Member Avatar for drah14

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop 1505 that I installed Windows 7 on. It previously contained Windows XP. The CD/DVD drive doen't work. When I put a disk in it lights up and spins once or twice and nothing else.I have tried everything and so far no luck. There is no CD/DVD device or whatever listed in the bios.
I would appreciate any help that I can get.

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Building on suggestions from , and , below is a short, safe, ordered checklist to separate firmware/hardware failure from a Windows-only problem, plus the minimal steps to inspect or replace the laptop optical drive.

  • Run the pre‑boot hardware check first (no Windows involved). On Dell systems use the one‑time boot menu (press F12 at power‑on) → Diagnostics; the ePSA will list devices the firmware sees and can run a quick optical‑drive test. If the drive is absent there, the problem is at the firmware/hardware layer, not Windows. Dell ePSA diagnostics. (dell.com)

  • Safe reseat & inspection (builds on ’s idea). Power down, unplug AC and remove the battery, then follow the model’s service steps to remove the drive (unscrew and slide it out). Inspect the mating connector for debris or bent pins, blow with compressed air, and carefully reseat the drive. If uncomfortable doing this, stop and seek service—some models require palmrest removal. Practical removal/replacement steps are shown in community repair guides. (ifixit.com)

  • Narrow the fault with an external test. Try a powered USB optical drive or a known‑good laptop drive (or a USB‑SATA adapter) to see whether the system will enumerate an external device; that isolates whether the internal drive, its connector, or the system board is at fault. Vendor troubleshooting notes for external drives are useful here. (asus.com)

  • If the drive is visible to BIOS/diagnostics but missing in Windows, follow Microsoft’s Windows‑level steps (Hardware troubleshooter, uninstall/reinstall drivers, and the UpperFilters/LowerFilters or ATAPI registry fixes described by Microsoft). Those steps apply only when firmware detects the drive. (support.microsoft.com)

Notes and cautions: always remove power and battery before opening the laptop, observe anti‑static precautions, and record any ePSA/diagnostic error codes (they map directly to faulty components). If diagnostics report a hardware fault, replacement or using a USB optical drive are the usual next steps.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

There is no CD/DVD device or whatever listed in the bios.

does it show anything in device manager for the drive .

Member Avatar for drah14

does it show anything in device manager for the drive .

No it doesn't.

Member Avatar for dann123

Then Probably the CD/DVD drive is not working.. How many years you have been using it ?
If it is more than 3 years (in general for drive to degrade) then its time to buy new one

Member Avatar for WASDted

try physically disconnecting and removing the drive from the computer completely, then reconnect/install the drive and see if that helps. do all this with the power off of course.

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