Problems with my notebook's DVD-ROM drive.

To start off, my notebook is a Sager NP5750.
Its DVD-Drive is a Pioneer DVD-K16RS.

My problem is that a lot of times my computer doesn't recognize that the drive is there. It won't show up under My Computer. Sometimes it's there, other times it is not. (I have to restart my computer until it shows up).

Would this be a problem with the drive itself or a motherboard problem?

 

Which operating system? Vista or XP.

If Vista, there are known issues with Vista losing sight of the optical drive for which fixes are available. For example, there's a long thread in the Zepto forum on this subject.

John

 

It's XP.

It's a pretty recent thing since the drive was working fine a month ago.

 

It's unlikely to be a hardware problem but you could check what is reported by the BIOS. If it is easy to remove the ODD, then take it out and put it back.

My next suggestion is this one. Various programs can cause this problem.

John

 

What would I be checking the BIOS for exactly?

The drive is easy to remove and I've done that a few times before. It doesn't really do anything.
I'll give the link a try.
Nope, doesn't help.

My main problem is that the drive is hardly reading anything. The fact that Windows doesn't display it in my computer isn't a huge issue since I'll just restart my computer. But I put a CD in and I hear it trying to read it and then it just stops.

 

Well, maybe that burner is past its "best before" date.

I consider them to be among the least reliable of notebook components. Perhaps next in line to die after the battery ( but usually less expensive to replace).

John

 

Yeah but the computer is just over a year old. It really shouldn't be dying so soon but that's what it seems like.
I ordered a new one, so hopefully that'll fix my problem.