dvd-rom problem

hi guys..or gals
i recently got two compaq armarda m700 laptops on ebay
for two friends of mine named bill
they are both the same..except..one has winxp..the other win2000
they both have a compaq dvd-rom sd-c2402
the problem...the one with win2000....when i click on the cd/d drive
icon..after loading a cd...it asks if i want to format it ? if i say yes.
it says it can't...i've tried deleting the drive in device manager..and
the cd-rom driver in winnt/system 32....and rebooting...to no avail
i even tried loading the cd-rom driver from the winxp system........and swapping drives...to no avail
i thought i was reasonably computer literate...but i have to admit i'm
stuck....anyone have any ideas ?

thanks..the bluer baron