I'm currently on a toshiba satellite running XP and for the PAST couple of days, my CD drive hasn't been working. When I try to read a CD, I get a "I/O Device error" message.
I've tried many things such as:
- Uninstalling the drive and then rebooting
- Messing with the IDE controllers
- Running chkdsk
- I've also scanned for viruses and haven't found any
Yet it still doesn't work ;(
I'd consider reformatting, but I'm not sure if it's possible to do without a working CD Drive, and I'm also not sure if it'll fix the drive. Any help/ideas?The error message is caused from Windows trying to use a transfer mode that your CD/DVD drive cannot recognize.

A more common error message that is seen when this issue arises is:

"The REQUEST could not be performed because of an I/O device error."

However, both error messages yield the same solution.

To resolve this issue, you will need to change the transfer mode in your IDE channel properties. Here's how:

   1. Go to Start
   2. Right click My Computer
   3. Select MANAGE from the resulting menu
   4. In the Computer Management window, select Device Manager
   5. In the right pane, click to expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
   6. Identify your CD/DVD drive in the expanded menu and right click the appropriate             drive
   7. Select Properties
   8. In the Properties windows, click the Advanced Settings tab
   9. In the Transfer Mode box that represents your CD/DVD drive (typically Device 1),    open the drop down menu and select PIO Only
  10. Click OK and exit all windows.

If this does not resolve your issue, then you will need to go back using the above procedure and change the Device 1 in step #9 back to "DMA if available". Then, change Device 0 to "PIO Only" in the Transfer Mode box.

Device 0: Primary IDE Channel
Device 1: SECONDARY IDE Channel

Tony

Let me know how it goes Thanks Tony, but I've already tried that, and it didn't do anything ;(

VLC

OK well you could download the player from the link above and see if that helps .........its a great media player.......i think you may need a codec im not 100% sure on that though , just try the media player above and see if it plays.


Tony HMM...I don't really think the problem has anything to do with my media player, but I guess it can't hurt to try.Completely remove the drive from the laptop.
With a flashlight carefully inspect the inside of the slot for dirt or debris.
Use compressed air to clean it out.
Do NOT insert any metal objects in the slot.
Inspect the business end of the drive to be sure nothing is bent or out of whack.

Re-insert the drive re-boot and see if this helps...

p.s. How old is the drive ? ?
It may be heading South.Ok I am officially confused. Before, whenever I put a CD into the drive, my computer wouldn't even recognize it. When I went into My Computer and clicked on it, I got the device error.
I downloaded that Media Player ^ and insert a CD into the drive, and all of a sudden my computer automatically recognizes it. =S
I'm pretty sure the VLC wasn't what fixed it, but it's fixed either way =P Thanks for all your help guys