# My CD-ROM is inaccessible. Help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031 "2004-04-20T14:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/1 "2004-04-20T14:23:43Z")
My computer’s CD-ROM drive has decided to take an unauthorized vacation. Help me, please! I use Windows 98. Over the weekend I downloaded the “critical updates” recommended by Microsoft’s windows update website. Yesterday when I went to use the computer’s CD-ROM it said that the device was inaccessible. I changed CDs to see whether the CD was the problem, and it wasn’t. I went to the computer control panel, then to the systems tab, then to device management tab, then to cd-rom tab, then to the general tab, which read that the device was working properly. That is the limit of my expertise. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/2 "2004-04-20T14:29:55Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > My computer’s CD-ROM drive has decided to take an unauthorized vacation. Help me, please! > > I use Windows 98. Over the weekend I downloaded the “critical updates” recommended by Microsoft’s windows update website. Yesterday when I went to use the computer’s CD-ROM it said that the device was inaccessible. I changed CDs to see whether the CD was the problem, and it wasn’t. I went to the computer control panel, then to the systems tab, then to device management tab, then to cd-rom tab, then to the general tab, which read that the device was working properly. That is the limit of my expertise. The EXACT thing happened to me! Went though all the stuff you did and eventually, after I’d cut the computer off and on about five times the CD driver seemed to load properly. Or at least my CD works now. Not that this helps you directly, but it may give a clue to others who might actually be able to help you. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/3 "2004-04-20T14:31:21Z")
> [@Tigers2B1](#): > > The EXACT thing happened to me! Went though all the stuff you did and eventually, after I’d cut the computer off and on about five times the CD driver seemed to load properly. Or at least my CD works now. > > Not that this helps you directly, but it may give a clue to others who might actually be able to help you. I should add that I also run Windows 98. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/4 "2004-04-20T14:38:12Z")
Did you reboot after downloading the updates? This is almost a standard requirement to successfully get the updates to work properly. I run Win2K and have had odd behaviour occasionally when I didn’t reboot immediately after downloading Windows updates. Can’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/5 "2004-04-20T14:43:39Z")
Strangely enough I run XP and after the weekend download of updates I experienced my first ever series of IE errors that closed down my internet session. All seems well now. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/6 "2004-04-20T14:44:38Z")
If you have the driver on disk or are sure the correct one is on the machine you could right click on the device in device management and uninstall it. Then restart and it will reinstall it possible asking you for drivers which is why you need the disk 🙂 Or as has already been said do the most obvious and just reboot 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/7 "2004-04-20T18:11:03Z")
Re-booting numerous times (10 and counting) hasn’t worked. Any other suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/8 "2004-04-20T19:05:30Z")
A similar problem happened on my Dad’s machine; he downloaded Windows updates, and then he’d get an error trying to access his CD-ROM. I did a Google search on the error, and found that the update added a new invalid driver. What was supposed to happen was that it would try the new driver, detect that it was wrong, and then move on. It obviously didn’t work out that way. I renamed the new driver (so the system couldn’t find it), and that solved the issue. Perhaps a Google search might help you, as it helped me. I guess you don’t have an error to search on, though. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cd-rom-is-inaccessible-help/241031/9 "2004-04-26T18:56:53Z")
The problem is now solved. My computer guru - also known as my brother - replaced the CD-ROM hardware with another unit, which seems to be working fine. Thanks for the suggestions, which were all much appreciated! 🙂