Optiarc DVD RW AD-7563A ATA DISSAPEARED... please help!!

[wyzinskin]

I have been pulling my hair out over this- when I go into my device manager, the dvd/rw drive is not listed at all.
I cannot find anywhere on the web that shows where i can get these drivers.
i have already tried system restore and windows updates to no avail
The disk drive has just dissapeared and doesnt appear in drivers or in my computer. It is functioning because it opens and closes and spins disks, but autorun doesnt work and the disk drive is GONE.

I saw that you could go into the registry and delete certain coding in the files but when i went to look for them, they weren't there either! what do i do??

[Gonzo]

I have had same issues with my Lite-On DVD drive which used to open and close on its own. In my case even after installing the drivers the DVD drive was not functioning as it had gone bad. My suggestion is that you first check the physical connections of the Drive are proper or not. Check if the drive is functioning well on other computer or not?

[wyzinskin]

so assuming my dvd rw drive burnt out and is toast... i have a gateway m-6886 laptop and not looking forward to opening it up...

is an external dvd rw drive a good replacement and will it not only burn cd'sdvd's but will it play my programs?

first time this has ever happened to one of my machines- usually it's the video card, sound card, etc things that are less delicate to replace.


thanks!