I had a bit of a problem with a restored computer where the CD drives would not appear in My Computer in Windows XP.
After a little bit of grief, I found that the problem was a simple registry setting: http://www.siliconguide.com/qa/forum/messages/71.shtml
To resolve the issue
- Open up the registry editor (Start > Run > regedit and click ‘OK’)
- Navigate to the following folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325 -11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
- Delete the keys Upperfilters and Lowerfilters
- Close the registry editor
Once you have deleted the registry keys, either reboot Windows, or scan for new devices in Device Manager. The CD drive(s) should now appear, and work as normal.