Member Avatar for xxx999

Hi guys,
I had it with this laptop, I have no clue why this Compaq Presario V3000 w/WinXP Home SP2 won't recognize the CD/DVD drive.

I looked at the BIOS, and it doesn't show up there.
I looked at the Device Manager, and it doesn't show up there. (Yes, I scanned for new hardware too...)
At least, the Disk Management will sometimes list it, but not this time.

So, I am open for ideas. What do you suggest to do?
BTW, the CD/DVD drive works, so if I put a CD or DVD the disk spins, and the light flashes and all...but WinXP won't show anything. :icon_sad:

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,

...Alex

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by xavi7891

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Brief summary and a focused troubleshooting path based on the thread: ’s machine spins discs but XP and the BIOS sometimes don’t list the drive. Community tips from and show the pinhole/manual-eject can restore detection temporarily, and a bootable DVD is a good way to prove the drive can actually read media. Below are practical, low-risk steps ordered from easiest to more invasive.

First, confirm hardware vs software: try a bootable CD/DVD and watch for a “press any key to boot” message at startup (this tells you the BIOS saw the drive that boot). In Windows, open Device Manager, choose View → Show hidden devices, and look under “DVD/CD-ROM drives” and “Unknown devices.” Use “Scan for hardware changes.” If the drive still doesn’t appear, make a registry backup or system restore point before proceeding.

A common XP-era fix is to remove problematic filter drivers: in Registry Editor navigate to
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
and, after exporting that key as a backup, delete any UpperFilters and LowerFilters values if present, then reboot. This often restores an optical drive that the OS won’t enumerate.

If software fixes fail, focus on the physical interface. Power off, unplug AC, remove the battery, hold the power button 10–15 seconds, then gently remove and reseat the drive/caddy (model specifics vary). Inspect the connector for debris or bent pins. If you can, test the drive on another laptop or via a USB-to-SATA/PATA adapter; that quickly separates a bad drive from a bad bay/connector. If detection is intermittent even after reseating, the drive or its connector is likely failing and replacement is the next step.

Cautions: don’t change SATA/AHCI modes in BIOS unless you know how to recover (it can stop XP from booting). Always back up the registry before edits and handle the drive and motherboard gently. If a quick restore (pinhole) worked for you, treat that as a temporary workaround while pursuing the registry/ reseat tests above.

Member Avatar for sirpecksalot

I looked on the Compaq website to see if they had a solution to your problem. I think this may help you although it says this is what you would do if you have Vista on it. I do not think it is too much different from what you would do with XP. Give it a try.

Member Avatar for didjdude

Find the reset hole about 1/4" to the right of the open CD/DVD button. Take a paper clip and stick it into the reset hole to reset the mechanism. That worked for me. (after I spent hours trying everything else first...of course).

Member Avatar for Mean_Machine

Here is how I fixed my presario V3000 dvd drive.

I couldn't see my dvd drive at all, in 'my computer' or the device manager. So I put a bootable DVD in the drive and restarted. I saw the 'press any key to boot from CD/DVD' and exit the XP setup. This makes sure that the DVD is physically working.

I did what didjdude said in his post, that is to reset the drive by taking a paper clip or whatever you fit in the pinhole in the DVD drive and sticking it in. Although I'm not sure if this just resets the drive or if this is meant to eject the drive if the drive is not responsive but it worked. It brought back the DVD drive icon in my computer and also the computer now recongnizes it in the device manager.

Next problem is that the DVD drive only read the CDs and not DVDs. So I installed Nero 7.10 on my computer and restarted. That was it, the drive recognized DVDs and also I could write DVDs now.

Member Avatar for xavi7891

The pin did you did with the computer on or off? :?:

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