[Howlin]

Pardon the ping, but I am getting desperate here!

I need to burn some CDs tonight and the computer can't "see" them!

[GRRRRR]

DOes your computer still recognize the CDROM drive?
Try clicking, My computer--do you see your CD Drive listed?
If not, then run Hardware manager and reinstall it.
If you see your CD listed, then right click on My computer and select PROPERTIES, HARDWARE, Device Manager and scroll down to your drive, right click on it and check on the tabs, maybe you just need to reinstall the driver.

[Cold Heat]

Definitely a hardware recognition problem. Your computer forgot you have a CDR. Or, it is not enabling it because the driver is corrupted or incorrect. Try rolling the driver back, an at the same time you will be able to see if the CDR is enabled and installed in the hardware directory.

It is in the control panel.

If not, remove it by deleting it in the system directory and allow the computer to find it again and reinstall on reboot. It may be having a resource conflict and it should sort it out by it's self. Recent additions to the system often cause this to occur and goofy drivers from Microsoft update can also cause this.

Happens all the time to me.

[HAL9000]

Does anybody have any suggestions about what I might try now?

If you need to replace that CD burner, here is a new one that was just announced -

(Sorry, I couldn't resist. Good luck with your PC.)

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Oh, hey this is where we chant the mantra:

"Throw away your PC and buy a MAC"
"Dump windows and go with linux"
"Bill Gates is the anti-Christ".

yada yada yada

You got FR mail on a fix.

[Terpfen]

Not sure if you've tried this, but have you ejected the drive while the computer was booting? I had a similar problem where I tried to format a CD to be drag-and-drop compatible, but then didn't want to eject. I fixed it by opening the drive while WinXP was loading.

[dennisw]

Unplug power cord to your computer....

Then open your computer and carefully unplug both connectors to your CD player. To be really sure unplug where it connects to the motherboard too. Plugin-unplug a few times to rub off any oxidation and to reseat the connectors. Push them in all the way.

You prolly don't want to do the above. Save it for last resort

[Hot Tabasco]

I put a music CD that came with a book

Take out the damn book, its clogging up the gears........

[Osage Orange]

Are you logged in?

: )

[Magnolia]

Howlin...Have you tried System Restore to go back before the problem began?

[Magnolia]

Ignore last post. Just reread your original question...duhhh

[JoJo Gunn]

"Freeper needs tech help on CD drive" ping.

[Publius6961]

you need to be more specific.
Played once? many times?
Using media player?
Was it a combination music data disk?