My Dell Dimension 3000 CD Drive Not Responding at all!?

Question

Hi i need help with this i have a Dell Dimension 3000... and for some reason i click the CD drive and nothing happens at all the CD drive is not in the Device Manager and it is not detected i do. my warranty ran out on Dell so i am not paying for 50 bucks worth of help if someone can help here..


so is there anything i can do to get this drive to be ready again?

Answer 1

First try a restore

Restoring the Computer to an Earlier Operating State
If problems occur after you install a device driver, use Device Driver Rollback (see "Using Windows XP
Device Driver Rollback" on page 52) to resolve the problem. If that is unsuccessful, then use System
Restore.
NOTICE: Before you restore the computer to an earlier operating state, save and close any open files and exit any
open programs. Do not alter, open, or delete any files or programs until the system restoration is complete.
1 Click the Start button, point to All Programs→Accessories→System Tools, and then click System
Restore.
2 Ensure that Restore my computer to an earlier time is selected and click Next.
3 Click a calendar date to which you want to restore your computer.
The Select a Restore Point screen provides a calendar that allows you to see and select restore points.
All calendar dates with available restore points appear in boldface type.
4 Select a restore point and click Next.
If a calendar date has only one restore point, then that restore point is automatically selected. If two or
more restore points are available, click the restore point that you prefer.
5 Click Next.
The Restoration Complete screen appears after System Restore finishes collecting data and then the
computer restarts.
6 After the computer restarts, click OK.
To change the restore point, you can either repeat the steps using a different restore point, or you can
undo the restoration.

You can also try restoring defaults

» Restoring setup defaults on Dell™ Dimension™ 8100, 8200, 8250, 8300, XPS Gen 1, XPS Gen 2, 3000, 4300, 4500S, 4550, 4600 and 2200 Systems.

To restore setup defaults, perform the following steps:
Restart your computer.
At the first text on the screen, or when the Dell logo appears, press the key every three seconds until the message Entering Setup appears.
When the System Setup screen appears, press the + keys at the same time to load the factory defaults.
A beep sounds to indicate the defaults have been loaded.
Check and, if necessary, reset the time, date, and year.
Change the Secondary Drive 0 setting to Auto.
Change USB Legacy Support to Enabled.
Press the + keys at the same time to save changes and reboot.

If all else fails

Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec
NOTICE: Using Dell PC Restore permanently deletes all data on the hard drive and removes any applications or
drivers installed after you received your computer. If possible, back up the data before using PC Restore. Use PC
Restore only if System Restore did not resolve your operating system problem.
NOTE: Dell PC Restore by Symantec is not available in all countries or on all computers.
Use Dell PC Restore by Symantec only as the last method to restore your operating system.
PC Restore restores your hard drive to the operating state it was in when you purchased the computer.
Any programs or files added since you received your computer—including data files—are permanently
deleted from the hard drive. Data files include documents, spreadsheets, e-mail messages, digital photos,
music files, and so on. If possible, back up all data before using PC Restore.
To use PC Restore:
1 Turn on the computer.
During the boot process, a blue bar with www.dell.com appears at the top of the screen.
2 Immediately upon seeing the blue bar, press .
If you do not press in time, let the computer finish starting, and then restart the
computer again.
NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with PC Restore, click Reboot in the following step.
3 On the next screen that appears, click Restore.
4 On the next screen, click Confirm.
The restore process takes approximately 6–10 minutes to complete.
56 Troubleshooting Tools
5 When prompted, click Finish to reboot the computer.
NOTE: Do not manually shut down the computer. Click Finish and let the computer completely reboot.
6 When prompted, click Yes.
The computer restarts. Because the computer is restored to its original operating state, the screens that
appear, such as the End User License Agreement, are the same ones that appeared the first time the
computer was turned on.
7 Click Next.
The System Restore screen appears and the computer restarts.
8 After the computer restarts, click OK.

Go to Microsoft Updates as you now will be WAY out of date.

Answer 2

Hi. I would get a newer DVD drive for less than the cost of a service call and install it, but remember that this is a budget machine. The graphics will not be what you are used to when a DVD is playing, I think.

Answer 3

1.Check first to see if it's getting power. To check this try opening and shut it or see if light(assuming it has one) goes on when system is booted.
2.If not next step would be to check the connections are properly seated. Disconnect power and drive cables and replug them in and retry booting again.
3.If you can substitute another drive to see if it another works.
4. Order new drive and justify it as "I was going to upgrade anyway".

Answer 4

uh... i would say... that cd rom went kaboom... or... the power cable is unpluged to the cd drive itself. If not, then you'll just have to buy a dvd drive for what... 20? bucks and install it yourself.

Answer 5

it doesnt have to be the same brand or model, you can replace it with almost all cd drives with IDE connectors, and yes you can replace it yourself.