Application removed my CD & DVD drives from windows, now I can't get them back.

Nice move guys!

from WinCustomize Forums
Hey folks, like most of your software but it is full of bugs. I found a really big one here and can't find a fix.

Installed all the regular apps from SDCentral after purchasing ODesktop. Then used some of the widgets under DesktopX like DVD and CDrom widgets. Removed them from the desktop and now my drives are gone. They show up in the device list without drivers and since I can't get the the cdroms now, can't use windows to load new drivers. Now what?

Dave
3,730 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Dunmeister,

If you are running Windows XP (2000 should perform the same as well), you can try the following:

Restore Windows to the default theme including all icons > and unload all programs > clear the cache (you can see my mini tutorial for this procedure here Link - make sure to delete the complete "Stardock" folder.

After clearing the cache:

Right-click My Computer > Properties > Hardware tab > Device Manager button > right-click the devices one at a time - (I assume this is the device list you mentioned) > select "Uninstall" > reboot the computer.

Allow Windows to identify the optical drive and install the drivers automatically > check My Computer for the listing of the drive.

Repeat the "uninstall" > Reboot procedure for the other drive.

Also make sure your CMOS settings (BIOS) sees the drives (enter set-up at boot and look in the devices list to make sure they are listed).

If the device manager does not see the devices, then try turning off the computer > open case > ground yourself for a few seconds on the power supply housing > disconnect the power connectors and IDE cables from the back of the CD and DVD drives > make sure you are not leaving anything in the case that can short out > start computer > after booting successfully > turn computer back off > ground yourself > connect the power and IDE cables again > start computer > after a successful boot, Windows should now see the drives and install the drivers.

If this fails post again.

I hope this helps.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You could download the drivers from the manufacturers website.
SoundPackager - Customize the Windows sound scheme
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Good idea except... I probably wasn't clear enough in my post. I am running WinXP Professional SP2. Just so you know, windows includes drivers for CD & DVD drives in it's driver cab files and uses these drivers to allow the system to boot from a CDROM in the first place in order to install Windows XP.

My problem came from something happening whereby the drivers were removed and windows lost its ability to update the drivers. The drives did appear in the XP Device list and I could search for new drivers. Windows generic drivers should have then "seen" the drives. At this point I am suspecting the HAL got corrupted. See my reply to Corky if you are curious what I am talking about.

Thanks for the post, I always appreciate any good ideas and yours was simple and should have worked.

Thanks for the post.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hi Corky O and thanks for the post.

I wasn't clear enough in my post due to my instense frustration at the time. As you guessed I am running XP Pro SP2 and your idea is very nearly what I did try. The drives were listed in the device listing with the typically warning indicator or no driver. I tried uninstalling and then searching for new drivers. The generic CD/DVD drivers from the drivers cache should have easily recognized them and allowed me to move on. Instead, it appeared that something became corrupted not with the drivers, but with the actual windows code used for accessing removeable storage (this is my theory). I don't suspect the HAL became corrupted because that BIOS recognized them fine. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the object desk software and do not know the "coding" methods used for "Desktop Gadgets". But, from what I can tell, they may use some "short cuts" that can cause instability for windows. When I began systematically removing everything installed under the object desktop "umbrella", things went further south in a hurry. When I checked the driver cache, everything looked fine so I am suspecting code corruption in windows. Yet, it is pretty hard to point any fingers becuase there are to many things going on under the hood so to say and without a dump, I will never know what happened. That is what really surprised me, no exception, no dump, no nothing! Just inaccessable drives. Weird huh?

Ultimately, I had to clean my entire RAID5 array and format/install XP from scratch. Took me a couple days and made me wary of blanket installing from Stardock Central. Must say I love the concept of the software suite and it is probably the most useful software I have seen in years. It kind of makes you wonder why MSFT didn't provide this capability in the first place.

My gut tells me this has happened to someone before and maybe Stardock knows what the real problem is? Anyway, thanks for the post.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Dunmeister,

No problem, sorry to hear a clean install was required, but nice to have peace of mind.

Sounds like it could have been a coding issue as you suspect - gadgets being created by DesktopX, which relies on scripting. There has also been an intermittent issue with a library file "iprepair.dll" which was previously installed with IconPackager, and seemed to have a different effect on individual systems.

If you decide to try out the Stardock software again in the future, I would suggest installing WindowBlinds and Icon Packager to give it a test run - then build on that.

I would also recommend not installing any Alpha/Beta versions to start.

The latest DesktopX build seems quite stable on the machines I have tested it on (2 Desktops, and 1 Notebook - all running standard 32 bit Intel processors with standard IDE 2 channel configs - no raid).

I would shy away from things like Bootskin and Windows FX until you have time to test the functionality of the others for a while.

ObjectDock, IconDeveloper, and SkinStudio all work nicely from my experience and from posts being relatively minor for issues.

Games demand video priority, so unloading ObjectDock before playing would be a prudent move.

I have written a mini tutorial for installing Object Desktop which outlines what should be a safe install of the programs via Stardock Central to get people off on the right foot, which can be found here Link - though it is designed for beginners, it may be helpful.

Good luck in the future.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Bootskin and Windows FX

WindowsFX? Haven't experienced or heard much trubble with that.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
WindowsFX? Haven't experienced or heard much trubble with that


Put that in due to graphics demand, and trying out the core programs.

Thought it better to recommend the heavily tested programs first to at least gauge the compatibility of the system.

Especially if a Raid5 set up shows signs of issues.