red X's means the drive isn't connected but you are looking at removable storage. You need to check the Disk Management icon which will show you what 'fixed' drives you have. It should look like this (or an approximation becasue I'm using XP pro as opposed to Win 2000):
If nothing is showing you will need to go into your bios which is accessible when you first boot up the computer. To do this turn your computer off, then when you turn it back on continually click on Del. Until you see a a message at the bottom of the screen which says entering set up
This will open up the bios screen which usually has a blue background or a whitish background with blue trimmings. Each manufacturer has slightly different layouts but basically they all have the same functions
(Ignore the red arrow) You DVD/CD should show next to one of the lines thats listed as Primary Master and Slave and Secondary Master and Slave. DVD Drives are usually connected to the secondary connectionswhich on the image of the motherboard at the bottom of this post would be the one on the inside of the MoBo usually colored blue.
The bove screen shots show whether discs are being picked up by the bootup process. Your CD/DVD drive should be showing in one of these screens. To access it you need to select the ...(just a moment need to remind myself....brb)
W.R.
When the Bios setup screen is open it should be showing the main page. There you can see what fixed drives (which include DVD and CD drives) you have installed or connected. You should see something like the following:
[HL-DT-STDVD-RAM]
[Samsung CD-r/RW]
The above are only examples taken from one of my computers, which has a DVD RAM drive and an old rewritable CD drive. Just look for DVD and/or CD to confirm that you have them installed (or it installed if you only have one DVD/CD drive)
If you aren’t seeing any DVD or CD drives in that list on the main page it could mean the drive is disconnected, that is the cable has come loose.
You will need to turn the computer off and isolate it from the mains (i.e. unplug the computer from the electricity supply), then open up the computer. Locate where the back of your DVD is and check to see if the plug from the IDE cable is pushed into the DVD socket. These can work lose over time, especially if fans within the computer cause vibration (no matter how small). You then need to check the cables connection with the motherboard. Care needs to be taken here 'firstly' touch any metal piping from say your central heating or plumbing pipes (to get rid of any static you may have on your body) then support the underside of the motherboard with your fingers ~ (it’ll be a tight squeeze, but it’s important that you support the board otherwise when you push the IDE cables plug into the motherboards IDE socket you may crack the motherboard or cause one of the many soldered joints to split - I've never had this happen to me,but it can happen if you don't support the board, then firmly push the IDE cables socket back into the motherboards IDE socket; (see image below, IDE sockets (a blue and a yellow one) can be seen half way along the right edge of the Motherboard.).
If the drive is showing on the BIOS’s main page it means the drive shou8ld be connected. The computer management screen is a good place to start though you could also download CDGone (see instructions and download link at the end of this post) and try that first. Check the Disk Management screen to see if the DVD/CD drive is showing. If it is right click on the block that tells you some details about the DVD.CD. try clicking on eject. If your DVD/CD ‘s tray opens the thing is definitely connected and working. Next check the drivers. Sometimes they can become corrupted. Go to properties to check the drivers.
Download CDgone, http://www.aumha.org/downloads/cdgone. Add zip after the dot (we are not allowed to post direct links to software). right click on the downloaded file and choose Extract All, then double-click on cdgone.reg Say "Yes" to the merge question and then reboot. See if the drives have returned. You may have to re-install CD burning applications, since they're the ones that tinker with the filter setting in the registry that caused the drives to disappear.
p.s.
Before you start opening up your computer try all the other alternatives first. If the computer was a 'off the shelf' shop bought computer, opening up the computer may invalidate any warrantry you have on it, but I suspect that its an old computer as you say you have Win 2000 on the computer. So it's probably not a problem. Please do be careful when you have your hands inside the computer. There are sharp edges that can easily cut your fingers also you could damage components; and as I mention above make sure you've de-staticised yourself (lol, I'm not sure whether that is a real word). Whi;e you have the computer open it's also always a good idea to give it a bit of a clean up as dust accumulates over time
Don't use a wet cloth ofr anything that may generate static otherwize your memory and cpu could be damaged. I buy canisters of air that I use to blow out most of the dust, though I used to blow it out using my mouth and lungs. If you've got a dust allergy though it's not recommended that you do it, but get someone else. A build up of dust can cause the computer to overheat which can also damage the imortant components of your computer. (I clean my computers every 3 or 4 months. Just a quick blast from a cannister of air is all that's needed usually.
:)
