Dell Precision 530 Having CD\RW drive Issues (eesh!)

[TwAnKiEs]

I have a user that has a 530 and was recently upgraded to WIN XP from Win2K. Ever since the upgrade the guy cannot use his CD drive. It opens and what-not, but when it reads the cd the only thing it does is read it as a blank. When you double-click the drive, it just opens into a blank window. I have tried swapping the drive with two other drives and the same thing happends. I put the original drive on another PC and it works like a charm! Then I tried to put the drive on IDE one hoping it would be a bad cable or something, but the same thing happened.http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q311755 I tried running a repair on it, but when it came up to the installing windows part, I get that ASMS message described here: . I also tried to restore but I do not know the admin password (since the machine is from a newly aquired company, neither does anyone else here). If anyone can help, I would deeply appreicate it! Thanks a bunch.

 

[SHAWN]

Reload the operating system fresh. Upgrades can cause issues in my opinion.

Is this an option?

 

[TwAnKiEs]

At this point in time no. The thing is that when it gets to the part of Windows installation, it gives me that ASMS error, and Microsoft saya its a communication problem with the CD drive. Even with a fresh install I will come up to it. I can try an external cd drive but any suggestions about what drive letter to tell it? I think its comming down to a kaput mother board, but imo I just dont know...lol

 

[Zanjo]

Perhaps there is something wrong with the file in the hidden restore partition?

 

[TwAnKiEs]

Well I found a temp workaround. I took the HDD out and ran the repair in another machine and it worked. The only thing left is that the CD drives still have the same problem, and it is the same even with an external drive.... Weird I tell yah!