CD/DVD roms not reading discs & other probs

[cosycat@btinter]

Please can someone help me before I throw my friend's computer through the window !!
The computer fires up OK, but even though the cd rom and dvd rom drives are showing in My Computer and are showing as working in device manager none of them will read discs. I have checked the cables and even changed them but still nothing. I get a message saying 'insert disc' when there is already a disc in.

Also when I try to run a virus checker or anti-spyware checker they stop half way through. When I go on the internet with it the computer freezes up after about 10 minutes.

Normally in these circumstances I boot up from a Windows XP disc and format the hard drive and then do a fresh install of XP. I get a 'booting from cd' message and then when it's supposed to come up with a message 'press any key to continue' it doesn't do it and just carries on loading and onto the desktop screen.
So the discs are definately not being read.

I have defragged, done a system restore and done a chkdisc but still it's the same.
I am at a loss .. do you have any suggestions as to what the problem could be ?

Thanks in advance

 

[Lexluethar]

Sounds like a virus / adware is causing the Internet and other issues. As for the reading of the CD's you could just have a faulty drive. Try replacing it with a spare.

 

[cosycat@btinter]

Thanks for your reply Lexluethar. It's a bit strange that none of the drives are reading discs .. the cd or the dvd rom drive, so I doubt whether they have both gone capoot at the same time. The pc is only just over a year old.

The computer was working great with both drives working too, then things started freezing and then it escalated from there.

Seems like a virus like you said ... goodness knows what we can do.

 

[Lexluethar]

Well a couple of options. For the virus if it is bad you could boot to a Linux live CD and do some anti virus / adware things from there. As for the CD ROMs first double check to ensure that it truely is the drives. Get some different CD's from a different manf. and try those out. Also make sure it can read +R or -R, some older drives can only read/write one or the other.

It could also be that bus is bad on the motherboard.