[dba-Tech] Win98SE Machine Loses Track of the CD-ROM Drive

Hello again,

This is my month to deal with Win98SE problems.  

This is not a new problem for me, but it kept cropping up while I was 
trying to get the D-Link wireles card thing solved.  Every so often, 
without warning, my Win98SE machine can't find the CD-ROM.  

I've seen this happen in a client's machine, too.  In his case, 
everything had worked well until he installed a Scrabble game - set to 
be run from the CD.  After that, the machine could not find the CD.  If 
we took the game CD out of the drive, then reinserted it, we could get 
the machine to recognize it.  If the CD was left in the drive when the 
machine was shut down, at boot-up the CD-ROM drive was lost again.  He 
could open it and close it, but the drive did not show up in the "My 
Computer" window.  Put the game CD in the drive and close it, and the 
Autorun kicked in and launched the game intro - and the drive now showed 
up in the "My Computer."

In my machine, I have not discovered a consistent workaround to solve 
the failure to access the CD-ROM drive - even though it does show up in 
the "My Computer" window.  Trying to access it - as for instance while 
needing it to read my Win98SE CD as part of the installation of hardware 
- returns the "device not ready" error.  Sometimes, taking out the CD, 
reinserting it and holding down the left Shift key will get the drive 
cranking, its activity light on for a while - and voila, the CD-ROM 
drive is reachable again.  Other times that has no effect.  

Perhaps I have a CD-ROM drive going flaky - if so, it began flaky, since 
the first occurence of this behavior dates back a good five years.  Or, 
perhaps this is behavior recognized by others and there is a good fix. 
 I don't know, but I'd appreciate any ideas on it.

Thanks as always for your help,
Tina