📎 AI Summary:
The thread discusses a user’s persistent issue with an Optiarc DVD RW AD-7203A drive that refuses to recognize any media, despite troubleshooting efforts like driver reinstallation and registry edits. The user is frustrated and questions whether the drive could be stuck in "burn mode" or if the laser might be faulty, with potential suggestions from others about checking for laser failure, verifying connections, and testing the drive in another system. Overall, the dialogue centers around diagnosing hardware failure, with the consensus leaning toward a possible laser or hardware malfunction, and no definitive solution provided.

PiperCrab

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Messages
2
Thread Author #1
Allo,

My Optiarc DVD RW AD-7203A drive refuses to recognize any sort of media I put within it. I am unsure of when this problem occured (because I rarely use the drive, which begs the question of how in the world can it stop working), but I do know that nothing I have tried has helped me.

I've tried all of the following:

Editing the registry to no avail because the "Lower Filters" key is not present, therefore the kb article is of no use.

Uninstalling/reinstalling the drive

Changing the Start key in the registry to "3"

Formatting the entire machine and restoring to factory settings

The thing is, whenever I enter the Device Manager to check on the drive, it keeps saying it's working perfectly/drivers are up-to-date/blah blah blah. I've tried searching everywhere but to no avail, and I may soon just take a hammer to it and be done with this crap.

However, I am hoping that you mates can help me before rage takes over and I smash this thing to bits! Also, is it possible for a drive to be stuck in "burn mode" (as in it thinks it's always burning a cd/dvd)?

Thank you.
 

Solution
If it isn't reading anything, there is always a chance the laser is out. In some cases, drives can read CDs but DVDs or vice versa. Is anything like this happening to you?

Does the drive show up in the Computer window?

The latest firmware seems to be from 2008, so it doesn't appear that is an option.

Have you tried it in another system?

All Connections tight?

Saltgrass

Excellent Member
Microsoft Community Contributor
Joined
Oct 16, 2009
Messages
15,152
If it isn't reading anything, there is always a chance the laser is out. In some cases, drives can read CDs but DVDs or vice versa. Is anything like this happening to you?

Does the drive show up in the Computer window?

The latest firmware seems to be from 2008, so it doesn't appear that is an option.

Have you tried it in another system?

All Connections tight?
 

Solution