Dell 4300 - Can't access CD-RW E: drive after Stand-By or ..

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I bought a DELL 4300 in April 2002 running an original XP system with
original factory fitted DVD and CD-RW drives.

From the beginning I have had a problem that took me a while to recognise,
finding that the E: CD-RW drive behaves normally from a cold start, but will
not read a disc loaded into it, after I go into Stand-By or Hibernate and
then subsequently run again.

I also find that the sound system will not work.

This is despite upgrading the Bios from the A04 to A05 to A06 and upgrading
XP original to SP1 then SP2 and in fact making every relevant up s/w grade
on my 4300 it still exhibits this fault (but it has improved because at one
time the D: DVD drive and the A: floppy drive were inaccessible
intermittently - but not now)

The s/w driver status diagnostics for the E: drive tells me that 'It is
operating correctly'

To make the E: drive and the Sound system usable I need to;

1] Close down the PC then start it up again.

- or instead

2] Enter the Erive properties and sequentially DISABLE the LITEON DVD-ROM
LTD163 followed by an ENABLE. and turn on the Sound system by sequentially
turning MUTE ON then MUTE OFF to make it work

******************************
Dell's response to this problem a year ago was to wipe the C: drive and load
all the original factory s/w plus all the later upgrades - but I felt I had
too much investment already and without guarantee that it would work and
didn't want to go down that route.

It looks like some system resetting program or function is not operating
when my PC comes out of Stand-by.

While it would nice to eradicate the fault entirely, does anyone have a
suggestion how to do so or tell me an programatic way to DISABLE/ENABLE
the Erive and MUTE ON/ MUTE OFF the Sound, as a work around after
reactivating from Stand-by (or Hibernate)

Speug, 12 Sep 04