CD-RW DVD is "missing"

I have an IBM R40 thinkpad: type 2897-54U. My CD-RW DVD is not recognized even after I put a CD in the drive. For example, it does not come up on Windows Explorer. Thanks

 

Make sure it's enabled in the system BIOS, then set it for the first boot device. Put a bootable CD in (like your Windows install disc for example). If the PC boots to the disc, then we know the drive itself is OK and that your problem is a Windows issue. If you don't have a bootable CD, you can download and create one using any number of programs. Here's two:
Ultimate Boot CD (full of great utilities) http://majorgeeks.com/Ultimate_Boot_CD_Basic_d4019.html
Microsoft Memory Diagnostic http://majorgeeks.com/Memory_Diagnostic_d3955.html
Both will create an ISO disc image file. Burn the ISO file as an image and not as a normal data CD, otherwise it won't be bootable. So, try this and let us know what happens!

Good luck!

 

Thanks for your response. I looked in the IBM Bios Setup Utility under Config and there is no entry for CD or DVD. These are the line items in the Config section: Network, Serial port, infrared, parallel port, PCI, USB, FLoppy Drives, Keyboard/mouse, display, power, alarm, memory. I did not see how to add it.

 

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4YRPZ7
If it isn't "seen" in the BIOS, either the drive is dead or the connector is loose. There is a link on the page which will show you how to remove the drive.
Has it worked in the past?
What OS are you running?
Also see if your BIOS is current
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=BMOE-3VAM8Y#r
it looks like the last update was 10 July 2006.

 

I removed the drive and reinserted it. No change.
The drive hasn't worked for quite a while.
The system is running Windows XP professional.
The bios is at 1.17 (1PET49WW) dated 10/13/2003. Do I need to update this? Should this really cause my drive to stop working?
I did borrow an external drive and attached it via the USB port and it ran fine.

P.S. My delayed response was due to several trojans, viruses, and slow-downs. Working with the Malware Major Geeks forum, I completed system updates and cleaned out the mess before responding to you.

 

Not really.
Cleanup after malware can cause an optical drive to not be seen - I've seen this on desktops.
At this point, I'd say use an external drive if you don't want to spend the money for another drive.

 

Is there anyway to determine if my harddrive is bad before I buy another internal drive to replace it? (the external drive belonged to a friend)

 

I repat, if it isn't seen in he BIOS, it coul be the connector or the drive.

 

Lenovo suggested I install new drivers and firmware. I upgraded the driver from IBM DLA 3.59 to 5.21. I had planned to download new firmware: MIGR-62296. However, the instructions include: "Making a CD-R or CD-RW disc to use" for a bootable CD. Can I run this software from the hard drive instead of the bootable CD? This is the site I'm getting the firmware from: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-62296