DVD and MSworks just stopped working

Question

DVD and MSworks just stopped working

Rob Curtis 20

I put a CD in and it doesn't register. Then I wanted to open an MSWorks document, and none of the 3 types would open, only spincircle. It had worked fine for years on this machine and only a couple of weeks ago, I opened about a dozen documents and printed out. I don't see a Windows update in history since before that.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 20,785 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Rob Curtis,

Since the usual repair steps have already been covered, I would first check whether the two problems are actually related:

Open File Explorer > This PC and confirm whether the DVD drive appears there.
Insert a known-good data DVD or CD, not just a movie disc, and check whether its files can be browsed.
For Microsoft Works, right-click one affected document and select Open with. Let us know which program is currently associated with the file.

If possible, also let us know the file extension of a Works document that no longer opens, such as .wps, .wks, or .wdb. That should help narrow down whether this is a file-association/application issue or something affecting Works itself.

I hope this helps isolate the cause.

Rob Curtis 20 Reputation points

2026-11-01T15:03:36.53+00:00

The problems appear unrelated. I did more windows updates and the MSworks worked again, opening files that it was opening a week before. However the drive is not reccognized when discs are in it that also worked a week or 2 ago. I had loaded Book Pavillion not long ago and that didn't work, and now I tried Win7 Ultimate just to see if that would be recognized. I get the alert on the ATA..... drive. I uninstalled and rebooted and though it disappeared when I did so, on rebooting it is back. I choose update driver and it says it is current. I choose to look on Windows update and the only one that still says download and install is Windows 11, version 26H2,. I chose all updates and it finished and I restarted and nothing changed regarding the drive.
Hendrix-V 20,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-02T00:04:57.15+00:00
Hi Rob Curtis,

Thanks for the update. It is good to hear that Microsoft Works is functioning again, so the remaining issue can be narrowed down to the optical drive.

Since the ATA/CD/DVD device returns with a warning after reinstalling it, simply updating the driver again is unlikely to help.

Could you please check one detail:

Open Device Manager.

Right-click the device showing the warning and select Properties.

Under Device status, note the exact error code and message (for example, Code 19, 31, 39, or 41).

Please post that code/message here. It will help determine the appropriate next step without repeating troubleshooting you have already completed.
Hendrix-V 20,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-04T01:08:22.92+00:00

Hi Rob Curtis,

If you have any further questions or updates regarding this issue, please feel free to let me know in the Comments section. I'd be happy to assist you.
Rob Curtis 20 Reputation points

2026-11-04T09:25:53.6+00:00

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

Object Name not found.
Hendrix-V 20,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-04T23:15:05.6566667+00:00
Hi Rob Curtis,

Thanks for updating, that narrows it down considerably. Code 39: “Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware” is specifically documented by Microsoft for CD/DVD detection problems.

Additionally, I would recommend checking one thing before doing anything further:

Open Registry Editor and browse to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Check whether UpperFilters or LowerFilters appears in the right pane.

For now, let us know which of those entries you see.

Since registry changes can have unintended effects if the wrong entry is modified, checking what is present first is the safer approach.

If neither filter entry exists, please don't change anything else in that key. Let us know what you find, and we can determine the next step from there.
Rob Curtis 20 Reputation points

2026-11-05T12:24:47.4666667+00:00

Lower filters in the right pane.
Hendrix-V 20,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-06T06:22:44.19+00:00
Hi Rob Curtis,

Thanks for checking. Since LowerFilters is present, this is the next item to test.

In Registry Editor, first export/back up the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} key.

In the right pane, right-click LowerFilters and select Delete.

Do not delete the entire registry key or any other values.

Restart the computer and test the DVD/CD drive again.

If the drive still shows Code 39 after restarting, please let us know. At that point, rather than repeating the driver reinstall, we can move to the next diagnostic step.
Rob Curtis 20 Reputation points

2026-11-06T12:14:36.2366667+00:00

Uh-oh. I was going back and forth with 2 screens between your suggestions and going to regedit. I had gone back to the previous post about how to get to the key, but Regedit remembered where I last was, and I saw the key and lowerfilter and deleted. I was about to restart, when I went back to the recent post and saw that you said to first export or backup and I hadn't, and I can't undo. I then exported without the lowerfilter present. Should I still restart?

Answer 2

Treat the CD/DVD drive and Microsoft Works as separate failures first, then check Windows system integrity only if both remain broken.

1. Determine whether Windows detects the optical drive

Press Windows key, type Device Manager, and open it.
Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives.
Use the matching result:

Drive is listed normally: Try a different known-good commercial CD or DVD. If one disc works, the original disc is likely the issue.
Drive has a yellow warning symbol: Right-click it → Properties and note the error code. Codes 19, 31, 32, 39, and 41 indicate driver or configuration failures.
Drive is absent: In Device Manager, select View → Show hidden devices. For an external drive, also try another USB port and cable; a closely matching Windows 11 case was resolved by replacing the cabling.^1^

If the drive is present but has an error:

Right-click the drive → Uninstall device.
Select Uninstall.
Restart Windows. Windows should reinstall the driver automatically.^2^

If it remains missing, follow the same Microsoft procedure to reinstall the IDE/ATAPI controllers:

Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices.
Expand IDE/ATAPI controllers.
Uninstall ATA Channel 0, ATA Channel 1, Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller, and any additional entries there.
Restart Windows; the controllers should reinstall automatically.^2^

Do not start with the registry-filter repair. It requires administrator access, carries a risk if the wrong values are deleted, and is appropriate only after the driver procedures fail.

2. Distinguish a Works application failure from a file-association failure

First, preserve the documents: copy several affected files to another folder or external storage without renaming or editing them.

Open File Explorer.
Select View → Show → File name extensions.
Note the endings of the affected files—commonly .wps, .wks, or .wdb. Windows identifies .wks as a Microsoft Works format.^3^
Open Microsoft Works itself from Start, rather than double-clicking a document.
In Works, select File → Open and test a copied document.

Interpret the result:

The file opens from inside Works: The Windows file association is likely broken. Right-click the file → Open with → Choose another app, select the appropriate Works component, and choose the option to use it for that file type.
Works opens, but no Works file type opens: Run the compatibility troubleshooter at Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Program Compatibility Troubleshooter → Run, then select Microsoft Works.^4^
Works itself only displays a spinning circle: Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc, end the Works task, and test again after restarting Windows. If it still hangs, proceed to the system-integrity check below.
Only particular files fail: Test backup copies of those files. Do not merely change their filename extensions; changing an extension does not convert the underlying format.^3^

If Works becomes usable, convert important files while it is available: save word-processing documents as .docx where offered, and export database data as .csv. A matching Works-file case recommends conversion on a computer where Works still runs.^5^

3. If both failures persist, repair Windows system files

The two problems occurring together can justify checking Windows components, but does not by itself prove that corruption is the cause.

Open Command Prompt as administrator, then run:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
sfc /scannow

Wait for DISM to finish before running SFC. Restart afterward and retest both the optical drive and Works. Microsoft documents DISM followed by SFC for repairing corrupted Windows components and system files.^6^

If DISM or SFC reports files it cannot repair, or Device Manager continues to report a CD/DVD driver error, the next escalation is a Windows 11 repair reinstall that preserves applications and files; a closely matching CD-ROM driver-corruption case used that path after DISM and SFC failed.^7^

References