DVD/CD-ROM drives no longer work

[Jason T]

Shortly after installing Windows 7 (same day), I was able to use my DVD/CD-ROM drives, but then the next day they stopped working.

In checking them I got the following message:

"A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate drive may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)"

For both of my DVD drives.

I tried searching for updated driver files, tried disabling then re-enabling the drives, tried a couple of diagnostic programs that are supposed to fix drivers, tried uninstalling the drives and letting Win7 reinstall on boot up. Nothing has worked.

Frustrated I went out today and purchased a brand new LGE external DVD drive (GE24), and when I tried to install it, got an error message and now when I go to the device manager I get the same confounding error message as above.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Jason.

 

[Jason T]

I should also mention that I tried to use a Restore point to get the OS back to the state where the DVD drives were working. This effort failed.

I bought the new DVD external, because when I searched for Win7 drivers for my 5 year old internal DVD drives (one Sony, one NEC) I found none I could manually install.

 

[Jason T]

also don't send me here:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cd_dvd_drive_problems

It doesn't work either.

 

[Nibiru2012]

DVD drives don't use "special" drivers, they're generic drivers supplied by MS and have been for years.

From Windows TechNet Social Forum:

This problem is caused by two Windows registry entries that have become corrupted. To fix the problem, you have to use Registry Editor to delete the corrupted Registry entries. To use this method, you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator. If you need help verifying that you are an administrator, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin)

Windows 7

To resolve this problem on a computer that is running Windows 7, use the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. For more information about how to open this troubleshooter in Windows 7, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Open-the-Hardware-and-Devices-troubleshooter (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Open-the-Hardware-and-Devices-troubleshooter)


This procedure was written for Vista, but it works in Windows 7 as well, fixing the UpperFilters and LowerFilters

You may try the following troubleshooting steps:

Method 1.
These steps are for Vista, but still you can use it for windows 7.
“The only change is Upper Filters and Lower Filters listed below are invalid registry entries, please remove them after completion of this process.”
1. Click Start and then click All Programs.
2. Click Accessories, and then click Run.
3. Type regedit, and then click OK. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
4. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5. In the right pane, click UpperFilters.
Note You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to step 8.
6. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
7. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
8. In the right pane, click LowerFilters.
Note If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content cannot help you any further. Go to the section for information about how you can find more solutions or more help on the Microsoft Web site.
9. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
10. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
11. Exit Registry Editor.
12. Restart the computer.
Please perform these steps and let us know if it helps.

This fix has been used by many users with the same issue as yours and it has fixed the problem.

 

[Jason T]

Thanks for the help.

It got my DVD drives working again. However, when I started up iTunes (v10) it gave me an error message saying:

"Warning! The registry settings used by the iTunes drivers for importing and burning CDs and DVDs are missing. This can happen as a result of installing other CD burning software. Please reinstall iTunes."

I tried importing a music CD into iTunes, and the internal DVD drive crapped out after successfully recording the first song and getting halfway through the second (and taking far longer than normal). The new external DVD drive I purchased was able (slowly) to import the entire CD.

So I checked Apple's troubleshooting and found the following article that recommended leaving in the UpperFilter but modifying it to support iTunes.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3299

After adding UpperFilter back to the registry, and modifying it per Apple's instructions, everything worked normally.

Thanks for your help, I definitely would not have gotten anywhere without that start (modifying the registry).

Jason.

 

[Nibiru2012]

You're welcome!

Since I don't mess with iTunes I wasn't aware of the issues with it and the upper filter's settings.

Plus you didn't have to mess with any other software either! Good deal!

 

[sdougwilliams]

Solved my problem too

Editing the registry solved my problem too!