it has a problem.' There are no updates available (i'm not currently online and all of the networking software was installed into XP), and so i just click OK, and nothing has changed.
- I cannot find another driver for this device. I found something listed on DriverGuide, but it was just some batch that callibrates audio and video input.
- I found another DVD drive, this time a cheap one called a MadDog BKM-52X16, and i replaced it. but my win98 device manager doesn't detect it and still brings up the Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller as the only option when i run Install New Hardware.
so all i need is to get a cd drive recognized so i can either reinstall xp, or go ahead and install Linux -- both of which, of course, would solve the problem. but so long as i can't read a cd, i can't do either. so i'm stuck.
help would be deeply appreciated.
Here's the PbP:
- My DVD player (Sony DDU1621) on my WinXP box wouldn't open. it would just whirr and blink, so i removed it, uninstalled it, and then reinstalled it.
- While I was checking the connections, i accidentally unplugged my harddrive ribbon. I had XP installed on the second drive in a daisy-chain, and when i replugged everything, my computer started up in win98. But my DVD drive worked.
-- The goal here was to install Linux, so i figured i didn't need XP anyway, and while i was downloading the linux iso (onto another box), i set out to totally clean out the harddrive that used to have XP on it, so i could get it ready for Linux.
-- Two hours later, i went to actually begin installing Linux, and suddenly the DVD drive won't open again.
-- I have now physically removed and replaced the DVD drive at least a dozen times. Sometimes the F drive shows up in My Computer, sometimes it doesn't. When it does show up, it still doesn't work (when i click on it it gives me an error alert saying there is a problem with the device).
- When it doesn't show up , i go to Install New Hardware, and it lists Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller. When I select it, i get an update window that says 'This device is already installed, but it has a problem.' There are no updates available (i'm not currently online and all of the networking software was installed into XP), and so i just click OK, and nothing has changed.
- I cannot find another driver for this device. I found something listed on DriverGuide, but it was just some batch that callibrates audio and video input.
- I found another DVD drive, this time a cheap one called a MadDog BKM-52X16, and i replaced it. but my win98 device manager doesn't detect it and still brings up the Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller as the only option when i run Install New Hardware.
so all i need is to get a cd drive recognized so i can either reinstall xp, or go ahead and install Linux -- both of which, of course, would solve the problem. but so long as i can't read a cd, i can't do either. so i'm stuck.
help would be deeply appreciated.
Have you double-checked to make sure the drives are set up correctly as master and slave?
posted by falconred at 6:07 PM on May 1, 2004
posted by falconred at 6:07 PM on May 1, 2004
goggle mscdex. Get DOS drivers for your CD drive and install them (instructions should be on the mscdex pages). This will get around any problems you're having w/ 98 and XP, and should let you at least read CDs. It should work in windows and dos.
Also, what Falconred said. Get a good nights sleep, then walk your hardware install carefully and methodically. There's probably something there that has seemed inconsequential (which is why you have to be so methodical, unfortunately) but is actually causing the problem.
Next step if both of those don't work is to suspect either the drive cable or the IDE controller. Controllers should be very cheap, might be worth it to get a spare and pop your drive over on that and see if you have the same problem.
posted by daver at 3:34 AM on May 2, 2004
Also, what Falconred said. Get a good nights sleep, then walk your hardware install carefully and methodically. There's probably something there that has seemed inconsequential (which is why you have to be so methodical, unfortunately) but is actually causing the problem.
Next step if both of those don't work is to suspect either the drive cable or the IDE controller. Controllers should be very cheap, might be worth it to get a spare and pop your drive over on that and see if you have the same problem.
posted by daver at 3:34 AM on May 2, 2004
Response by poster: i've now made sure i totally uninstalled the drive before reinstalling, but this time it's telling me that it's missing "slcd32.mpd" (could i have accidentally deleted this when i was cleaning out the drive for Linux?)
i found this file listed on DriverGuide, but when i tried to download it, DG said it couldn't find the file. Anybody know where i can find it, or if this would help?
posted by milkman at 2:08 PM on May 2, 2004
i found this file listed on DriverGuide, but when i tried to download it, DG said it couldn't find the file. Anybody know where i can find it, or if this would help?
posted by milkman at 2:08 PM on May 2, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jacquilynne at 4:52 PM on May 1, 2004