Fix DVD Drive Not Working in Windows 11

DVD drive not working in Windows 11? If you are also having the same trouble, this is the right platform for the solutions. This issue is super frustrating when you need to access those old files or watch your favourite DVDs, but your drive just won’t cooperate.

The causes for Windows 11 can’t recognize DVD drives could be:

1. Corrupted Registry Entries
2. Hardware issues
3. Outdated or Missing drivers
4. Power issues

So, this article has the easy-to-follow and best solutions to fix this problem.

Fix DVD Drive Not Working in Windows 11

Fix 1: Update or Reinstall the DVD Driver

1. Open the Device Manager app by searching it on the Windows search bar.

2. Find “DVD/CD-ROM drives” and right-click on the DVD driver. From the below two points, you can follow either:

a. Choose “Update driver” option. Now, select “Search automatically for updated driver software” to download and install the previous DVD driver automatically.

b. Choose “Uninstall” option and then restart the PC. Restarting Windows 11 will automatically install the driver.

Fix 2: Remove and Reinstall IDE/ATAPI Drivers

1. Again open the Device Manager as done in the previous solution.

2. Here, find the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers and right-click on the items listed under it. Tap “Uninstall device” and once finished, restart the PC.

Fix 3: Use the Registry Editor

1. Open the Registry Editor app by searching it on the Windows search bar. Follow the below 2 options.

Option 1: Reset the DVD drive

Resetting could help solve the DVD drive not working in Windows 11 issue.

1. Go to the below path in the Registry Editor:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi

Right-click on atapi and select New > Key. A new key will be created as Controller0.

2. Select Controller0 and right-click the empty space to generate a new DWORD. Also, change its value to 1 and restart the system.

Option 2: Fix a Corrupted Registry Entry

If the registry entry has been corrupted, follow these steps:

1. Go to the below Registry Editor path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

2. Right-click on UpperFilters and LowerFilters and Delete each.

Fix 4: Restore the DVD Drive Using Command Prompt

You can restore the DVD drive using Command Prompt with administrator rights. For that:

1. Search “cmd” in the Windows search bar. Right-click on the Command Prompt tile and choose “Run as Administrator”. Tap “Yes” on the next pop-up.

2. Now, copy & paste the below command and press the Enter key:

reg.exe add “HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Controller0” /f /v EnumDevice1 /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00000001

3. After the successful message appears, restart the PC and see if the issue is resolved or not.

That’s it!