iTunes uninstalling problem

When I uninstalled iTunes it caused by internal and external DVD devices to drop out of device manager. The device was listed but the drivers could not be loaded by windows vista. Message said it was either missing or corrupted.
By the way reinstalling iTunes and the two DVDs devices to come back up in Computer and operate without a problem.
What can cause this?

 

Greetings, dumbPC.

Try this Microsoft Fix-it after uninstalling iTunes, reboot, and see if the drives are loaded.

 

I don't use iTunes, but I can explain how this type of problem normally occurs.

When a program installs, it creates lots of files in the directory you've installed it to (as you'd expect) and to various windows folders. One type of file that many programs create in a windows folder is called a DLL. Lastly, it keeps a list (log) of what files were saved, and where. When you uninstall the program it does all this in reverse - checks the installation log and deletes all the files it created.

Now, DLL files are a type of file that's often shared. Not only does this mean that two or more programs can use that same file, but it also means that when the program is installing it will only create the file if it's not already there.

So what happens when you uninstall the program? If the program deletes a DLL file that another program uses, then that other program will stop working. When uninstalling, a *responsible* program should give you an option (in the form of a checkbox, or a Yes/No pop up window) to "delete shared files?", or something along those lines. If you chose to delete those files then programs may stop working. *Responsible* is the key word, because a lot of programs do not give you the option, and simply delete those files by default.

Typically this kind of problem is one piece of software deleting a file that another piece of software needs. Your problem is slightly different in that your hardware is affected rather than software. The principle is the same, but DLL files might or might not be the cause. It could be that iTunes turned off a necessary Service when it uninstalled, or deleted the driver files (as you suggested), or something else along those lines.

So having said all that, and if Caliban's suggestion doesn't work, I'd start out by checking to see if there are any options offered when uninstalling iTunes. If that fails, I might uninstall iTunes and then try to Scan Hardware for Changes in the Device Manager.