WinME treats all CDs as audio

**DrDave** · April 18th, 2003, 01:20 PM

My WinME system has started to treat all data CDs as if they were a music CD. A new (data) CD will trigger autorun and bring up Windows Media Player which errors out.

I have a copy of WinXP ready to install but can't use the CD drive. Tried moving back about 2 months using the restore function. The CD drive disappeared. Checking the Device Manager, I found the CD driver flagged with a suggestion that I need to reinstall the driver. Don't know how to install a CD driver and suspect it is part of WinME but can't reinstall ME without a working CD drive.

Suggestions appreciated...
Dave

**NooNoo** · April 18th, 2003, 02:50 PM

Sounds like a pooched aspi layer possibly

Does it work if you boot from it? Did you set the bios to boot from CD first?

To test it in dos, grab yourself a 98se boot disk .here is one you download, double click the exe with a floppy diskette in and it will create the bootdisk for you.

If it works in dos, then you need this download it, and run the exe. Yes I know it says XP at the top, it is for ME as well

Good luck

**confus-ed** · April 19th, 2003, 05:58 AM

Sounds like a pooched aspi layer possibly

Or a number of other things, pooched file associations, errant cdr software, blah, blah, blah ... BUT ....

have a copy of WinXP ready to install but can't use the CD drive.

Do you mean you have an 'upgrade' copy .... because a straight copy would of course be bootable, you need to change the boot source is bios.

Upgrading from any o/s to another is not the best way ... you want a clean install, unless you have reasons otherwise, particularly for an upgrade from 9x to a NT based system, so you don't need to bother fixing ME unless you really really want what's already there ....

Which do you want a new shinny copy of XP or your ME install fix-ed

???

**DrDave** · April 21st, 2003, 12:17 PM

Originally posted by NooNoo
Sounds like a pooched aspi layer possibly

Does it work if you boot from it? Did you set the bios to boot from CD first?

NooNoo - sorry about the double post - really a NoNo. I'm still learning...

I have downloaded the boot disk and Adaptec utility. Will give your suggestions a try tonight. I did not set the bios to boot from the CD. What is the potential problem with EasyCD?

**DrDave** · April 21st, 2003, 12:27 PM

Originally posted by confus-ed
Do you mean you have an 'upgrade' copy .... because a straight copy would of course be bootable, you need to change the boot source is bios.

Upgrading from any o/s to another is not the best way ... you want a clean install, unless you have reasons otherwise, particularly for an upgrade from 9x to a NT based system, so you don't need to bother fixing ME unless you really really want what's already there ....

Which do you want a new shinny copy of XP or your ME install fix-ed?

My copy of XP is an upgrade. I have a software package installed with no access to the install CD. Hope to be able to get to XP without reformatting HD. If you think this is hopeless I may have to bite the bullet and wipe the HD clean. I guess I figure I can always reformat and start fresh if approach #1 is a failure. End goal is shinny new copy of XP.

Thanks for your help,
DrDave

**NooNoo** · April 22nd, 2003, 05:24 PM

Soooo.... does the cd drive work in dos? will it boot from cd?

**DrDave** · April 23rd, 2003, 08:38 AM

Originally posted by NooNoo
Soooo.... does the cd drive work in dos? will it boot from cd?

CD drive does work in DOS. Directory of a data CD was correct. Tried to look at an audio CD. DOS did not see a the CD in the drive and I guess that would be normal.

I did not try to change the BIOS to boot from a CD. Not sure how to make the BIOS change and do not know what CD I could boot from. WinME and WinXP CDs are both upgrades. I assume they are not bootable. I could try my Win98 CD.

Thanks for your interest & help...

**Kineda** · April 23rd, 2003, 09:19 AM

Sounds to me like your cd-rom drivers are screwed in windows, reboot to safe mode and look in device manager. CHeck for multiple drivers and i would remove what ever is listed under cd-rom anyway jsut to have it be reinstalled from scratch on boot...since it works from dos it is a windows issue, i am more than sure you will be able to fix this without the format....let me know what you find

**confus-ed** · April 23rd, 2003, 09:54 AM

End goal is shinny new copy of XP

So read this - which explains xp setup options

If all upgrade disks are bootable .... I'm not so sure .... then just follow the instructions... & we don't need to fix ME ....

& edit

Note you can run either an upgrade or clean install this way

**NooNoo** · April 24th, 2003, 06:03 AM

So did you download the adaptec aspi software?

**DrDave** · April 24th, 2003, 02:15 PM

Originally posted by NooNoo
So did you download the adaptec aspi software?

Yes, I downloaded and ran the aspi software. No help. Before that I downloaded and tried the Win98 boot disk. Data CD seemed OK from DOS. Unable to view tracks on an audio CD but suspect that is normal. Also tried 4/23 suggestion from Kineda. Found a total of 4 CD drivers listed under Device Manager. Deleted all four and two auto-reinstalled on boot. Old & new CD drivers had "strange looking text" labels. Hard to describe but the characters looked like they had extra garbage attached to the text at random places. I am assuming they may well be corrupted although Device Manager does not flag a problem.

Working now to backup everything and go for a clean install of XP. Some of the great links y'all pointed to indicated my XP HE upgrade CD should boot.

Thanks for all the interest and support.
Dave

**Kineda** · April 24th, 2003, 02:21 PM

Damn i hate when windows starts throwing in all those extra drivers! sorry that a format will be the end fix but glad i could help point the driver thing out.....usually that fix is flawless

**format c:** · April 25th, 2003, 02:33 AM

The XP cd is bootable for both the upgrade and full versions, Keep your 98 cd handy as you will be asked for it as proof of ownership on a previous vesrion of Windows

**DrDave** · May 9th, 2003, 09:41 AM

I just worked 20 min. on the latest chapter of this saga and attached a .JPG file showing my boot screen. This forum software said the max attachment size was 1 byte. I didn't believe a 1 byte limit and submitted my reply. It was rejected for having an oversize attachment and all the text seems to be lost.

Darn!

Are attachments possible at all?