My dvd drive is missing.

[aWhiteStripe]

Hey. My dvd drive isn't showing up in my My Computer section. It opens up and everything, so it isn't the power cable. When I put a disk in, it doesn't auto-run or anything, so I think the computer just thinks it's wierd. It's not like I just added it or anything, either, it's worked fine for a few years and then it just up and stops working. Anyone know how to get it working again? BTW my OS is Windows XP Pro.
Thanks,
Justin

[JANINE]

have u clicked on 'scan for hardware changes' in device manager? what about device drivers - have you attempted to reinstall them if need be.

also is the device 'bootable' ie is it seen in BIOS. if its not seen in BIOS then chances are that maybe the IDE cable has become slightly dislodged. this could have happened for any number of reasons but the most popular one is a slight knock to the PC.

have a go at checking these out and report back to me with your findings.:D

[Xp_helper]

hi

if the above solution dosen't work, you may need to perform a system recovery.

however, if you have a utility cd you may need to run the cd.

have you checked the cables. they may be lose.

thanks

xp_helper