Can someone help me understand why my CD Player is not recognized by the computer?
This is a Dell Dimension 4600i
1 Gig Ram
Win 98SE
service tag 7xkz91s

Ive entered the bios many times and tried to set this computer up and recognize different HDD's
I have the computer recognizing the fujitsu 13 GIG HDD IDE with WIN 98SE and operating satisfactorily.

(A NEW TOPIC LATER) The new SATA Drive, 500 GIG is not recognized. However when I run a diagnostic the SATA drive was found tested and passed. I havent rebooted it yet so, no known result. I really need the CD Player working to progress.

The A: drive works fine. It tested a floppy with photo's on it and they came up on SCREEN.
The CD Player however does not. When I try to open the CD Player from the start menu Im told there is no Player installed and cannot continue.
I have tried a second CD Player and the result is the same, not installed. (I have others to try if someone thinks it required.)
WHY IS IT SO?
What can I do next please?Hello its me bud. With all the problems you have been posting [do you think] it is time to make some upgraded?Build your own system.Hahaha THIS IS THE UPGRADE!!!
What do you expect when you get a computer for free. They got rid of it for a reason themselves.

However to my understanding (and I have no reason to doubt it) the computer was working in an office and they took the hard drive for their new computer. I think they took the Cd Player too and put this one in it.

Once I got the bios working, and discovered the computer actually worked I bought a new SATA drive. The sales ppl talked me into that. Maybe I should just change it for an IDE. Then the drama began.
The rest was a learning curve. Computers have been the bain of my life so Ive never learned about the INSIDES. So far Ive found it really challenging, exciting in a way that I have learned so much. So thank you one and all for your guidance and assistance.

So back to CD Player any suggestions?What do you mean by "When I try to open the CD Player from the start menu "?when you click on Start, All Programs, Accessories,Entertainment CD Playerso you are trying to access your cd drive thru a cd player program. Does the actual drive itself work? If you go to "My Computer" does it show the drive there? Can you open it by PUSHING the button the front? If so what happens when you put a cd in the drive and close it?Thank you mroilfield, yes I have tried to put a cd in the drive the door opens and closes the light flickers but the motor does not spin.
When I go into my computer there is no cd player.
When I start up the computer from off, the computer goes through the post sequence and the light comes on, on the cd player front panel, but no spinning or whirring noises.

Its one THING to work on a computer, but to understand whats happening and what the different screens that come up are a totally different thing.
This may be relevant
At start up after win screen finishes and the icons appear for my comp, recycle bin, network connections etc etc...
the computer has some of these windows. They say each time,
New hardware found PCI Serial Bus Serial bus ... A device driver is a software program that makes a hardware device work. Click next and search for the driver from the windows data base on your drive and in any other location. Click oK
At one time or other it asks for me to put the Win98 CD in the drive to locate the file.

Now how am I going to do that when the *censored* thing doesnt go???

When I go into device manager there are a series of yellow marks down the list of PCI things.