Is your Windows DVD (or CD) drive not working?

If so, don’t worry. Often this issue can be resolved in just a few minutes.

In this post, we’ll look at the most common reasons why this problem occurs and, most importantly, how to fix it.

Let’s get started…

What Causes “DVD Drive Not Working” Issue?

This problem can occur due to a number of reasons, including:

• Bad disc – At times the problem is not with the drive but rather with the disc. Try using a different disc and check if that resolves the problem.
• Wrong type of disc – Inserting a DVD disc in a CD-only drive isn’t a great idea. This is because your DVD disc won’t work. The same thing will happen if you try to play a Blu-ray disc in a standard DVD drive.
• The right playback software is missing – Windows 10 has no pre-installed DVD player program. If you insert a DVD movie in your laptop’s DVD disc without first installing the necessary app, the DVD won’t work. To watch the movie, you’ll need to first download a DVD playback app and install it. Online Microsoft Store has many good DVD playback apps, so getting your hands on one isn’t complicated.
• Faulty Windows update – It’s important to install Windows Updates (especially Recommended ones) for many reasons. That said, sometimes you may face issues after installing a Windows update. If your DVD drive stopped working immediately post-installation of a new Windows update, uninstall that update and check if this fixes the issue. (Type Settings in the Windows Search bar, select Settings in search results, choose Update & Security | Windows Update | View Update History | Uninstall Updates.)
• Another app might be causing the issue – Sometimes, new software can cause conflicts with existing software and hardware. If you started encountering “CD/DVD not working” issue immediately after installing a new software, it might be a good idea to temporarily uninstall it to check if that fixes the issue. (Open Settings, choose Apps | Apps & Features, and then choose the recently-installed app, and click Uninstall)

Is this is a driver-related issue?

Have you tried all the recommendations stated above but couldn’t fix the problem? If so, there’s a strong possibility that something is wrong with the drive’s device driver.

Think of a device driver as a software program which allows a hardware to communicate with the operating system and other software. In the event a device driver becomes corrupt or outdated, you’re likely to encounter problems with that device. The same thing will happen if a required driver is accidentally deleted.

Windows include a diagnostic tool called Device Manager that can help you fix certain types of driver-related issues.

Step 1 – Launch Device Manager

Type Device Manager in the Windows search bar and select Device Manager in the search results

Step 2 – Check if there’s Resource Conflict

Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives and check for resource conflicts, which will be identified by a yellow triangle with a black exclamation point inside it (This indicates the device is in a “problem state”, though it could still be functioning. This problem is accompanied by an error code that sheds light on the nature of the problem.), a red “X” (This indicates the device in question is disabled currently. Usually it means that even though the device is present on your device but its corresponding driver is not present. That said, it could also imply the driver is present but not properly functioning), or a blue “i” on a white field (This implies the device in question has a manual configuration and not an automatic configuration, which is not something necessarily bad. That’s because the device only needs a different configuration, but there’s nothing wrong with the device or its driver.)

Step 3 – Display Device Properties

In the event of a device conflict, click the CD/DVD drive and choose Properties

Find the Conflict

Click the General tab and check the message in the Properties dialog box. In the event of an issue, you should be able to see an error message which would include the steps recommended by Windows to resolve the problem. The error message may also include an error code, which could come in handy if you are unable to resolve the issue on your own and need to call in a computer technician. Common error codes include Code 41, Code 39, Code 32, Code 19, and Code 31. Each of these errors will have a different accompanying message.

Step 4 – Update the CD or DVD driver

A number of driver related issues occur due to a missing, corrupt, or outdated driver. These errors can be easily fixed by updating the driver in question.

You can update a driver manually or you can update it automatically using a reliable driver update software. For most people, the automatic method is a good choice because it requires no technical knowledge and takes no more than a few minutes.

However, we have listed both the manual driver update method and automatic method. You can choose the method that you like the best.

Update CD/DVD Driver Manually

You can update driver manually by directly downloading the latest driver from the device manufacturer’s website. Alternately, you can use the Device Manager utility to update the driver.

Download Driver Manually From Manufacturer’s Website

Go to the official website of your device’s manufacturer. Next, check for “drivers”, “technical support”, or “downloads”. Search for the latest driver for your device by model number. If you find a relevant driver, download and install it (But make sure the driver is compatible with your version of Windows. For instance if you use 32-bit Windows 10, download a drive this is designed for 32-bit Win 10 computers, not 64-bit).

To install a downloaded driver, open the driver folder and double-click the executable file (it will have an .exe extension). Follow the on-screen prompts, and restart Windows once the installation is complete.

Download Drivers Manually Using the Driver Manager Utility

Here are the steps to follow:

• Launch Driver Manager
• Expand the DVD/CD-ROM drives entry
• Right-click your device and then select Update driver

• In the next window, select the first option (Search automatically for update driver software). Windows will search the computer and Internet for the latest driver and will download and install it.

• Follow the on-screen prompts
• Download Drivers Automatically
• If the manual update method is not your cup of tea, try the automatic method. We recommend using DriverUpdater – a driver update software par excellence. With just a few clicks, it will download and install new drivers.

Automatic driver update tools offer many benefits, the most important ones being:

• You can update device drivers automatically
• The software scans and updates all outdated or missing drivers at one go
• The tool picks the right drivers for your device and operating system, so you won’t have to worry about installing an incorrect driver by mistake
• Automatic driver updates are 100% safe

Driver Updater is one of the best driver update tools out there. Outbyte Driver Updater will give you access to a database of over 1 million drivers. It will regularly scan your PC, suggesting new driver versions to install. Driver Updater contains drivers for a variety of Windows devices. With just one click, you can update drivers in your system.

Step 1
Click here to Install and launch the app

Step 2
Scan all devices

Step 3
Install or update drivers automatically

 

Start Download