can ny1 help me my DVD re writer wont boot the WIN XP Pro OS cd.
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This thread ended up being a classic new‑build wiring problem: fixed the issue by swapping the IDE ribbon and the system booted immediately. Good pointers from and steered the diagnosis toward cable/jumper checks; the extra notes below fill in the gaps and give a compact, reusable checklist for anyone who hits the same symptom (drive(s) not seen in BIOS and CD will not boot).

A failing IDE ribbon or a missing power connection will usually make a whole channel disappear from BIOS — both the HDD and the optical drive can vanish even if they physically spin. Common failure modes: a broken conductor in the ribbon, a loose/broken Molex power plug, bent pins on the motherboard header, or BIOS settings that disable or mis-order devices. A bootable CD will only start if the BIOS actually detects the optical device and the boot order allows CD first.

Diagnostic checklist (do these in order):

  1. Confirm power: on power-up the drive should spin and the activity LED should flash. If not, try a different Molex plug.
  2. Reseat and inspect: unplug the ribbon and Molex, check for bent pins and damage, then reconnect firmly.
  3. Swap the ribbon: try a known-good IDE cable (use 80-conductor cables for UDMA-capable hardware). A bad ribbon is a very common cause.
  4. Single-device test: connect one drive alone to the primary IDE connector and follow motherboard jumper guidance (Master/Cable Select per manual).
  5. BIOS checks: set IDE detection to Auto, confirm the drive is listed, and make CD-ROM first in the boot order or use the BIOS boot menu.
  6. Isolate further: test the drive in another PC or use a USB-to-IDE adapter to verify the drive itself is good.

Prevention notes: keep a spare quality IDE cable when building systems, consult the motherboard manual for connector/jumper specifics, unplug power before swapping cables, and ground against static. Most “not detected” new‑build problems are resolved by a quick cable/power swap rather than immediate RMA.

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my hd is also not detected along with the disk drive could it be the IDE cable?

You obviously have access to the web. try the following link:

should help you out, I think it takes about 6 floppy discs, and when its finished you should have a working optical drive.

SE

my hd is also not detected along with the disk drive could it be the IDE cable?

Has this computer ever worked? (is this a new build?)

Is the HD a IDE device or SATA, and what is not detecting the device (BIOS?)

SE

yeah it is a new build
why

an dit is an dIDE drive

yeah BIOS isnt detecting them

yeah it is a new build
why

Unfortunately your in that great place where you don't know what the problem is, and as its a new build you don't know if any of the indiv. components are dead.

Had an issue a little while back, pretty much all was new, so had to test each thing seperately (great)

firstly, if you have another desktop machine, try swapping the IDE cables

IF both devices are on one cable, make sure you set the jumpers for master and slave (just saying incase you forgot)

If there is no difference, stick the devices into a working machine (one at a time) and see if the machine is aware of them.

Let me know how you get on

SE

my other desktop has been sent off to be repaired as i was having a CPU problem an dit was still under guarenty

so thnx for the advice but i can check if they work atm

unlucky.

What you connecting to the net with now?

Are all the components new, or just the HD and DVD?

SE

im on a laptop
the whole thing was a pc kit that i built last weekend
do u think i should contact the supplier?

Maybe, its hard to say, when is your other system due back?

If the problem is something small like an IDE cable, it would be a little annoying to pay for the postage (unless the supplier will cover it)

Are you able to get access to any other computers over the weekend (friends/family)

If your not going to have the chance to test individual parts for some time, then I would suggest checking all the connections again, disconnect the power and IDE cables and reconnect them, make sure jumpers are in the right place, and when your pretty sure there is nothing else you can test, then get in touch with them.

I use Ebuyer, now they are pretty good in terms of price, but delivery is a little slow and they take ages to test returned items before taking ages to return them to you, so for me, sending everything back to my supplier would take about 2-3 weeks before I got my (replacement) parts back.

If you have done everything you can do, and you don't have access to any other PC's, then your only choice is to get in touch with them and get it sorted as quick as.

But, how annoying is it when you have been waiting for your stuff to arrive, you spent maybe an hour or more building it, and then it doesn't work! :X

SE

well im going to a friends house tommorow so a may take it with m eto see if i can get it too work there.
im not sure when the other system will back so it will probably be a while.
i bought the kit from komplett and the managed to deliver it early say i don t know what they are like with returned items, i may ask them if they think they may be dead

i guess ill just have too deal with it and wait and see i guess

It just sounds like you haven't correctly installed the drives. Put the hard drive on the primary IDE channel (the first connector on the motherboard - usually labelled IDE0 or IDE1). Ensure it is set to "master" in the jumper configuration and that it is plugged in with the end of the IDE cable. Same story with the optical drive, but on the secondary IDE channel (the second connector on the motherboard). Do not place both on the same IDE channel/cable.

tknx for the help[ ill try that out :D

thnx for the help coconut monkey i found another IDE cable and it booted first go sorry thank you very much for your advice your a legend. :) :) :)

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