Most of us remember the time before USB sticks and clouds when CDs and DVDs were the only options when it came to external storage for computers. Today, the majority of PCs don’t even come with built-in CD and DVD writers and readers — understandably so because this would make modern-day laptops and PCs much thicker.
However, should you ever want to use a CD or DVD on your computer, there is an easy way to do that with a CD or DVD writer and reader equipped with a USB connection.
With that, some users have reported an error message saying that their CD or DVD storage device is not visible in the File Explorer (as well as This PC or My Computer).
Why is the CD/DVD icon not showing in the File Explorer? And how to fix CD icons missing in Windows 10 File Explorer? Find out in this article.
How to fix CD icons missing in Windows 10 File Explorer?
In order to fix the CD/DVD not showing up error in Windows 10, you will need to use the Registry Editor, update your drivers and create a new Registry entry. Here’s how to proceed:
- Press Win + R to launch Run.
- Type “regedit” and hit Enter.
- When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
- Look for DWORD values titled UpperFilters and LowerFilters.
- Right-click on each one and choose Delete.
- Restart your PC to apply the changes.
Now, you will need to update, uninstall or roll back your drivers. If you have started to receive the error message after a driver update, you may need to roll back to the previous version. On the other hand, if you have not updated your drivers for a while, updating them may resolve the problem.
The drivers you will need to either update or roll back are located under the options such as DVD/CD-ROM drives and IDE/ATAPI Controllers. They include: ATA Channel 0, ATA Channel 1 and Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller.
You can make changes to the said system drivers manually: make sure to download the latest versions for your drivers only from reliable sources.
Alternatively, you can use a specialized driver-updating tool like Auslogics Driver Updater that will detect existing and potential driver problems and update your system drivers in just one click.
The final step would be creating a new Registry entry. Here’s how:
- Press the Win + R key combo to bring up Run.
- Type “regedit” and press Enter.
- When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi.
- Right-click atapi and choose New > Key.
- Give it the following title: Controller0.
- Right-click the subkey and go to New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Give it the following title: EnumDevice1.
- Double-click on it and set the Value data to “1”.
- Click OK.
- Restart your PC to apply the changes.
We also recommend that you have a reliable anti-virus program onboard like Auslogics Anti-Malware. The software will run regular checks of your system and delete any malicious items that could cause this and other errors.
Do you still use CDs and DVDs? What do you typically use them for? Share in the comments below.
