I am running Microsoft Windows 98 and last year I had a professional install an CD-RW drive (AOPEN model CRW4850). These past few weeks, when I have put a CD-ROM in the drive, sometimes it registers that there are files on the CD and sometimes it doesn't. Most often it happens on my CD-ROM for Age of Empires.

Right now, the computer is registering that a blank CD is in the drive with 0 bites used, 648 MB free.

Why is this happening? Sometimes the CD-ROM works and other times it doesn't. There seems to be no rhyme or reason and simply taking the CD-ROM out and putting it back in again doesn't work.

I apologize for taking so long to respond to your question.

First, I suggest you open the case and check that the ribbon cable is tightly connected to both the CD-RW and to the motherboard. If it is just the slightest bit loose, you can get intermittent problems.

Have you tried uninstalling, then reinstalling the CD-RW driver?

Another question. Does it always seem to work OK right after you restart the computer? Have you tried putting in and reading one CD, then taking that CD out and trying another one? Does it still read the first CD, even though the second one is in the drive?

If you can't read a CD, try restarting the computer and trying it again.

I hope something here will help!

Dwight

Howdy:

have you tried running a lens cleaner through your cd-rom?? The laser lens can get slightly off kilter or dust covered and that will cause the problems you are having..

Any cd-rom cleaner will do the trick..

Murray

Nothing seemed to work, so I ended up throwing out the CD-ROMs and it hasn't happened on any other CD-ROMs I've put in the computer since. Thanks for your suggestions, though.