[wyldKard]

one of our laptops's cdrom cannot be detected by win98 bootdisk, so how can we install windows and how can we enable the cdrom device...

[a.koepke]

are you able to boot from CD, most laptops can and the 98SE CD is bootable

[wyldKard]

i can't because the cdrom cannot be detected...

[karsh44]

You don't need the boot disk to boot from the cdrom. Just put in the cd and restart the computer, after making sure your bios is set to look for the cd during the boot up.

[wyldKard]

there is a problem, bios does not show cdrom... only avalaible boot devices are HD and FDD.. my guess(wild) is maybe lost cdrom drivers... is there such a thing as default cdrom drivers? maybe by installing cdrom may be found...

[Matrix28]

If the bios doesn't recognize it then the chances are it is broken.

[Known_criminal]

bad cable/bad controller either motherboard or cd drive/ and as mentioned above bad drive all together/ check the power supply lead to make sure it has power.

[wyldKard]

i guess it's time to send it in for checking hehehe

[Matrix28]

Yep.

[wyldKard]

power's ok, i can still open/close the cdrom... maybe it's the drivers... is there such a thing as a generic cdrom driver? you know, for general cdrom drivers... etc

[Known_criminal]

if the bios dont see it a driver wont fix it, may try clearing the cmos and redetecting the drive. is it on the same cable as the hard drive? or is it on a controller of it's own?

[a.koepke]

Known_criminal: it's a laptop... don't think you can really tell

wyldKard: drivers are used by the operating system to help it communicate to the hardware. It doesn't have any relevance in this situation. What speed is this laptop or when was it made. Some of the older BIOS systems didnt detect CD-ROM drives or allow booting off them.

[wyldKard]

hmmm late 90's i think heheh... i can't find the manual maybe 97-98 sanyo winkey

[kraizeekat]

check the board manufacturer's website for bios updates?