First, if this is in the wrong forum, I apologize. I couldn't find one that exactly fit my problem, and this was the closest thing I could come up with. If this is not the correct place for this post, I would respectfully request that a mod move it where it does belong.
About three/four months ago, the CD-R drive on my computer disappeared. It wouldn't open or shut when I pressed the button, and the icon for it vanished from the my computer slot. The machine may have recognized the device as existing somehow, as the USB jumpdrive I plugged into the system gets (or got) recognized as drive E, instead of drive D (the dead CD-R).
About two weeks ago, I took the system into a nearby computer repair store, and requested a new drive. I asked that it be upgraded to a DVD/CD-R combination drive, and left it for them to replace. When I got it back, they had installed the new drive in a second drive slot, leaving the first (now defunct) one in place. (New drive now recognized as drive E, and for some reason the jump drive is now getting called D.)
When I woke up this morning, I saw that my computer's power had apparently blinked overnight; the screen had all of the startup programs displaying. (Not much, mostly MSN Messenger and AIM.) However, about ten minutes ago, I tried to play a CD in my new drive, and it didn't undergo auto-start. I checked the My Computer screen, and sure enough, I've had a second drive disappear from it. At least this one still opens and closes; I was able to retrieve the CD that was in it.
I powered off the system to see if that would help; it didn't. And during the startup, I noticed that the system wasn't able to find the new drive (or at least didn't list it) where it has done so before.
I don't know what kind of drives they are beyond the generic 'CD-R' and 'DVD/CD-R' titles; I'm not the one who installed them, and I haven't taken the system apart to look at them. (Yet. I may still do so.) All I know is that I find it strange that both of my cd-style drives would vanish. Floppy drive is still accessible, hard drive is still accessible (fortunately!) and when plugged in, the USB jump drive (Lexar brand, in case that information is needed) is still accesible.
Does anyone have a clue what my proable problems are, and how to fix them?
Thanks in advance,
-EnderX