Device not ready!! :-(

Hi folks!
I am putting together and PC using pieces found anywhere, just 4 fun. The CD-Rom is a Creative 32x and it's giving me some trouble.
What happened was that after installing Win98, the CD-Rom icon is right there in My COmputer as it shuould: no conflict, no wired messages. As soon as I tried to install Office, the Cd-Rom didn't recognize the CD: Drive not Ready. This is what I get when trying to click on the icon in MyComputer. Same thing from DOS prompt.
The BIOS sees it just finr when booting...
I've already moved it on a different chain; set it from slave to master to slave again. Same thing.
Any suggestion?

I don't know it this might help, but the string that I read in Device Manager is:
Creative CD3231E UC100
On the creative web site, there is no drive for such device, the closest I can get is CD3230 and it is 5 mb!!! <IMG SRC="smilies/mad.gif" border="0">

Did you try rebooting from a floppy install disk and it still loads the Driver for the CDROM?? and read it??

If so and its still not reading it try switching the cable, that dont do it try a different CDROM. <IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0">

Sounds like a bad drive, try it in another machine known to work...

Thanks guys, I will give that a try and will let you know ASAP <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

Dude think...

CD
Cable
CDROM
and since u indicated u pieced it together from parts lying around... the controller.