Difficulty with CD/CD-RW drive

2 weeks ago my CD/CD-RW drive began to malfunction. I can't get it to read any CD's (audio or data). When i try to open audio CD's thru Win Media Player, it freezes the program completely until I eject the CD. The CD light just keeps blinking and it sounds like the drive keeps trying to read the CD. Device manager shows no conflicts and says the device is enabled and working properly. The writing function of the drive is also not working. I'm lost!
here's the specs:
Dell Pent 4 2.20GHz 256Mb RAM
CDrom drive: HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8481B

thanx in advance

 

Oh and, in the device manager, there is file that is opened (other devices) showing two sub-files 'SM Bus Controller' and 'Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller'. there is a yellow exclamation point infront of both sub files

 

Did you make any driver/software updates before things went downhill?

 

nope no updates on the driver or any software. i did however have a nasty virus situation (XXXDialer, Nail.exe, Aurora). i got that under control, but the CD rom is still malfunctioning

 

wipe out and start over. just plan fun to do anyways.

 

serioulsy, i'm not that computer literate to do that...any other solutions?

 

anybody out there with any suggestions? i'm kinda desperate

 

Not sure if clearing the NVRAM will help, but worth a try. Go into BIOS, Press ALT and F, then press Numlock, Caps and Scroll Lock. When all 3 lights are lit, press ALT and E. You will hear one or more beeps. Then exit BIOS and check Device Manager again.

Also look in Event Viewer and report back any error messages/warnings.

 

Download the latest updates from windows.

 

How old is the cd drive? Sometimes debris can get on the laser mechanism and wreak havoc. You could go out to your local Geeks-R-Us and pick up a CD rom cleaner kit that will clean the lens on the unit. If that doesn't work, then I'm wondering if you should just try to replace it. Honestly, they are less the 50 bucks now and very easy to install by yourself.