No SATA option in BIOS on Toshiba laptop - ETA it wasn't a SATA problem! Derp.

[hayesang]

i have a Toshiba Satellite E45T running WIndows 10. I can't get my external DVD/CD drive to be recognized. Bought another thinking it was my external drive and that didn't work either.

Looked at a lot of boards and have seen over and over that I should change the SATA controller in BIOS from IDE to AHCI. Problem is that I can't access/see anywhere in BIOS where I can change the SATA controller. How do I get my external DVD/CD drive working again?

 

[The Paladin]

isn't your external drive/dvd a usb device ?

 

[hayesang]

isn't your external drive/dvd a usb device ?

Yes.

 

[The Paladin]

if your external drive/dvd is usb then what are searching for SATA settings in your Bios, I don't understand your problem.

if you plug a USB device and it is not recognized by windows, then please tell us the make model of the device your connecting.
some usb devices need a driver
some usb device need a powered port (have you tried to connect it to a different usb port to see if power comes on it)

 

[hayesang]

if your external drive/dvd is usb then what are searching for SATA settings in your Bios, I don't understand your problem.

if you plug a USB device and it is not recognized by windows, then please tell us the make model of the device your connecting.
some usb devices need a driver
some usb device need a powered port (have you tried to connect it to a different usb port to see if power comes on it)

I guess I don't understand it either. Let me restart

I have an LG GP50 external DVD writer that used to work a couple months ago. I go to use it today and nothing. Went and bought a new one (LG SP80, same deal, didn't work). Drive spins but never shows up on my computer devices/drives.

I did some troubleshooting searches, kept reading about BIOS and SATA and changing IDE to AHCI. I then wrote my question here when I looked in BIOS and, well, you read the original question.

Now I've done some more research/futzing and have now gone into Device Manager, see that it's listed (HL-DT-ST-DVDRAM GP50nB40 USB Device) and go thru the steps of updating the driver only to have my computer tell me that my driver is up to date. I then notice that I have a Code 19 error in the Properties Status box.

More research and I'm seeing a lot of people say I need to Uninstall the device, then go into the registry and delete the upper and lower filters. Tried to do that but there were no upper or lower filters.

So here I am, with a computer that will see the device but not run it or access the DVD located inside it. SO FRUSTRATING!

 

[The Paladin]

okay so the usb device isn't running (being used by windows) but hardware manager show sit being there in the list of devices, it has power then good.
Windows 7 was troublesome at times with usb devices, try this..

click on start button, right click on MY PC and select properties, then device manager
scroll down to Universal serial bus controllers.
right click on the first generic usb hub and select uninstall, same for second and other that would show
then reboot your pc... this forces the USB Hosts to reload, and may permit your usb device to be reconised properly in your list of devices.

 

[hayesang]

okay so the usb device isn't running (being used by windows) but hardware manager show sit being there in the list of devices, it has power then good.
Windows 7 was troublesome at times with usb devices, try this..

click on start button, right click on MY PC and select properties, then device manager
scroll down to Universal serial bus controllers.
right click on the first generic usb hub and select uninstall, same for second and other that would show
then reboot your pc... this forces the USB Hosts to reload, and may permit your usb device to be reconised properly in your list of devices.

It took about a dozen tries but it finally worked! Thank you so much! Seriously, this is amazing. You saved my weekend and then some. 😀 😀 😀