My cd rom has stopped reading disks!!!

[confus-ed]

..and as daft as it sounds, Im not sure whioch one my op system is on...that is I literally dont know which hard drive is my c and which one is d...Windows cant possibly need both drives to boot can it?

It can .. it depends how its been set up - this is making it hard ! - try just connecting the cd with your windows disk in & it set to boot from cd in bios, (depends on the bios but generally ..) it should let you start still from the cd without a hard disk there ..

In Noo's reply above I still can't see the picture for ide cables (only a red x) - so I'll show you some more cable pictures -

40 sense cable for older harddrives & cd's


80 sense cables recommended for any ata66+ device (i.e. 'modern' ide hard drives)

& repeat that you want to be using one like the top one , 40 sense, (just confirm you are, then I can shut up about it ! ) & didn't you get a new one anyway with your drive purchase ? (you can buy them anyway at most pc places from about £7 )

[mayney]

Im def. using the 40 sense cables.....although I didnt recieve one with my new drive....Ill get a new one and start there...try to eliminate most possibilties...
The drive did, all of a sudden, stop working so perhaps it is the cable....

[mayney]

Right Ive switched the cables....I couldnt hook up my new cd rom on the same copnnection as the harddrive as Im ha\ving issues booting the computer with one drive as you know...so I switched the cables and it booted finecd rom still dosent work...so, we can rule out cables I think...]
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