How to Fix CD Drives on Laptops

Laptop CD drives have the negative reputation of occasionally wearing out, and if the breakdown is because of hardware issues, the only fix is to replace it. But if the drive opens but just won't read a CD or DVD, then a simple software fix might be what's needed to get it up and running again. With a careful trip through the registry, you can repair the Windows issues and get the CD drive working again in your laptop.

Things You'll Need

• Windows OS

Instructions

1. Type "regedit" into the search box in Windows Vista. If using Windows XP, click "start," then "run," then type "regedit" into the box.

2. Choose "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" from the left side of the window and choose "SYSTEM," then "CurrentControlSet," "Control" and "Class."

3. Left-click on the value "{4D36E965-E325-11­CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}" and locate the terms "UpperFilter" and "LowerFilter" in the right pane.

4. Choose each term and delete them both.

5. Close this window and restart the laptop.

6. Test your CD drive when Windows starts again. If it still does not work, you almost certainly have a bad optical drive and need to replace it, as "fixing" it will require expensive parts and extensive labor.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a recovery disc, insert it and reboot your computer. If the laptop starts running the recovery program, that will rule out any hardware failure.

References

• * "Laptops For Dummies Quick Reference;" Corey Sandler; 2006