UKC

I've just had the hard drive in my lap top replaced. I have Chrome working but I need to reinstall DVD and CD player.
I just can't get the hang of this. Can anyone help an old man in words of one syllable please?

In reply to Co1in H:

For DVDs and other videos, the best option is VLC Media Player. You can download it here: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

That will also play CDs if you want but it's designed for video really so it might be less ideal for music.

In reply to Luke90: Thank,s but that didn't work.

In reply to Co1in H:
I can't hang around to reply more just now, but I think you are probably asking how to get the CD/DVD drive itself working again after reinstalling your operating system.

Most likely is either that you don't have the right 'driver' (a bit of software which tells your computer and the CD/DVD drive how to talk to each other) installed for it now, or that it has been physically disconnected in the process of installing a new hard drive, and not reconnected again.

Disconnect the mains power, open up your PC, and make sure your CD/DVD drives are properly connected to both the internal power, and to your motherboard - so there should probably be two cables for each drive (there are different types, depending on the drive and on your computer). If they look OK, also try reseating the cables (unplugging them and plugging them in again) - be gentle, some have catches you'll have to release first.

If it's not that, plug the mains power back in and boot up your computer - it's probably the driver which is missing, in which case you'll probably see the drive(s) listed in Device Manager (if you're using Windows) as not working properly.

If so, we need to know what operating system it is (some version of Windows?), and possibly what make/model of CD/DVD drive you have.

You could try searching the net for something along the lines of "Windows 7 driver for Atapi DVD Drive", substituting your operating system and the type of drive, of course. Don't use drivers which don't come from a trusted company; the manufacturer of your drive is probably the best source.

There are other possible problems, such as hardware failure, but these two are the most likely. Good luck!

In reply to skog:

Just re-read; as it's a laptop try the drivers first, as looking at the insides is likely to be fiddly!

In reply to Co1in H:

Sounds like the Driver to run the CD/DVD is missing.
Have a look at the laptops manufacturers website and enter the model number into its search facility. This should then give you options to download manuals and drivers, etc.
Select the relevant driver, follow the instructions and all should work...

In reply to Co1in H:

This should find any missing drivers for you

https://www.slimwareutilities.com/slimdrivers.php

In reply to The Lemming:

aha! still using that baby then eh?! was going to suggest it myself. i'm more or less exclusively macs now so i have no need for drivers and the gaff anymore.
yes you can say i'm a fan boy if you want

In reply to wilkie14c: Thanks all, I'll give it a whirl later today.

In reply to Co1in H:

TBH if it's not working automatically after an OS reinstall there's something weird going on there, CD/DVD drives are all plug and play these days on universal drivers. Might be a dead drive.

Please don't open the laptop and start fiddling if you don't know what you're doing. List your OS and lappy brand/model number and I'll link you the driver.

In reply to wilkie14c:

It's a cracking little tool.