Realize that it's possible that the drive had failed and if that is the case, the only option is a replacement from Dell.

My first suggestion would be to go into Device Manager and simply delete the entry for the CD/DVD drive. Reboot the computer and Windows should reinstall the driver. If that works, you're good to go.

If not, the next step would be to go to Dell's support site and download the driver directly. Choose "support for home users" then "drivers and downloads". Enter either the service tag number or just search by model number.

If that doesn't work, we'll explore other options.

Mike, I don't know a lot about the hardware/software, etc for computers, so please bare with me. I go to the device manager and when I right click on the item that has the exclamation mark, I don't have a delete option. I have an "uninstall". Is this what I click on and then shut down the computer, etc.?
I've only had this laptop a little over a year, so I was hoping the driver hasn't failed.
I'm waiting by if you have time to respond. Thanks so much.

Mike, when I just hit delete, it says:

TSSTcorp DVD+RW TS-L633B ATA Device
Warning: You are about to uninstall this device from your system.

OK Cancel

So I am assuming this is where I just say okay, right?
Let me know. Thanks.

Yes. Click OK. Then reboot. When you reboot, if you're lucky, it will see the device and reinstall it and it will start working again. If not, let us know. It's likely at that point that you'll need a new drive. Is it still under warranty? If not, fortunately, drives are fairly cheap. They're also very easy to install.

Will click ok and then reboot right now. Thanks! No the laptop is not under warranty anymore. It ran out in May of this year.

Mike, I did as you requested and I got a message saying:

DEVICE DRIVER SOFTWARE WAS NOT SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED
_____________________________________________________
TSSTcorpDVD+RW TS-L633B ATA Device XDevice unplugged

I don't understand what it means by being unplugged. I am working on a wireless laptop, if that makes any difference.
Thanks.

Mike, you are not going to believe this, but I decided to put a CD in the drive and trying to burn a playlist from Itunes, and it seems to be working!!! I don't understand.

Also,I went to the drivers to download the one for my laptop, and when I hit download, it doesn't give me the option to "run"the file, it just puts it in a file to download. When I go to it and click on it to actually download the file, it says there are no files to download. What am I doing wrong???

I still don't think something is right with this CD/DVD player.

Also, how can this work, when I "uninstalled" it? I know you've gone to bed and i'm heading to bed now.

I did play the songs back, so it did burn them to the disk.

Thanks for your help Mike. I will check back here tomorrow.

You did well!

it says there are no files to download.

That's annoying! What model laptop is this? I'll take a look and see what I can find.

Unfortunately, I'd be willing to bet that the drive is failing. Any more optical drives are pretty common so drivers are pretty basic stuff. If you are feeling adventurous you could take the machine apart and reseat the cable.

Mike wrote:- If you are feeling adventurous you could take the machine apart and reseat the cable.

If you visit this Youtube site you will find over 20 videos on how to change an optical drive, you will need to sift through for your model number. May be very helpful to you if you decide to have a look inside your computer. Just be cool calm and collected and you can work wonders.

Mike, I have an Inspiron 1545 - is this what you mean? Let me know if you need more info. I would still like to download the driver for my laptop, but how do I do that? I do consider myself "adventerous", but not when it comes to computers, haha.

owbist: thanks so much for the info, but like I told Mike, I don't feel comfortable when working on the hardware in computers.

This morning I'm NOT able to burn a CD, but right before that I was able to play a movie. I don't know what is going on. Now I'm sure I'm not able to watch a movie either.

So, how do I "download" this driver file. I see it, and it is actually in my download folder, but when I try to download it, it says there are no files to download. When it says download, it says "save file", not RUN, like I want it too. Any suggestions on this?

Thanks!

I appreciate all the advice.

To RUN the file, go to your download folder and right click on the file. Then it should install if it has not already.

Like Mike and Owbist, I'm inclined to think the drive itself is failing; either that or the cable is not making good contact.

Thanks grandms. I have already done what you suggested, but when I right click, there is no option to run or install. When I try to download the file, it says there are "no files to download". I think it has something to do with Download Manager??

But good news: I have contacted a person this morning that I used to work with. He handled all our computer hardware and software problems and now runs his own business. I am taking my laptop to him tomorrow. If it needs a new drive, he will install it for me.

Thank you ALL for your help and your quick responses. It is so nice to be able to come to a forum like this and get help.

I'll let you all know what they say. I'll be taking it tomorrow and probably pick up the next day.

UPDATE: Got a call from the tech that is working on my computer and you all were right, the drive will have to be replaced. They will have to order it and so it will be a few days before I get my laptop back. You don't realize how much you depend on your laptop, until they're gone! My son, however, was gracious enough to let me use his for a bit. So, I wanted to let you all know what was going on with my laptop, and once again thank everyone for their help. I really do appreciate it.

Always nice when a person reports back with information on how a problem gets solved and the fix needed. Thank you for that.

You're welcome - This was my first time posting on the forums and I was really surprised at how much help is here. You all have been awesome!