How to Fix a DVD Burner Recognized As a CD Drive

Without the correct drivers, a DVD burner can be recognized as CD drive by your computer.

In modern computing, the CD drive has become a standard component and generic drivers will be installed by default. DVD burners, on the other hand, have specialized drivers that tell the operating system how the drive works. When these are not installed, a DVD burner will look (to the operating system) like a CD drive. Knowing how to fix a DVD burner recognized as a CD drive is usually a simple procedure.

Instructions

1. Open your computer using a screwdriver and check that the DVD burner is fitted correctly. Check that each wire connecting the drive to the motherboard or drive controller, be it IDE, SATA or anything else, is fully connected at both ends. Check that the power lead is connected at both ends.

2. Insert the driver disc that came with your DVD burner and run the "setup" program supplied on it. This will install the drivers for your operating system. Restart your computer after the setup process has completed to allow the newly installed drivers to be loaded. In most cases, this will resolve the problem, although you may have to manually remove any existing drivers you installed earlier.

3. Visit the website of your DVD burner's manufacturer. Click on the link to its "Support" section and find the link to download new and updated drivers. Download the latest drivers for your DVD burner, ensuring that you get the drivers that are compatible with your operating system, and install these. This is important even if the previous step was successful as the latest drivers contain bug fixes. Restart your computer, so they can take effect.

Tips & Warnings

• If the main steps do not solve the problem, your problem could indicate a power supply issue. To check this, ensure there is enough power available from the power supply unit (PSU) to supply the drive. Check your PSU's output rating (usually listed on the unit or in its manual). Compare this to the total of all the power requirements of your other components. The PSU's rating should be greater than or equal to this total.

• Do not install drivers for other operating systems or even other versions of the same operating system, whether older or newer. While Windows 98 was able to run reasonably well with some Windows 95 drivers due to the similarities of the two operating systems, more modern versions of Windows are radically different from one another. Installing the wrong drivers can lead to drivers acting incorrectly, including a DVD burner being recognized as a CD drive.

References

• PC Buyer Beware: The DVD Drive/Writer of My Laptop/Notebook PC/Computer Won't Write to DVD-R/DVD+R Discs