DVD RW drive cannot read or write

I am using windows xp in my computer system. A few days back I was able to easily read and burn DVD from my DVD RW. But recently i was trying to write a DVD but I found that my drive cannot read or write any form of DVD. Not only the ones I burnt but even other DVD as well. The power of the DVD RW works fine and even the tray comes out and goes in. I have even checked in bios as well and it’s detecting fine there. So the only problem is that whenever I insert a DVd it acts like there is no DVD inside.

Clean up the disc using a good brand drive cleaner and try it on the issue drive.If this does not resolve the issue then open up the tower and reseat the IDE and power cable and restart the computer. Then try reading the DVD. There can be a wobbly connection of the data cable. Also try using another data cable if you have any spare with you. There can be the data cable which might have been gone bad and due to which the DVD RW is not able to read or write the data. Hope this step helps you

I also had a DVD RW with same issue. I have tried and found on Dell User forums lots of people with same complaint. Make sure you have the most recent firmware upgrade installed. You can also download from the internet. You can also perform some basic step. Restart you computer and go to bios and check whether it is detecting in the list. Also check the led of the DVD RW when it starts. If the led is not working then there might be problem with the DVD RW itself. Then in that case you have to replace the DVD RW. If possible try to connect the DVD RW in some other computer and check if it’s working in that computer because there can be problem with the mother board connector also

I was also having the same problem with my CD RW. It was not able to read and write data in it.I have tried reseating the cables and even tried to change the cable as mentioned in your post. I found that there was a loose connection. But now when i start my system I am not able to see the drive letter in the window. The led is blinking fine and the CD tray is coming out and going in as usual. There seems no problem with the connection. Can you suggest me with the solution as I am not able to understand what can be the exact problem.

I think there is a problem with the driver of the optical drive. Just follow the following steps-Go to My Computer and right hit it off on it. Then from the list go to manage and hit it off to open. You can see a devise manager option. hit it off device manager and a window with list of certain options comes up. See whether there is any yellow question mark besides the DVD RW. If there is a question mark displayed in the list then there is some problem with the drivers because it says that there is no driver installed for that particular component. You need to install the proper driver for that. This determine to resolve your issue.