XP Drivers

Q. Help, my CD drive or DVD drive is missing?

A. I am taking this to mean your CD/DVD drive is not recognized, so you can’t play a CD or DVD.

You probably have either corrupted or deleted Windows registry entries. To solve this problem, you need to use the Registry Editor. ***Note: By using Registry Editor, you are modifying the registry. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click here to read the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Make sure you are logged into your computer as a administrator.

1. Click Start
2. Click Accessories, and then click Run.
3. Type regedit, and then click OK. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
4. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5. In the right pane, click UpperFilters.
   *Note – You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to step 8.
6. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
7. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
8. In the right pane, click LowerFilters.
   *Note – If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this you will need to contact Microsoft for additional support.
9. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
10. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
11. Exit Registry Editor.
12. Restart the computer.
13. Click Start button, click Computer, and then see whether the drive is listed.

If you can’t play or access a CD or DVD, you might have to reinstall some programs. Some programs might not be able to use your CD or DVD drive until you reinstall those programs. If the problem occurs again when you install or uninstall those programs, check to see if the manufacturer of the program has an update available. Some examples of programs that might be affected are:

• iTunes software by Apple
• Nero software by Nero Inc
• Roxio Creator software by Sonic Solutions
• Zune software by Microsoft

After reinstalling your programs, if you can play or access a CD or DVD, you are finished (yahoo!)  if the drive is not listed, remove and reinstall the existing drivers.

1. Click Start button, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click System and Maintenance, click System, and then click Device Manager.
   *Note If Control Panel is in Classic View, double-click System, and then click Device Manager. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
3. In Device Manager, expland DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the CD and DVD devices, and then click Uninstall.
4. When you are prompted to confirm that you want to remove the device, click OK.
5. Restart your computer.

After the computer restarts, the drivers should be automatically installed.

Q. Help, my CD drive or DVD drive is missing?

A. I am taking this to mean your CD/DVD drive is not recognized, so you can’t play a CD or DVD.

You probably have either corrupted or deleted Windows registry entries. To solve this problem, you need to use the Registry Editor. ***Note: By using Registry Editor, you are modifying the registry. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click here to read the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
4. In the right pane, click UpperFilters.
   *** Note – You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to step 7.
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
7. In the right pane, click LowerFilters.
   *** Note – If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content cannot help you any further. Try contacting Microsoft for additional support.
8. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
9. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
10. Exit Registry Editor.
11. Restart the computer.
12. Click Start, click My Computer, and then see whether the drive is listed.

If you still can’t play or access a CD or DVD at this point, next try to reinstall the programs. If that doesn’t work, check to see if there are updates available at the manufacturer’s website. Some examples of programs that might be affected are:

• iTunes software by Apple
• Nero software by Nero Inc
• Roxio Creator software by Sonic Solutions
• Zune software by Microsoft

Additionally, you  can try to remove and reinstall the device drivers.

Do the following to remove and reinstall the device drivers:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click System and Maintenance, and then click System,
3. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
4. In Device Manager, expand DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the CD and DVD devices, and then click Uninstall.
5. When you are prompted to confirm that you want to remove the device, click OK.
6. Restart the computer.

After the computer restarts, the drivers should be automatically installed.

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

This is a Device Manager error code. A Code 39 error is usually caused by a missing driver, or by a Windows Registry issue.  A Code 39 error can apply to any hardware device in Device Manager. A Code 39 error usually appears on optical drives like CD and DVD drives. Any of Microsoft’s operating systems can experience a Code 39 Device Manager error.

Possible Solutions:

1. First try to restart your computer. There is always a possibility that a Code 39 error might be caused by some fluke with Device Manager or your BIOS.
2. If you recently installed a device or made changes in Device Manager prior to seeing the Code 39 error, undo whatever changes you made to see if the Code 39 error goes away. (Depending on what changes you made, this could mean removing the newly installed device, rolling back the driver to a previous version or using the System Restore to undo Device Manager changes. Remember to restart your computer after undoing changes.)
3. Delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters registry values. A common cause of Code 39 errors is the corruption of two specific registry values in the DVD/CD-ROM Drive Class registry key. You can also try deleting similar values in the Windows Registry if the Code 39 error appears on hardware other than a DVD or CD drive.
4. Reinstall the device drivers. Remove the currently installed driver and then let Windows install it over again.
5. Update the device drivers. If there is an update for your device drivers, it might fix a Code 39 error.
6. Replace your device. It is possible that either your device isn’t compatible with the version of Windows, or there might be a malfunction with the hardware of your device.

The Device Manager is a part of Microsoft Windows Vista. It gives you an organized view of all recognized devices installed on your computer. The Device Manager is used to change options, manage your drivers, enabling and disabling your devices, such as your hard disk drives, USB devices, keyboards, sound cards and more.

To access the Device Manager in Windows Vista:

1. Click the Start Menu
2. Type “Device Manager” and hit return
   

OR

1. Click the Start Menu,
2. Click the Control Panel,
   
3. Click the Device Manager Icon
   

1. Check the device manufacturer’s web site for the most current drivers available for your hardware. Note: Many drivers come packaged with software that automatically installs the driver. The manufacturer’s website will tell you if the driver download is packaged this way and if so, the steps below aren’t usually necessary.
2. Open Device Manager
3. Locate the hardware device you wish to update drivers for.Click on the [+] icon to expand the categories.
4. After finding the hardware you’re updating drivers for, right click on the hardware’s name or icon and choose Properties. In this Properties window, click the Driver tab.

5. Click the Update Driver… button. The Hardware Update Wizard will begin.

6. Click the No, not this time button and then click the Next > button. When asked “Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software?”
7. Choose the Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) button and then click the Next > button. When asked What do you want the wizard to do?” The next window that appears will be the Please choose your search and installation options. window containing several buttons and checkboxes.
8. Choose the Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install button and then click the Next > button.
9. Click the Have Disk… button on the Select the device driver you want to install for this hardware. window.
10. Click the Browse… button on the Install From Disk dialog box that appeared.
11. Click the INF file that displays in the file list and click the Open button.
12. Click the OK button back on the Install From Disk dialog box.
13. Choose the newly added hardware back on the Select the device driver you want to install for this hardware. window and then click the Next > button.

    If you’re prompted with a message warning you about the software for the hardware device not passing the Windows Logo testing, click the Continue Anyway button. Many drivers are not Windows certified but are still perfectly safe to install. (If you’re installing a driver obtained from anywhere other than the manufacturer of the hardware, click the STOP Installation button instead and obtain drivers from the manufacturer directly.)

14. The Hardware Update Wizard will now use the instructions provided in the INF file from Step 11 to install the updated drivers for your hardware. Follow any additional instructions on screen to complete the driver update.
15. After the driver update is complete, click Yes to the “Do you want to restart your computer now?” question on System Settings Change and other important areas of your computer. Restarting your machine is a good way to confirm that updating drivers hasn’t negatively impacted some other area of Windows. dialog box. Not all driver updates require a restart of your computer. Even if you’re not prompted, I always recommend restarting anyway. The driver update process involves changes to the Windows Registry (If a driver update causes an issue, you can always roll back the driver)
    

STOP error 0xB4 means that Windows was unable to enter graphics mode. Your video driver failed to initialize. This happens because of a conflict with the computer’s parallel port and your video card, if the parallel port I/O address is set to 03BC.

To fix this problem you need to change the parallel port I/O address from 03BC to 0378

1. Restart your machine, and press F8 at the Starting Windows screen.
2. Select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER
3. Log on to your using the local administrator account.
4. Click Start, Settings, and then click Control Panel.
5. Double-click System.
6. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
7. Click the plus “+” next to ports to expand the ports list.
8. Select the printer port LPT1, and on the Action menu, click Properties.
9. Click the Resources tab, and then clear the Use Automatic Settings check box .
10. In the Settings Based On drop down menu, select a setting that uses an I/O address of 0378 instead of 03BC.
11. Click OK, and then close Device Manager.

A yellow exclamation point next to a device in Device Manager means that Windows has identified a problem of some kind of problem with that device.


This helps notify you that there might be a system resource conflict, a driver issue or another problem. Seeing the yellow mark itself doesn’t give you any valuable information other than notify you of a problem. It does mean that a “Device Manager Error Code” has been generated. To fix whatever problem is going on, you’ll need to view this code and troubleshoot accordingly.