Member Avatar for toryander

I've installed many a DVD Drive with nary a problem. However, I am now installing a typical DVD drive an XP box (Sony Vaio). The OS sees the drive, but tells me there was trouble installing the hardware. When I check in Device manager it shows the correct drive with the big yellow exclamation point and tells me that it couldn't install the drive due to incorrect or damaged registry files. I ran a registry tool and it fixed a bunch of errors, but not the DVD problem. I would normally run a repair from the XP OS CD disk, but . . . that requires a DVD/CD drive. Anyone have any idea which registry files I repair and how to do it? I feel between a rock and a hard place.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 8 Replies
  • 194 Views
  • 15 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary of the situation (from the thread): reports the drive appears in Device Manager but Windows reports a registry-related install error, and the Lite‑On flasher can’t find the drive. Several replies suggested OS repair or driver reinstall, but those routes were either unavailable or ineffective. The symptom — device present in Device Manager yet inaccessible to some utilities — often points to filter-driver / registry entries rather than the physical drive.

A common, targeted fix is to remove any third‑party “filter” entries that sit between Windows and the CD/DVD class driver. These live under the CD/DVD class key; back up the registry branch first, then remove UpperFilters and LowerFilters (if present), and reboot.

Export the branch before editing (File → Export), then the minimal .reg to delete those values:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}]
"UpperFilters"=-
"LowerFilters"=-

Alternatively (from an elevated command prompt):

reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}" /v UpperFilters /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}" /v LowerFilters /f

Notes and follow-ups: check for installed burning/virtual-drive software (Nero, Roxio, Alcohol, Daemon Tools, etc.) — those often add filter entries. If the BIOS does not list the drive, hardware/cable issues are likely (as suggested). If the drive is detected in BIOS but problems persist, testing the drive on another PC or with a USB adapter will separate hardware from OS/registry causes and also allow firmware flashing or running XP repair on a machine that can see the drive. Always export the registry key before changes and seek hands‑on help if uncomfortable editing the registry.

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi,
Try downloading a new copy of the driver program and see if that helps.

Member Avatar for jbennet

you can still run a repair

it runs independantly of the installled OS
so it doesnt matter if the registry is broken

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi again,
You could also try sfc /scannow (note the space after the sfc) and repair your protected files that way.

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi again,
As jbennet just said, try using your drive in DOS, IE, boot the PC from the CD.

Member Avatar for caperjack

try uninstalling it from device manager and reboot windows to let it reinstall the drive

Member Avatar for toryander

Already tried that. I went to Lite-on. All they have is a firmware download. Just for kicks I tried to load it, but strangely it said it couldn't find the drive. This is interesting because the drive shows up in device manager by the right name and numbers. Does Microsoft have standard DVD drivers I can download?

Member Avatar for jbennet

the standard dvd drivers are on the cd they should "just work"

Member Avatar for caperjack

i think it a problem with the player

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.