I can't say as you never provided the PC vendor/model number or if its self built, the motherboard vendor/model.
Many systems, F2 or DEL will get into the BIOS at power on. Usually, it is listed on the screen at power one. On some systems the BIOS is referred to "System Setup".
Reseating the cables didn't work. These are my specs.
Did you reseat the SATA data cable at both ends, both the CD drive and Motherboard?
Next step is the BIOS. I used to have an ASRock motherboard and F2 or DEL will get into the BIOS. Check to see if the Optical Drive (CD) is detected. If its not detected, reset the BIOS (CMOS memory) either with the reset jumper or by removing the CR2032 backup battery (with the PC powered off) for 10 minutes.
If after resetting the BIOS, its still not detected by the BIOS, I would suspect a hardware problem with the drive. If it IS detected in the BIOS and Windows does not detect it, I would suspect a bad Windows installation and a complete clean reinstall is next step.
One of these tutorials will guide you to putting your system specs in your "My System Specs".
By Kari:
Speccy - Publish Snapshot of your System Specs
By Brink:
System Info - See Your System Specs
Take a look at fireberd and my "My System Specs" and you will get a idea of helpful information in your "My System Specs".
Jack
Speccy didn't detect the ODD.
- It can be a cable, as Fireberd mentioned.
- The SATA port can be disabled on BIOS.
- The ODD can have a hardware issue.
If it the SATA port is enabled on BIOS and BIOS don't detect it, the ODD is dead.
So what do I actually have to do now, because I really suck at dealing with PC problems. Remove the battery from the motherboard for 10 mins? Will this affect any file?
And yes, I plugged and unplugged all the cables.
Two more things to try before resetting the BIOS.
1. Change the CD drive port on the motherboard. Move the SATA cable to a different port and then start up the PC and check the Device Manager to see if the CD drive is detected.
2. Replace the SATA cable with a different Cable. Then start Windows and see if the CD is detected.
Resetting the BIOS will reset the BIOS to the factory defaults. It will not affect any data on the hard drive(s).
If you have any modifications to the BIOS, note them as you will have to enter them again after the reset.
If after resetting the BIOS the drive is still not detected in the BIOS and/or Windows, this would say the drive has failed.
I will try all of these tomorrow and tell you the results. What do you mean by "failed"? Shouldn't it not work at all if it failed? Being able to open and close it doesn't mean that it is actually "working"? And what are those BIOS modifications that you are talking about? I didn't do anythint but install programs and play. Is there anyhing that I should be aware of?
If you never changed anything in the BIOS, then you will not have to change anything after the BIOS reset.
The drive mechanics are working OK. "Failed" means the Electronics have developed a problem. If it has "failed" you will have to replace it with a new one.
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