Can't use my CD-ROM or DVD/CD RW drives

[judgesmails]

Everything worked until today when I did the following trying to use my new iPod:

1. Installed the iPod software, including iTunes, that comes with the iPod through my CD-ROM.

2. Re-booted (as instructed)

3. Tried to refer back to iPod CD through CD-ROM for instructions on how to import songs from my external hard drive to my iPod (not in the book).

My CD-ROM and DVD/CD RW drives are not even present in the directory of available drives with removable storage. I can't find a way to access them at all. The drive does not automatically work with the CD in it, as it used to.

I am guessing this is something easy, but I don't know enough about these things to figure it out. Can anyone help?

Right-click on the My Computer icon wherever that may be, and left-click "manage" from the menu that drops down (assuming WinXP here). In the new window that opens, on the left hand side left-click device manager from the list. This will open a list of device on your computer. See if you can find your drives on that list. For whatever reason the software may have disabled those devices and they will have a red X next to there name. If you right-click the device you should be able to enable it again from there.

If this doesn't work you should be able to find an update to that software at the iPod website that should fix that problem. Otherwise unistall the software and see if the drives work. If they work after the uninstall you may have to do without the software, or find an alternate piece of software that does the same thing.

[judgesmails]

You da man!

Thanks!