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December 9, 2005
Dear CNET members,
As many of you probably are aware, hardware issues are difficult to troubleshoot. And with so many possible causes of system problems, member submissions for this week brought a full spectrum of solutions to Nike's cry for help when his machine didn't recognize his DVD-RW and CD-RW drives. Solutions/ideas ranged from certain software installs to loose cabling in the machine itself. With so many possible solutions provided by our helpful members, my suggestion to you, Nike, is to please read through them all. Start with the troubleshooting basics and work your way up to the more complicated solutions. For all we know, it could be just a simple fix. So to get you started, here is the winning answer from Paul, who goes through quite a few scenarios to help solve your problem. But as always, go through all the honorable mentions and other advice from our members. And if you do come across one of the solutions that requires you to dip into the Windows Registry, please take extreme caution--if it is done incorrectly, it can render your system useless. So if you are uncomfortable with it, stay on the sidelines and let an experienced person do it for you. But if you think you are up to the challenge, make sure to back up your Registry first. Good luck! If any of you would like to step up to the plate to further assist Nike, please come on in and post. Thanks, everyone and have a wonderful weekend!
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Member Question of the Week
One day I went to bed, and my computer was fine; the next
morning, my system no longer recognized my DVD-RW and
CD-RW. As far as I know, I did nothing to provoke such
outrageous behavior. Both drivers load without a problem, and
there's power going to both drives. I checked the control
panel and got yellow with error 41. What gives? I love
burning stuff to CD. I am desperately missing my CD fix. Can
you help a fellow out? Running Windows XP. Thanks in advance!
Submitted by:
Nike W.
Let's see if we can resolve this for you. I will assume you don't have removable drives since this is typically not a plug-and-play issue. Also, outdated, incorrect, or damaged drivers may in fact load but not operate well enough for your hardware to work correctly. You may need to run Windows Update to make sure your OS is functioning properly with other newer drivers and programs.
The error code 41, with the yellow you are getting, is in fact for drivers that were loaded, but Windows cannot find the non-plug-and-play device. This can happen from a simple update that may have occurred, even if you had no knowledge of it. It can cause a conflict with the drivers that renders your hardware unusable, as in your case...
Submitted by:
Paul K. of Gladstone, Michigan
For
Paul's
efforts, we're sending him his choice of any
Help.com Learning CD.
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Best regards and enjoy!
With all the havoc that spyware can cause to people's machines, members are always looking for that extra edge to stop spyware in its tracks. So what are the best utilities out there to combat spyware? Do you have a suggestion for our members? If you have no idea, see what members have recommended in this discussion.
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Check out next week's question:
A CRT flat-screen monitor not only has a much larger viewing area and resolution rate, it's a lot cheaper than comparable LCD monitors. Other than size and style, what are the advantages and/or disadvantages of using an LCD monitor over a CRT monitor? And if I were looking into purchasing an LCD monitor, are there any specific things, such as contrast ratios, refresh rate, and so forth (which is all foreign to me), that I should pay particularly close attention to in order to make a good buying decision on an LCD monitor? I would be grateful for any detailed explanations. Thanks.
--Submitted by:
George
If you have the answer,
e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com.
If we choose your response, you'll get a
free Help.com CD.
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User name: longofest
Location: Alexandria, VA
Member since: January 30, 2004
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About me: I deal a lot with technology, with my PC/Mac at the center of my "digital life." I have my job which...(read more)
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